ABSTRACT
In this chapter I move from an overview of the different questions asked of one diviner (as considered in Chapter 9) to the various questions an individual may ask of divination during a life. By undertaking a set of life history interviews and the role divination played at various moments I explore the varying importance that divination may actually have in lives as they are lived – even of diviners. The conclusion discusses how Mambila people generally avoid being determinists, acting to keep options open even though their talk (sometimes with anthropologists) may make them sound like they are. The study of divination enables privileged insights into the way in which people conduct their reasoning when considering how to deal with the multiple and intertwining problems posed by everyday life.
