Oguega Divination Poetry In Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

 Oguega is a divination apparatus which is in common use among Esan people of Edo State, Nigeria.  Oguega diviners are consulted irrespective of religious leanings in this culture. The use of this divination apparatus is concomitant with exclamations, songs, narratives, chants and poetry. This study investigates a handful of its poetry and discusses them as they relate to contemporary tendencies and dynamics in this culture. This paper employs a mixed method approach in eliciting information from three diviners each from the five local government areas in Esan. Although Oguega terms are esoteric, one notices that the poetry which goes with the codified language is worth examining so as to emplace its relevance in contemporary scholarship. It is thus thought that a study of this sort is likely to enrich studies on the connection between the indigenous and the modern in African studies. 

Key words: Oguega, divination, Esan, culture, Nigeria