Some Notes on Ngwaketse Divination-

by ALEC. C. CAMPBELL
Over the past century there have been repeated attempts in nearly every
country of Southern Africa to stamp out divination through the medium of the
bones (ditaola), yet it is still very prevalent and a highly respected skill.
The set of bones used by a Tswana diviner (ngaka) consists of the four
principal bones representing the family and a varying number of accessory bones
each representing a part of society. The bones (ditaola) are. in fact. not all made
of bone although it is obligatory that certain of them be bone, certain be made
from the horn or hoof and others be made from shells and seeds. The four princi-
pal bones must always be used and may be backed up by the use of pairs of
the accessory bones. Each bone has its name and sex.
A typical set of Ngwaketse bones consists of the following:
Right tip of calf's hoof More-mogolo Oldman
Left tip of calf's hoof Jaro Young man
Piece of elephant's shin Kgadi·etona Old woman
Piece of elephant's shin Kgatsane Young woman
Talus of female sheep Sebepidi moRolong
Talus of male goat Ngaka Diviner (doctor)
Astragali of ant-bear Modimo God
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

Talus of duiker moNgwato moNgwato

Talus of stembuck Mahatse moKgalag adi
Astragali of baboon Tshwene go-tsana
yasekoka Healing Doctor.
Chiefs and Headmen employ their personal diviners for the siting and streng-
thening of village courts (dikgotla). It is in the kgotla that all official busine ss
takes place and all cases are heard. To ensure the harmonious procedure of
tribal business it is necessary to site the kgotla in the most propitious place
an d to strengthen it against foreign influence. A diviner casts the bones (latlhela
ditaola) to fix the site and either provides or states who is to provide the medi-
cine to strengthen the kgotla which is buried at his direction below the place
where the kgotIa fire is made, If there is later discord between members of the
kgotla or it is struck by lightning the diviner is called in to throw the bones and
determine who is responsible so that an effective antidote can be prepared.
A very large proportion of the population employ the services of a diviner at
all moments of crisis or decision. particularly to seek the cause of inexplicable
occurrences. or sickness. or to determine the right steps to be taken to bring a
doubtful issue to a successful conclusion.
The art of divination is not hereditary although sons may learn it from their
fathers; normally a man apprentices himself to a successful diviner who spends
two to three years teaching him the art. The diviner prepares for his apprentice

9
 a goat's horn containing parings from the apprentice's little finger nails. hair,
sweat, saliva and certain medicines. This horn is prepared in the middle of a
thicket. often hung with beads attached to a special root (pbepa) and hung around
the neck of the apprentice. The root (pbepa) stands for health, purity. guiltless-
ness and moon-light and ensures the bones against contamination. The horn is
imbued with intelligence and imparts this intelligence to the bones.
The diviner also prepares the bones for his apprentice collecting them with
care. The most important bone, More-mogolo must come from the hoof of an
important calf; the talus of the stem buck must come from the carcass of a buck
which has been found dead in the veld and cannot be taken from a buck shot or
snared. When the bones are cut out of each animal they must not be held. but
cut free and allowed to fallon the ground, the side of the bone facing uppermost
as it comes to rest is the major face. of the bone. Once this has been determined
the bone may be handled, cleaned and carved or decorated to indicate the major
face. The decoration has no intrinsic value although occasionally it may repre-
sent male or female signs depending on the sex of the bone.
The process by which the bones are strengthened is long. complicated and
secret. The operation takes place in the bed of a river and lasts over five days
during the first four of which the bones are linked to the horn. The use of white
objects representing goodness predominates, one of the processes being to place
the bones on white ash under white leaves on a growing tree beneath white moon-
light. On the fifth day the bones are carved, decorated and ready for use.
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

When not in use the bones are kept in a skin bag. The first bag should be
made from the skin of the pole-cat. nakedi, later the bones pass through a
succession of bags made from civet. tsbipa, python. tlbware to the scrotum of a
sheep or bull. On the outside of the bag. if the diviner is a Christian. is some-
times sewn a little image of God made of beads.
Normally a small payment is made to the diviner before he casts the bones.
perhaps 25 cents. He takes a piece of pbepa, chews it and spits into the bag
containing the bones. If he has no pbepa with him he may tip a little ash onto
the bones. or even just blow onto them. This is to purify the bones before use.
He sits on the ground his right leg extended and barefoot before him, his left
leg drawn in to himself and drops the bones out of the bag onto the ground. If
.,tbere are several diviners present and the bones of the goat and baboon both
point to one of them, then it is he who must use his bones for the divination.
The diviner touches each bone to the tip of his horn to give it knowledge, and,
should he be a christian, may say a little prayer for the successful outcome of
the divination.
If there is a particular person for whom the bones are to be thrown he is given
the bones, spits or blows on them to impart his own person to the bones and then
may question them or not as he wishes before casting them. Usually questions
are asked out loud, but if it is merely the future that is sought the caster usually
remains silent. After each throw the diviner studies the bones carefully before

10
 they are gathered together and recast. They may only be cast four times after
which they are said to be tired.
The most important bone is the one representing the person for whom the
divination is made and is one of the four principal bones. Most important is the
relation that the other three principal bones bear to this bone. Some diviners
work with only the four principal bones. but customarily all the bones are used,
the four principal bones giving the substance of the divination and the other
bones backing them up, giving extra nuances of meaning and relating them to
society. The relative position of each bone. the face upwards and the direction
in which it points are all important and have meaning.
There can be sixty-four combinations of the four main bones irrespective of
position and each of these combinations has a name and gives the dominant note
of the interpretation. The position of the other bones in relation to the four
principal bones may add to the name. and, of course. add to the interpretation.
No bone or pair of bones can be read in isolation, but must be read first as a
part of the four prinCipal bones and then in conjunction with the accessory bones
working from one to the next. In this way the bones do not give just one answer,
but provide (" picture of the life or lives of the persons concerned.
There is no secret in the interpretation of the bones; most old men, though
not diviners. know the names of the bones, what they represent, and can interpret
many of the throws, as in other societies many people know the names of the
lines of the hand and the meanings given to variations. But like the amateur
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

palmist they are unable to give a comprehensive picture having only a rudimen-
tary knowledge, It is only the preparation of the bones and horn that is a closely
guarded secret among the baTswana unlike many other ethnic groups where the
names and interpretations of the throws is kept a secret and the diviner snatches
up the bones almost before they have come to rest lest someone learn the art
from him.
Some names of the combinations of the four main bones are:
The four main bones maoto a kgomo the beast's feet
All four facing up mperehere a discussion involving the
whole family
All four facing down motlakola omontsho a black berried bush
Males uP. females down dimatla tsaborangwane the powers of my fath,er's
brothers
Males down. female up mereko eputla basadi seekers for women.
Some interpretations of bone positions:

If either of the hoof tips falls with its open face down then whatever the rest of
the bones say will take a long time to transpire;
If the old male hoof or the ant-bear falls pOinting upwards this indicates fate,
usually death. If both fall facing upwards death is inevitable;

11
 If the baboon falls facing any person, he is bola wamarata - favoured by the
bones;
If death is indicated and the ant-bear and the baboon fall pointing in the same
direction, a cure can be effected;
Whenever the ant-bear falls upwards what will take place is inevitable;
Two female bones both facing up indicates a conspiracy between women in the
home; side by side and both up indicates a very definite conspiracy;
When the open side of a hoof falls pointing away from the rest of the bones, a
man has ill-feelings in the village;
One male on end and one pointing outwards indicates a male death;
All bones facing outwards and one in the centre, then that member will die if
facing downwards, and become sick if facing upwards;
If the female faces down and it is next to the male which is on end. then the
male will die.
Divination by means of four dice made of bone, wood or horn is common all
over Africa south of the Zambesi, and even to the north some tribes use the four
bones. Always they represent male and female, young and old. They are certainly
no new institution; the Portuguese report the throwing of four oblong wooden dice
during the 16th Century in East Mrica. Their origin is unknown although they
have been attributed to the Arabs, mainly because the Arab word haqat (the truth
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

is told) is similar to hakata and hakati the names given to the four dice by the
Shona and Shangaan-"Tonga respectively. Whether they are of Arabian origin or
not, the very fact of their ubiquity amongst Bantu tribes and their local variations
point to a long history.
The bones described in these notes are typical of bones used by the Sotho
Group. Always the four principal bones are the most important. the accessory
bones embrOidering the central theme. The Shona usually use one set of four
bones but sometimes use as many as four sets, the first set setting the theme and
the other three sets being thrown in turn afterwards to back up and elaborate the
main theme. It is possible that the Sotho groups also used only the four principal
bones at first and that the others were added later in the same way that the Shona
sometimes use secondary sets, but that the Sotho groups came to throw all the
bones at once instead of separately.
As stated previously. great efforts have been made to stamp out divination
through the bones. In some countries the use of them has been made illegal.
while in others the taking of money for divination is an offence. The missionaries
have tried hard to stamp out bone-throwing and yet it persists, even among edu-
cated and Christian people. The bones offer direct communication with the
unknown and are a means of foretelling the future or of finding out the cause of
some inexplicable event in the past. The desire to understand the unknown is by

12
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).
 no means confined to the Bantu, it is universal, its frequency depending on the
social and economic stability of any group. At times of stress or uncertainty
people tum to some form of support, particularly religion which offers spiritual
security. The bont:s explain the inexplicable and set out the course that must be
taken to achieve a successful conclusion to any project the outcome of which is
uncertain. During times of social and economic change such as these it is likely
that the use of the bones will become more rather than less common.
Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).

13