BANTU MirniODS Ol' DIVIXA'IION : A 

 COMPAkATIVI". S'lUDY. 



Bv Rev. Noel Robickts. 



(I^latcs 8-IO and f-a'o tc.vl figures.) 



DIV [NATION is the jirofessed jjower of ac(|uiring know- 

 ledge by occult means. It is based on tbe as.sumption that the 

 whole of Nature is united l)y a subtle bond, corresponding in 

 many ways to the ether postulated by Science. This bond is 

 of such a nature that the diviner believes that his instruments 

 will record actions far or near, present. ])ast or future, in much 

 the same way as the seismograph, the photographic plate, or the 

 barometer indicate or record disturbances, incidents or changes 

 in the physical world. 



Broadly speaking, divination is of two kinds^ : — 



1 . SUPERNORMAL PERCEPT J ON by means of visions 



in trance or in dreams, 



2. The use of ARTIFICIAL AIDS, such as twigs, bones, 



etc. 



The present paper is confined to the consideration of the second 

 class onl}'. 



Before I describe the methods of artificial divination prac- 

 tised in the tribes that have come under my observation, it will 

 be necessary to review the relation of divination to magic and 

 totemi.sm, for without a clear understanding of these relations 

 it would be impossible to follow the lines of thought governing 

 the interpretation of the " bones " or other "aids." The former 

 relation is a verv close one, for divination is realh' a branch of 

 MAGIC. 



Now, magic is to the savage what science is to the savant, 

 namely, systematized knowledge founded on the records of ob- 

 servation. The savage studies the track of the animal he hunts, 

 and a close inspection of the footprints and other signs, coupled 

 with his knowledge of the habits of the animal, enable him to 

 make fairly accurate predictions concerning the animal itself. 

 He will tell you whether it is old or young, male or female, 

 wounded or unhurt, and a host of other things which would 

 amaze a no\ ice in the art. He works precisely on the saine 

 lines as the man of science who. for instance, after a careful 

 study of the pedigree and character of the parents, can predict 

 the pro])ortion of red or white ofi'si)ring they will produce. 



Predictions of science and of magic are based on the ob- 

 servation of relationships which exist, or appear to exist, between 

 pairs of objects. Thus, for examt)le. the relation between 



'In i)ractice, however, the.-^e two classes are largely interdependent. 

 for the interpretation of " artificial aids "' frequently depends on the 

 state or condition of the seer, and the prophetic trance is often induced 

 In- artificial means. 



