Soothsayer

For animistic peoples, most things, especially the elements of nature, have a spirit or a soul. These immaterial beings, who participate in divinity, usually intervene in the life of men. Their presence and participation is constant in all the individual and collective activities of society.

In order for these forces from beyond to be favorable to humans, it is necessary to turn to intermediaries endowed with certain powers and knowledge and accustomed to dealing with these beings such as diviners, healers or priests, who in most cases are often the blacksmith, a person feared and admired by his great powers. This specialist, priest, doctor or fortune teller, heals the evils of the body and soul, since the diseases of the body are caused by evil spirits and those of the soul are caused by disturbances inflicted by spirits who have not received proper attention.

These spiritual beings can exert a beneficial or evil influence on the living according to the attentions or offerings they receive. The soothsayer knows the virtues of plants and their healing powers while he is a specialist in magical-religious practices that will allow him to come into contact with beings from beyond and through the proper rites he will be able to grasp the positive forces of the deceased and the geniuses of nature to heal the diseases of the body or soul or through divinatory practices to find the remedy to the evils of his patient.

They usually ask their client to sculpt a statue that has a relationship with the purpose for which their claim is addressed. Once he has been consecrated by proper rites by the soothsayer, he will be protected and will often have to honor it with offerings and sacrifices to maintain its effectiveness and always be propitious to them.

The fortune teller, sitting on the ground and supporting his elbows on his knees, gathers in a meditation attitude. Big round eyes bordered by kaolin. Patina of time.