This page describes the practice. There is deliberately no automated reading for it — see the notes below.
Background
Among Nguni, Sotho and Tsonga peoples, the sangoma relies mainly on divination for healing, including "throwing the bones". Sangomas train through a calling and apprenticeship (ukuthwasa).
How it works
After calling on the ancestors by name, the sangoma or patient throws a set that may include bones, shells, coins, dice and stones; the ancestors are believed to guide how they land, and the pattern is read.
Notes and limits
Culture: Throwing the bones is part of an ancestral healing practice that requires a calling and initiation. It is not simulated here; learn from recognised traditional healers and their communities.
Safety: Traditional consultation is not a substitute for medical care. Do not harm animals to make divination sets.
At a glance
- Also called
- Sangoma divination, Bone casting, Divination bones
- Traditions
- Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tsonga, Nguni
- Regions
- Africa
- You need
- A question
- Price
- Free