BAMILEKE:

I am a Mod Ngam
Man of spiders
Often called a diviner.
I am Bamileke
Born in Cameroon
Observing the Earth Spider.

VOICES:

He lives underground
With the nature spirits
Our ancestral messenger.

BAMILEKE:

Earth Spider takes his pick
Movement of leaf and stick.

VOICES (chanting):

He knows the ancient ones.
Earth Spider, tell us what you see;
We await your diplomacy.

DOGON:

I am a Hogan
Diagnosing for the Dogan,
Sands of the Bandiagara.
Come, Sand Fox
There are sticks in the sand
There is drought in the land.
I invoke your presence;
I am the Sunset Chanter.

VOICES (chanting);

Bandiagara
Mountain of freedom
For the Dogon of Mali.

DOGON:

Tell us Sand Fox
Our precious visitor;
Have we offended our ancestry?

BAULE:

I am called Komien
Within the Baule
My special pot called Gbekre.
Once upon a time
The mouse could speak
Of that the Baule toast.
Now he talks
Through the movement of sticks
For us in the Ivory Coast.

KARANGA:

I am an Nganga
Throwing dice called Hakata;
Made of wood
Bone or seed.
Between Ancestor and Karanga,
I endeavour to intercede.
Trusted and respected
I divine, I pray;
For the Karanga of Zimbabwe.

VOICES (chanting):

Ancestor, ancestor
The Healer wants to talk with you.
Whether with mice
Or the use of dice
Diviner wants to talk with you.

ZULU:

Being a Sangoma
I also use bones.
I am Nguni.
That is the Zulu, the Xhosa
The Ndebele and the Swazi.

VOICES (chanting):

Come with the bones, Sangoma
Come as quick as you can
Tell us of Unkulunkulu
Are we drifting from his plan?

ZULU:

From Unkulunkula
I received a special duty.
Having done my training,
Knowing herbs and animals;
I can make the sacred Muti.

I was possessed
I did not choose this profession.
Unkulunkulu called me,
Through my ancestor,
To be a healer of this nation.

VOICES:

Blessed Babalawo
It’s not time for you to go.
Here comes another someone
With troubles in his head;
I think he’s sinking in the flow.

YORUBA:

I am Babalawo
With the gift of Ifa
Giving to my people the Yoruba.
A gift from Olodumare
Through his servant Orunmila
To me, here in Nigeria.

VOICES:

You with great knowledge of Ifa
We beg you, do not go.
Her illness moves fast
Her days grow slow.

YORUBA:

I am a busy Babalawo.

ZANDE:

To raise them from their woes
To reach the spiritual height
I use what God has given us;
Divination by the termite
Two branches in one termite hill.
One from one tree
One from another.
And in their eating
Knowledge begins to gather.
You’ll find us in the D.R.C
The C.A.R. and Sudan-
Those who are called the Zande.
You will see us by the Congo
As well as by the Nile,
Praising the one called Onyame.

POKOT:

I am a Pokot elder
From the land of Kenya,
But just like Dogon in Mali
Our divination,
Whether by goat or by shoe,
Is performed for us by an elder
The elder of the older.
Shoes of he who is missing are thrown.
Like the Zulu bone
The Yoruba palm nut
The Maasai stone.
We continue to interpret the unknown.

VOICES:

The longer you live you get closer to the Shrine
Attracted by the Crucial Flame.
We get closer to Creator,
Called by this and that,
God of a thousand names.

Bamileke: Si
Dogon: Amma
Baule: Nyamien
Zande: Onyame
Zulu: Unkulunkulu
Yoruba: Oludumare
Pokot: Torontot
Karanga: Mwari

VOICES (chanting):

Ancestor, Ancestor
The healer wants to talk with you.
Whether by mice
Or whether by dice,
Diviner needs to talk with you.

©Natty Mark Samuels, 2010