Ifa Boards - Orula Board

The Ifa Board (opon ifa or orula board) are many of the different names by which the divinatory tray or divination tray is known. This wooden tray is one of the many instruments used by the Babalawos in their daily practices. either to make ikin divination, opele and ebo offerings and sacrifices.

IFA boards are mostly made of wood. They are usually
flat and rectangular or circular. As for the design, we can see that there are orula boards with a countless variety of designs, these carved boards can include human representations, animals and forms or spiritual objects on their edges, examples of these are:

These orula boards carved with objects such as: snakes, frogs, snails,
turtles and lizards are very common.

The decision which board to choose is personal to each initiate priest, it is even advisable to have more than one board, the minimum is 2, knowing how many ifa boards a babalawo should have, then we will explain some of its necessary characteristics.

Although its design is not strictly specific nor is it fixed by any odu of ifa

The Opón Ifá must have at least one stylized side representing Èsù
Òdàrà as the eye that sees everything in divination. In each Opon Ifa these sides can be 2, 4 or even 8.

There are two types of Ifa Boards, the big one should be between 15 and 50 cm (6 to 20 inches) in diameter. This is used to make sacrifices and to put the Odù in Ìyèròsùn during divination or making ebo.

The second type is smaller than the first, usually 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) in diameter. It is used to properly recite spells in medicine preparation, it is never used for sacrifices.

Sometimes the large board can be used instead of the small board, if the medication is too much to fit on it.

Ifá names the Ifa Board as Aláìkú (he who will never die) this is because when the board is used for divination, at the moment the Odù is marked the message will start to come out according to what is in Opon.

It is very common to find ifa boards as the base of the ikin containers "orula trays", this is due to the belief that Òrúnmilà rests on the ifa board.

Furthermore, as a fact it is believed that during Òrúnmilà's period on earth, he used to "sit" on the ifa board before speaking. That is why the Odú must "sit" first before the Bàbáláwo begins to speak.

In botany babe, we have a wide variety of ifa boards for sale, our products are imported mostly from Nigeria, others are locally made, but whatever your preference, we have Nigerian ifa boards, African boards, boards for oshun ololodi , traditional boards.

Don't think twice and discover our collection of ifa boards