African Oracles in 10 Minutes [Paperback]

Richard T. Kaser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Follows the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria and offers information about their fortune-telling abilities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For more than 1,000 years the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria have planned their lives and love through a unique fortune-telling system: this title could've been featured in our spirituality section but is reviewed here because any with an interest in African culture should consider this of interest. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380781328
• ISBN-13: 978-0380781324
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,082,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Trash-- has nothing to do with Real Merindilogun Divination, November 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: African Oracles in 10 Minutes (Paperback)

The author is not an initiate of any of the religions that use cowerie shell divination. The significances and meanings he gives each of the Odu/patterns in his book were made up by him. They have no resemblence at all to the traditional meanings used by Santeros or Yoruba. If you are a serious student of Santeria or African religion, skip this book and look up any of the books by William Bascom, instead. In short, this book is disrespectful to the Afro-Cuban religion and cowerie tradition it alledges to describe. If you were to use the interpretations given in this book in front of a real Santero you would be scolded at worst, and laughed at, at best. Look, you are connected to Amazon.com, after reading this, do a search for Bascom's 16 Coweries. THAT is a much better book that this one.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worth Nothing....Disrespectful of the tradition, February 7, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: African Oracles in 10 Minutes (Paperback)

This book is worthless. The descriptions of the Odu/Divination patterns it gives have nothing to do with either Cuban or Nigerian traditional interpretations. The book is disrespectful of the tradition from which it misappropriates.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Caveat Emptor!, January 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: African Oracles in 10 Minutes (Paperback)

This book is clueless and exploitative, and has absolutely no basis in the reality and tradition of cowrie shell divination. Clearly nothing more than a bid for bucks, by an author who is counting on the ignorance of his audience.