The Antelope's Gift of Divination

The first diviner (mganga) of the Mijikenda did not know how to read the signs of the future. He prayed for wisdom. An old, graceful Antelope came to him in a dream and said, "Go to the place where the four paths meet. Take with you a gourd of water and a handful of maize flour." The man did as he was told. The Antelope from his dream appeared. It drank the water and ate the flour. Then, it scraped its hoof in the dirt, creating a pattern. "This is how you will speak to the spirits," the Antelope said. "The patterns in the dust will be their words." The Antelope then taught him how to carve the four-sided wooden divination tool (mbari) and how to interpret the patterns it made when cast. The Antelope was a spirit messenger who brought the gift of divination to the people. This is why the diviner's tools are often made from wood and why his movements are said to be as deliberate as the steps of the wise antelope.