The dissemination of divination in roman republican times

pieces of a calabash, his informant Muchona explained that it could mean: Water, marriage,
any part of a calabash, cup, matrilineage, the things a woman brings into a marriage, beer,
cassava mush with bad medicine, grudge, a journey, collection of goods, a man’s possession,
a person who has left because of a quarrel, horns with medicines, and an assemblage (Turner
1961: 58f). 70 This under-specification of the relation between sign and referent also makes
the actual interpretation less fixed and more open for later reinterpretation. This is, however,
not generally the case for the binary techniques that merely denote a yes or a no.
Nevertheless, even these cases require further inferences that alter the meaning of the original
sign (Garfinkel 1967; Zeitlyn 1990). Summing up, we can say that divination systems differ
from linguistic systems in that they are more “under-coded” and the relations between signs
and meaning are looser. This necessitates extra inference and more possible meanings. 71
Utility
Compared to normal communication, the utility of the information produced in divination
practices is usually also restricted in different ways. In practice a given divination practice
will usually be restricted by the form of the response and by the subjects it can answer. The
form of the answers can be either binary, discrete or rich. A binary response is an either/or
answer. The discrete form works by selecting one possibility from a finite number of given
possibilities and the rich form is a more elaborate form that allows for many details in the
interpretation. Some divination practices are very specialized and can answer questions about
a very restricted range of subjects. I will call them restrained forms. Others are more open
and all purpose. These characteristics determine the utility of the divination practice. We can
sketch the different possibilities in a two by three matrix (table 4.7.)
Form
Binary Discrete Rich
Subject
Restrained Mapingo Straws Astrology
Open Poison oracle Ifa Palmistry
Table 4.7 Utility characteristics of divination practices
70 It should be stressed that taken out of context these meanings seem unnecessarily arcane. The explanations
offered by Muchona for all these meanings show clear signs of a lot of “inference” which makes them
understandable.
71 Other differences could be added: whereas language has grammar, the “grammar” of divination is much
more restricted. The basic conclusion is the same, that extra inference is necessary.
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