Eight-piece divining chain of alternating concave and convex seed halves used by Babalawos as a faster alternative to palm nut casting in Ifá.
verse theme
Sacrificio animal
Coconut divided into four pieces for Obi divination.
Ikin (palm nuts)
Tipos de trabajo prescrito
A behavioral abstention or avoidance prescribed by the reading: specific foods, colors, locations, or activities to avoid for a defined period.
A specific divination event performed for a recipient by an authorized diviner. Records the sign(s) that appeared, the outcome polarity (iré/osogbo), prescribed works, and the entities indicated. Reading records are among the most sensitive data in the framework: recipient identity is no-access; the date and officiant are community-restricted; the prescribed work and entity are initiated-only.
Head Rogation
In composite systems (Ifá), the sign generated by the second cast. Together with primarySign, identifies the full odù compound.
A prohibition (eewo) traditionally associated with this sign. Taboos relate to foods, behaviors, materials, or associations that persons born under this sign or receiving this sign in reading should avoid.
verse source
Abstención / Prohibición
prescribed entity
Caracoles / Dilogún
Àwọn ìrú iṣẹ́ àṣẹ
Ifá
The ile or lineage corpus from which this verse version derives. Different lineages may hold different versions of verses for the same sign.
Obi Abata (coconut)
Itutu / Etutu
Iré Aré
The diviner who performed the reading. Range: foaf:Person. Community-restricted to protect practitioner privacy unless the officiant has consented to public attribution.
Meios de lançamento
Itá / Ifá de Cabeza
Divination Verse
Sacred palm nuts (ikin Ifá, obi Ifá) used by Babalawos for Ifá divination. Considered the highest-authority casting medium in Lucumí/Yorùbá tradition.
The divination sign(s) that appeared in this reading.
verse text
The extended Ifá reading performed for an individual at initiation (kariosha, itá de kariosha) or as a life-path consultation. Typically multi-sign, conducted by a Babalawo, and interpreted by Olorisha elders. The itá record is among the most sensitive personal documents in the tradition.
Vititi Nfinda
Iré Aiku (long life)
A cooling or pacifying ceremony, often performed after death, severe osogbo, or to address Egun. Requires specific authority and materials.
verse sign
Ebó
governing entity
Osogbo of illness or physical affliction.
The set of DivinationVerse instances in a specific lineage's corpus for this sign. The existence of a corpus is public; the verse content is initiated-elder only.
A discrete sign, figure, or configuration within a divination system. In Ifá: one of 256 odù (each identified by primary + secondary throw). In Dilogún: one of 16 principal signs (odù Dilogún, omieros, and their paths). In Fá: du figures. In Chamalongo: one of 5 configurations. Each sign has an associated corpus of verses, prescriptions, and spirit-entity relationships. The sign's name and number are public; verses and prescribed works are restricted.
Tipos de resultado divinatório
Dilogún
A prescribed offering to the Orisha or Ifá indicated by the reading. Includes specific materials, animals, foods, or objects. Operational details are initiated-only.
sign proverb
Chamalongo (coconut shells)
Casting Media
A cleansing and feeding of the head (ori/eleda) using specific cool and white materials. One of the most commonly prescribed works across Lucumí and related traditions.
Prepared bones or discs used as an alternative casting medium for Chamalongo. The specific preparation is lineage-specific and restricted.
Full ceremony
sign taboo
Free-text notes from the diviner. Elder-only: may contain specific operational detail.
gender restriction
Àwọn ìrú ọ̀nà aṣọtẹ́lẹ̀
Kola nut divided into lobes for Obi divination. More traditional form in continental Yorùbá practice.
The divination sign to which this verse belongs.
Tipos de sistema de adivinación
The spirit or deity principally associated with this sign across the tradition. In Ifá: Ogbe Meji is governed by Obatala; Oshé Meji by Oshun. This is a tradition-level association, not reading-specific. Range: iroko:SpiritualEntity.
The numeric identifier for this sign within its system. For Dilogún: 1–16. For Ifá: the composite index of primary (1–16) and secondary (1–16) throw.
The title or opening line of the verse as used within the lineage. Community-restricted: verse titles alone can partially disclose operational content.
Types de système divinatoire
Osogbo Ikú
Divination System Types
authorized practitioner type
Iré of children or generativity. The sign comes with the blessing of progeny or creative fruitfulness.
Iroko Framework: Marca Module (Divination Systems and Sacred Sign Corpora)
Iré (positivo)
Osogbo Arun (illness)
Osogbo Ojú
reading officiant
A prescribed ceremony (initiation, reception of Orisha, specific feast) indicated by the reading as necessary.
Mirror or reflective-surface divination used in Palo Monte for spiritual vision and consultation. Complementary to but distinct from Chamalongo; requires specific nganga authorization.
Types de résultat divinatoire
Derlé
Spiritual cleansing
Ceremonia completa
Divination Reading
Adimú
Osogbo Ojú (enmity)
Chamalongo (prepared bones/discs)
Iré Omo
The complete body of verses, prescriptions, proverbs, and interpretive commentary associated with a divination system as transmitted through a specific lineage. Distinct from the system itself (which is the abstract framework) and from individual verses (which are its units). A corpus is lineage-specific: Ifá lineages in Havana may hold different verse inventories than those in Lagos or Trinidad, each representing a distinct corpus.
Obi
Abstention / Prohibition
The authority title required to cast this system. In Ifá: Babalawo. In Dilogún: Olorisha with dilogún authorization. In Fá: Bokonon. Range: iroko:AuthorityTitleScheme.
Osogbo of enemies or opposition. The negative force indicated involves interpersonal conflict or hostility.
Cowrie shell divination using 16 shells (owó dilogún) to generate 16 principal signs. Practiced by authorized Olorisha. Used in Lucumí/Ocha, Candomblé, and related traditions. Shares sign names with Ifá odù but distinct system, corpus, and authority structure.
Rogación de cabeza
verse lineage
Card-based or object-based divination associated with Espiritismo and Haitian Vodou mesa blanca practice. Distinct from African-derived binary casting systems.
Osogbo Arun
Iré Owó (wealth)
Kongo-derived divination using four coconut shell halves or prepared bones/discs. Generates 5 configurations. Used in Palo Monte and related Bantu-Atlantic traditions. Practiced by authorized Paleros (Tatas and Yayas).
Ikin (nueces de palma)
Prescribed Work Types
Provenance of this verse record: oral transmission, field recording, published collection. Range: iroko:DocumentaryEvidence.
prescribed work
The ebó, rogation, ceremony, or spiritual work prescribed as a result of this reading. Range: iroko:EboTypeScheme. Among the most sensitive data: links divination outcome to specific prescribed action.
The full text of the verse. Elder-only: ese Ifá and analogous verses are among the most sacred and operationally powerful materials in the tradition. Their disclosure outside authorized transmission is a serious breach.
Iré of prosperity. The sign comes with the blessing of material abundance.
Divination Outcome Types
A tradition-specific divination system consisting of a defined corpus of signs, casting methods, and interpretive frameworks. Examples: Ifá (256 odù, palm nut or chain casting), Dilogún (16 principal signs, cowrie casting), Fá (Fon parallel to Ifá), Obi (4-part binary coconut or kola reading), Chamalongo (Palo Kongo coconut/bone divination). A DivinationSystem belongs to one or more traditions and may have regional variants.
Ritual sacrifice of an animal specified by the reading. Species, preparation, and allocation are operational details held at initiated-only access.
The Yorùbá-derived divination system using ikin (palm nuts) or okuele (divining chain) to generate 256 binary odù configurations. Practiced by authorized Babalawos. Versions found in Lucumí (Cuba), Candomblé de Ifá (Brazil), Trinidadian Orisha, and continental Yorùbá communities.
reading date
reading outcome
Sixteen cowrie shells used in Dilogún divination by authorized Olorisha.
Iré (positive)
Okuele / Ekuele
Tipos de resultado divinatorio
The principal proverb (owe) associated with this sign. Proverbs are often publicly known and shared in scholarly literature. Language-tagged.
Chamalongo
Four-piece binary divination using coconut (obi abata) or kola nut (obi kola). Generates 5 configurations from the binary state of four pieces. Used across Lucumí, Candomblé, and Yorùbá traditions for confirmation and yes/no queries. Less elaborate than Ifá or Dilogún but widely practiced.
Medios de lanzamiento
Iré Owó
Divination System
Osogbo of death or severe loss. The most serious category; requires immediate and specific ebó.
Thematic summary of the verse's principal narrative or prescription, without reproducing the text. Initiated-only.
secondary sign
Links a DivinationSystem to its DivinationCorpus. The corpus is the complete body of verses, prescriptions, and commentary associated with this system within a specific lineage. A system may have multiple corpora across lineages — each lineage's corpus is a separate DivinationCorpus instance (subclass of LineageKnowledgeGraph). Access: public-unrestricted — the existence of a corpus associated with a system is public knowledge; the verse content within the corpus is governed at elder-initiated level on the DivinationVerse instances themselves.
Itá
casting medium
Iré of victory or achievement. The sign comes with the blessing of success in endeavor.
The person for whom the reading was performed. No-access: reading recipients have a reasonable expectation of confidentiality. Stored internally for provenance tracking only.
Osogbo (negative)
A sign comes with positive polarity. The indicated blessings are accessible. Prescribed works (ebó) confirm and open the path.
Iré
A food or vegetable offering (without blood) to an Orisha. Accessible outside of full ebó; considered the first step in propitiation.
Okuele / Ekuele (divining chain)
The Fon and Ewe divination system cognate to Ifá, using palm nuts or a divining chain to generate du figures. Practiced by Bokonon (male diviners). The du corpus is distinct from but related to Yorùbá odù. Primary in Benin, Togo, and Haitian Vodou communities with Rada/Fon lineages.
Adimu
Àwọn ìrú àbájáde aṣọtẹ́lẹ̀
In composite systems (Ifá), the sign generated by the first cast. The primary odù of a compound figure.
verse title
reading recipient
Divination Sign
sign number
reading notes
A full-body or environmental cleansing (despojo, limpieza) using herbs, waters, or other materials prescribed by the reading.
Àwọn ohun ìdán
Iré Aiku
A sign comes with negative polarity. The indicated difficulties or blockages are present. Prescribed works (ebó) are required to avert or mitigate.
Animal sacrifice
Iré Omo (children)
Osogbo Ikú (death)
Divination Corpus
Four coconut shell halves prepared and consecrated for Chamalongo divination in Palo traditions.
primary sign
Médiums de tirage
sign received
verse corpus
Iré Aré (victory)
The spiritual entity indicated by the reading as requiring propitiation, attention, or ceremony. Range: iroko:SpiritualEntity.
Limpieza espiritual
A single verse, story, or pataki within a sign's corpus. In Ifá: an ese Ifá. In Dilogún: a rezo or pataki. In Fá: a hwenoho. Verses carry narrative, ethical, prescriptive, and esoteric content. They are the primary means by which divination knowledge is transmitted and applied. Verse text is initiated-elder access; the existence of a verse corpus for a sign is public.
Whether the sign came iré (positive polarity) or osogbo (negative polarity) in this reading. Range: iroko:OutcomeTypeScheme.
The physical medium used to cast or generate the sign in this system. Examples: ikin (palm nuts), okuele/ekuele (divining chain), owó dilogún (cowries), obi (coconut), obi kola (kola nut), chamalongo (coconut shells or bones). Range: iroko:CastingMediumScheme.
has corpus
Àṣọtẹ́lẹ̀ burúkú
Osogbo (negativo)
Types de travaux prescrits
Documents tradition-specific restrictions on who may cast this system, expressed as a free-text note. For Ifá in the Lucumí tradition: historically restricted to initiated men (Babalawos); contested in some lineages and Afro-Atlantic communities. This property records the documented practice of the lineage being described, not a normative judgment.
Owó Dilogún (cowrie shells)
Tipos de sistema divinatório
Iré of long life. The sign comes with the blessing of longevity.
Domain module. Vocabulary for documenting divination systems, sacred signs, reading records, and verse corpora across Afro-Atlantic traditions. Covers Ifá (256 odù), Dilogún, Fá, Obi, Chamalongo, and analogous systems. Sign names and system typologies are public; verse texts, reading details, and prescribed works are restricted at the property level. Use with iroko-authority to document who may perform or transmit readings; iroko-narrative for verse corpus transmission chains and patakí variant relationships.
Tipos de trabalho prescrito
Lineage-specific variations exist in casting protocol, sign count, and authority requirements.
Obi Kola (kola nut)