For serious problems, the Yoruba go to an ifa diviner to consult Orunmila, the god of fate. A numerical pattern is obtained and recorded on the divination board. The diviner then recites the verses related to the numerical pattern.

The board's low-relief images can refer to deities, sacrificial animals or client problems. The face on the board represents Eshu, the messenger of the gods and a force of chance and change. The figures smoking a pipe probably also represent Eshu. The birds biting snakes suggest cosmic battles and sacrifices, as do the rams' heads with mudfish tendrils. The two curving mudfish and the crab are creatures capable of moving in two realms. The heads with the triangular crowns resemble mudfish and are images of kingship, beings of two worlds.

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