HAKATA
What is Hakata (Bone Divination)?
Hakata is a traditional form of divination passed down among the Shona people of southern Africa, around present-day Zimbabwe. Although the name means “bone divination,” the four tablets actually used are made of wood, and a specialist diviner reads the answer from the combination of faces that land face-up when they are cast.
Overview
- System
- Omen Reading (reads from the combination of cast divination tablets)
- Origin
- Southern Africa (Shona)
- What You Need
- Four wooden divination tablets (hakata)
- Best For
- Life direction, work, and money
- Time Frame
- Near term / 90 days
Origins & History
Hakata is a traditional form of divination passed down among the Shona people of southern Africa, around present-day Zimbabwe. Although the name means “bone divination,” the four tablets actually used are carved from wood, each engraved with a different pattern. A specialist diviner casts these four tablets and reads the combination of the faces they land on (sixteen possible combinations in theory) to answer questions about life direction, work, and money.
The skill of correctly reading hakata is said to have been passed down through diviners’ families across generations. The specific details of the interpretive system vary between sources, and the finer points of the reading method have not been fully corroborated.
How It Works
- 01Decide on the question you want to ask.
- 02Cast the four divination tablets (hakata) (in the digital version, this is simulated with a random draw).
- 03Check the combination of faces that land face-up.
- 04Read the meaning corresponding to that combination against the question asked.
What It Reveals
Hakata is well suited to questions about life direction, work, and money. It is properly a diagnostic skill passed down within a diviner’s family, and a simplified form can only reproduce part of the depth of the traditional practice.
Related Methods
References
- ショナ（ジンバブエ）の伝統的な占い「ハカタ」に関する解説資料