Before there was a jury of your peers, people experimented with many different methods of determining who was innocent and who was guilty in trials. In some methods, a higher power was contacted to assist in decision-making, in others a wise townsperson was chosen to judge cases. For a while the Pende, an African ethnic group residing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, used a galukoji (also called galukoshi) to assist in trials.
When colonizers came to the Democratic Republic of Congo, they forced change on the people there. People became concerned as they were not sure what to think or do about the situation. The people sought strength from their traditions and religion. During this period, the Pende diviners began inventing new divination tools, such as the galukoji, to aid in communication with higher powers. The galukoji was used by a diviner during a trial. When the guilty party would speak, the head of the galukoji would shoot upwards to indicate that the guilty party was speaking. The belief was that the galukoji helped to connect the diviner to an all-knowing spirit. Though the power was ultimately attributed to a divine being or ancestor, the diviner was important for helping the being communicate.
According to traditional Yoruba beliefs, a pantheon of deities, known as orisa, and other spiritual forces are instrumental in determining the course of events in the lives of individuals on Earth. Still practiced today, Ifa divination is a way for people to communicate with these powers and determine how best to live their lives.
A priest, or babalawo, performs divination for a client, marking on a tray such as this the configurations resulting from throwing palm nuts or a divination chain. After a number of throws, the pattern that emerges directs the priest to one of 256 verses in the body of oral literature associated with Ifa. While the god Orunmila, also known as Ifa, is credited with teaching people Ifa divination, the face of Esu, messenger between gods and people and a trickster, is the deity typically positioned at the top of a divination tray, as in this example. Other images carved in relief around the border vary from tray to tray and depict figures and motifs associated with divination, with deities, and with daily activities.
Sugar Skulls, Tamales And More: Why Is That Food On The Day Of The Dead Altar?- NPR
Similar to the galukoji, the ofrendas of Dia de los Meurtos are used to maintain a relationship with ancestors and the divine. Every year in Mexico (as well as other parts of Latin America), people leave items such as food, drinks, and candied skulls at graves and alters. These offerings are ways of celebrating the life of ancestors and welcoming them back to the land of the living. Just like the galukoji, these practices show the significance of maintaining relationships with ancestors.
Oracle Bones- Art Institute of Chicago
Oracle Bones from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1030 BCE) are well known examples of ancient divination tools. Oracles would carve (using one of the earliest known forms of Chinese writing sytems) questions about weather, crops, political/military issues, etc. To be answered by divinities. The bones would then be placed in a fire and allowed to fracture. Once the bones cooled, the diviner would then interpret the cracks as answers to the inscribed questions.
