The tools of a bone sangoma
The tools of a bone sangoma - a traditional diviner or soothsayer among the Zulu in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Losely translated from the French by Trollkatt
The objects used often come in pairs; a male object (large) and a female object (small). The large bones represent the father and mother, the medium sized are son and daughter, and the small ones represents small children and/or friends.
Coins symbolise silver, the nut fragments ancestors, cowries wisdom (open or closed eyes), the crocodile- and other teeth enemies, and it appears that the shells are connected to time. The fly swat is made from a gnu tail.
Each object has a positive (active) meaning and a negative (passive) meaning. Other objects can be added, and not all are used together.
From: Surnateum, Muséum d'Histoire Surnaturelle
