Skip to main content
Membership Shop

Kuba

Divination Oracle (Itombwa)

Kuba, 1900-1932

Scroll

Kuba

Divination Oracle (Itombwa)

Kuba

Divination Oracle (Itombwa)

Kuba, 1900-1932

Physical Qualities Wood, fiber, 12 15/16 × 3 3/16 × 2 3/4 in. (32.8 × 8.1 × 7 cm.)
Credit Line Gift of Robert and Nancy Nooter, Washington, D.C.
Object Number 1985.285
The divination oracle's canine form enhances the object's role as a mediator between the human and spirit worlds, as the Kuba consider dogs to be ideal messengers for nature spirits. A diviner sought the spirits' guidance while rubbing the attachment back and forth across the oracle's back.
Meditations on African Art: Pattern

Culture

Kuba

2000–2000

Meet Kuba →
Not on View

Explore the Collection Further

BY SAME ARTIST
AFRICA, THE AMERICAS, ASIA, AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
Prestige Cloth with Thick Pile and "Double Knot" Design
Kuba, Shoowa, and others
Prestige Cloth with Thick Pile and "Double Knot" Design
1949–1968
Lele
Divination Oracle (Itombwa)
1899–1932
Prestige Cloth with Thick Pile and "Jagged Blocks" Design
Kuba, Shoowa, and others
Prestige Cloth with Thick Pile and "Jagged Blocks" Design
1958–1986
Divination Oracle
Shilele
Divination Oracle
1900–1932
Prestige Cloth
Kuba, Shoowa, and others
Prestige Cloth
1958–1959
CLOUD DIVINATION #1
Saya Woolfalk
Cloud Divination #1
2017
Kuba
Woman's Scalloped Border Pile and Pierced Design Overskirt
1914–1929
Dong Zuobin
Scroll: Calligraphy in Oracle Bone Script
1954
Kuba and Unidentified
Royal Woman's Red Overskirt
1700–1798
Calligraphy in Oracle Bone Script
Dong Zuobin
Calligraphy in Oracle Bone Script
1949–1954
Kuba and Unidentified
Royal Dance Skirt for King Bope Mabiinc Mbek (r. 1916-1919)
1915–1918
Divination Basket and Figures
Chokwe
Divination Basket and Figures
1900–1999