afa

Ifá is a divination system originating among the Yoruba people of West Africa. It plays an important role in Yoruba religion and certain African diasporic religions deriving from it, such as Cuban Santería.
According to traditional belief, Ifá is associated with Orunmila, who is one of the orisha spirits central to Yoruba religion.
Its oracular literary body is made up of 256 volumes (signs) that are divided into two categories, the first called Ojú Odù or main Odù that consists of 16 chapters. The second category is composed of 240 chapters called Amúlù Odù (omoluos), these are composed through the combination of the main Odù.
The system of divination used in Ifá is a code to access a literary corpus, the Odù Ifá. Orunmila is identified as the Grand Priest, as he revealed the foundational divinity and prophecy (the first 16 Odu) to the world. Babaláwos or Ìyánífás are usually called Ifa priests, but really, they are scholars; the equivalent of professors in classical university systems. They use either the divining chain known as Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀, or the sacred palm (Elaeis guineensis) or kola nuts called Ikin, on the wooden divination tray called Ọpọ́n Ifá to mathematically calculate which Odu to use for what problem.

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