In the mid 90s I read an old book about French W.Africa. What stuck in my mind was the Mambila people spider divination,where the giant spider,black ngam's tracks over palm leaf cards were 'read' by the diviner. Apparently it was ACTUALLY admissible in a court of law,at least during colonialism,if IIRC.Though land crabs are also used,is this form of divination still practiced?
I've googled but this is all I can find.

To begin divination a stone is rubbed around the top of the pot as the diviner blows into it saying yuo yuo (come out, come out). The procedure for asking a question involves placing a stick and a stone inside the pot, one either side and slightly in front of the hole, usually the stick to the left, the stone to the right. Opposite the hole, about 10 cm. away, the divination leaf-cards are neatly stacked, pointing at the hole.

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http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/Fdtl/Spider/
Found a pic!
[/img]http://1.bp..com/_Vys3T1YooYE/SNbHks0uH4I/AAAAAAAAADI/J0SEOlfnljg/s320/spider_divination.jpg[img]

i don't get it

CAMEROONPRIDE: i don't get it

Its a form of divination,predicting the future using the black ngam's movements over the palm leaf cards.Apparently its been used for centuries by the Mambila & related people. You've never heard of it?

kikuyu1:
Its a form of divination,predicting the future using the black ngam's movements over the palm leaf cards.Apparently its been used for centuries by the Mambila & related people. You've never heard of it?

m sorry brother i hve never heard that ..m not a Mambila ..i didn't even know that we hve an Etnicity called Mambila ...

CAMEROONPRIDE: m sorry brother i hve never heard that ..m not a Mambila ..i didn't even know that we hve an Etnicity called Mambila ...

Maybe,I'm wrong but it is or was common in Bamenda province according to Paul Gebauer.
http://books.google.co.ke/books/about/Spider_divination_in_the_Cameroons.html?id=lAe0AAAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y
Thanks anyway.