Divination -

Among Chokwe and related peoples of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia, divination is viewed as a process through which individuals with extraordinary experience and knowledge attempt to find solutions to the problems of others. A diviner (called tahi or nganga) aims at creating order out of disorder, trying to mend what clients may perceive as their torn situational realities. With the aid of a divination instrument (ngombo) and a protective/tutelary ancestral spirit, called hamba kayongo, a diviner has the capacity to search beyond ordinary human experience to expose that which is hidden; to recommend actions towards the resolution of conflicts, and redress the afflictions of individuals or society in general.

Cases commonly mediated by diviners include illness, death, misfortune or bad luck, impotence or infertility, and theft. Part of the job of a diviner is to reveal the nature of affliction, whether it is related to social or inter‑personal situations, ancestral afflictions known as mahamba, the influence of witchcraft (including possession by one or various harmful creatures), or other. After a cause has been attributed to the symptoms of a client, a course of action to redress the source of conflict is stipulated by a diviner. This may result in treatment with medications, prescription of amulets in the form of medicinal bundles or carved figurines to be worn by patients, the creation of carved wooden figures for ancestral veneration, or recommendations on how to change a client’s behavior so as to regain normality and harmony in life.

Ngombo ya kusekula divination

_{Chokwe divination basket and figures}

One form of divination practiced by the Chokwe, Lunda, Lwena/Luvale, Luchazi, Mbunda and others, includes the use of a basket containing numerous symbolic objects, called tupele (sing. kapele). Such a divination basket is called ngombo ya kusekula or ya chisuka, and the tupele comprise both natural items, such as rocks, shells, parts of animals, and vegetal remains, and manufactured objects, such as pieces of pottery, coins, carved or constructed artifacts, and figurines.

To use the ngombo, the diviner tosses the tupele in the basket a number of times and interprets the configuration of the pieces that settle near the front rim. The interpretation acquires its authority from the diviner’s reputation and the fact that, ultimately, the diviner’s tutelary spirit (a venerable ancestor) has control over the basket. Also, because within the basket, the tupele symbols are openly displayed, allowing the client and witnesses to see evidence of the diviner’s assertions. Basket divination can be a very complex procedure, made the more challenging when the diviner is purposely given misinformation by the client as a test to his abilities. This process of divination may take hours in duration, depending on the complexity of a case and how many people may be involved.

_{Luchazi diviner and his ngombo}

_{Chokwe-Luchazi diviner and his ngombo}

Diviners

_{Masarwa diviner, Botswana}

_{Chokwe and Lunda diviners, Angola and Zambia (from old postcards)}