THE FUNCTIONS OF DIVINATION AMONG THE OROGUN PEOPLE OF DELTA STATE

Abstract

Divination is a practice that is deeply rooted in the cultural and religious beliefs of the Orogun people, and it plays a significant role in the social, cultural, religious, spiritual, and even economic spheres of their lives. But due to the influence of Western civilization, of which Christianity is a vehicle, the essence and functions of this phenomenal aspect of the people’s culture are not properly understood. More so is the fact that the practice is not well documented among the people. The objective of this study is to ethnographically investigate the practice of divination among the Orogun people with a view to portraying its existential values. The study, therefore, explored and analyzed the various forms, essences, and functions of divination among the people. Drawing upon both analyzed secondary sources and primary data generated through oral interviews, this study therefore examined the existential significance of divination in the social, cultural, religious, spiritual, and even politico-economic aspects of the lives of the Orogun people. The findings reveal that divination is a veritable means of communicating with the supernatural realm in order to acquire knowledge and get information from ancestral and guardian spirits, deities, divinities, or the Supreme Being, as the case may be, for guidance, protection, fruitfulness, prevention, and solutions to problems.