IDAHO ORACLE BONES, a.k.a

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO CONTEMPORARY SCAPULIMANCY

REFER TO VISUAL NARRATIVE, PHOTOGRAPHS 1-13

Selecting/preparing bones

Instructor's note: Having attempted to crack cow, deer, moose and young bear shoulder blades, I would advise selecting bones with some heft or of adequate thickness. Young bear bones, for instance, were incredibly thin and broke upon freezing or (more likely) mishandling. (Reviewing photos I took this past winter when storing the bones reveals I had sealed the box containing them; however, when I retrieved the box early this summer, I discovered it had been opened and the bones had been disturbed. Both bear blades had been broken. This was especially disappointing because one of the blades had been pierced by a broadhead arrow. I had planned to ask this blade a question.) Still, the bear bones were paper thin; while they might have endured writing, inscribing their letters would have been impossible. Moose bones (which I mis-labeled "ELK" in a photo which accompanies this article) were the heftiest and thickest of all the bones—but they had drawbacks, as will be explained, below. Next time I attempt cracking oracle bones, I would try to collect shoulder blades from what jumped over the moon; however, if still in orbit, my second choice would be deer.

Summer of 2009, participants in E-497/597 "Before the Book" boiled animal shoulder blades to produce what we called "Idaho Oracle Bones," bones emulating ancient Chinese creations. Shoulder blades were placed in boiling water to which we added varying quantities of Borax, as per the suggestion of staff at Meats Royale in Boise, supplier of the bones.

[See "Meats Royale," Tom Trusky, Book Arts Newsletter, 51(August-September 2009) 28-30, at www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/newspdfs/51.pdf ]

My bones were cooked in a large aluminum tub with "COLD BEER" stamped or debossed on one side (made, appropriately enough, in China and available at Wal-Mart). A few students complained about the stench of boiling bones—or their wives or husbands did, so outdoor preparation (if possible) might be advised. All my bones were cooked on my home patio (also known as the ex-dog run) or office balcony at Boise State University. After boiling (duration being chef's choice), we used metal scrapers, Brillo Pads or metal scrubbers, or wire brushes to remove remaining meat and cartilage. Some students also employed abrasive cleansers (such as Comet or Ajax) for "fine tuning" or smoothing the surface or rough or sharp areas of the bone. Some also used sandpaper to further smooth their bone.

One student discovered general bone preparation tips on the web and learned that a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water (50/50) would bleach a bone white. This student (Michelle) did not have hydrogen peroxide in the concentration advised on the web site, nor did she have enough to create a bleaching bath that would drown her whole deer bone, but she used what she had and kept her blade immersed in the solution for two days. Her bone was, indeed, quite white. Ivory-like. (I must note, however, that for whatever reason, all the deer bones seemed whiter than other bones.) Such immersions, of course, wet the bones, so priests should be certain to reckon for adequate drying time, after bleaching or "peroxiding."

Of course, if time is not a priestly concern, one might leave their shoulder blade out in the sun to dry and bleach.

As will be explained, our bones were not engraved as were the Chinese; however, I suspect the more massive the bone, the easier it would be to engrave text. Larger or thicker bones will likely pose difficulties, though, for they contain more water and fat. Large moose bones, when heated, seeped considerably.

It also seems likely there would be an advantage to using cured or dried bones. Professor Fox's cow bone had been left outside in the rain and it proved almost impossible to crack. But easy enough to scorch... Conversely, Kim's bone, which she had heated in an oven on "low" heat (200 degrees F.) for 2+ hours, "popped" far more willingly. Kim describes her epic oracle bone efforts in an essay appended to this essay:

Fox theorizes that Chinese priests likely used dried or cured bones. We know, for example, that some bones were re-cycled, used over and over. Oracle Bones, sacred objects, must have been carefully stored, and, if re-cycled, quite likely were safely tucked away for years between divinations. (One source mentioned that oracle bones were washed in blood just before use, but I have not found other sources that support this colorful assertion.)

Bone terminology

After letting students select the scapula of their choice, I discovered I lacked an adequate anatomical vocabulary, when discussing or giving directions or making suggestions regarding the proper treatment of their calciferous orphans. Accordingly, I borrowed the following biblio terminology, hoping professional pyroosteomancers (diviners who read cracks formed by heating bones) forgive my simple labeling:

REFER TO VISUAL NARRATIVE, PHOTOGRAPHS 14-15

Making ancient inks

To apply text (with a brush), students made ancient, water-soluble ink following this recipe:

1 gram of lampblack/carbon/powdered charcoal (aka 1 heaping teaspoon) mixed into 25 ml of a 5% solution of gum arabic (the latter solution consists of 1.25 g Acacia—powdered gum arabic)(a.k.a. 1 not-so-heaping teaspoon) which has been mixed into 23.5 g or ml of warm water. More charcoal may be added to darken ink.

I supplied another recipe for "India ink" which used charcoal (2 teaspoons), "Canvas Glue Sizing" or Hide Glue (1 teaspoon) and 20 g or ml of water. Some students reported this concoction was "grainy" or "too thick." Recipes for this ink warn about adding too much Hide Glue, so perhaps reducing the amount of glue or increasing the amount of water might address the grainy/thick complaint?

I cheated and used commercially produced India ink for my inscription.

Michelle reported when she attempted to inscribe her oracle-answer a few days later, she discovered areas on her bone's verso were "slippery' and impermeable. We theorize this was due to fats seeping out of the bone as it was heated. (Possible remedies might include sanding the verso? Lightly sponging it with a soapy solution?)

Text, format and placement

Hessler notes the posing of two parallel declarative and opposing statements (Oracle Bones, p. 356) and I replicated this pattern on my oracle bone ("The book will die. / The book will live."), as did other students on their bones. Some, however, sasked more pressing questions directly, as interrogative sentences ("Paper or plastic?").

In terms of layout, many Chinese oracle bones seem to position text somewhat to the lower right on the recto. This Taiwanese link provides clear information about and display of oracle bone text, noting

A complete oracle bone or shell inscription usually includes the following sequence of information:

How to read oracle bonde inscriptions

1. Preface: Includes the time of divination and the name of the person executing the divination.
2. Charge: The question asked at the divination.
3. Prognostication: The prediction of the Shang king on the basis of the divined omen.
4. Verification: What actually came true.

Of these, the prognostication and verification were often omitted, leaving only the preface and charge.

Our Idaho bones, however, as the photographs reveal, boast both simplified and free-range text and placement. Here is a summary of what students asked:

REFER TO VISUAL NARRATIVE, PHOTOGRAPH 16

Inscribing or etching

Given time constraints (one formal oracle bone class session in "Before the Book"—a three-hour-long class three-nights-a-week for five weeks) students were not required to etch or engrave their inscriptions as the Chinese did, prior to cracking. (Traditionalists with more time on their hands may wish to employ a Dremel or similar tool, to achieve verisimilitude.)

Cracking bones

Professor Fox studied a number of on-line photographs of bones; as well, I sent him written descriptions of the bones and what is known of their preparation. (See "For further information" at the conclusion of this article for helpful how-to citations and links.) We all agree it was difficult to see if the Chinese had bored indentations or holes through bones—or had carved grooves in which heated rods might rest. We saw no scorched bones, but have done our best to address this Chinese oversight….

Francis did experiment with a cow bone—initially, to no avail. He used brass rods or plugs in indentations, holes or grooves, unsuccessfully. He also tried, I believe, rods made of steel (not yet invented in Shang times)—again to no avail. In any case, high moisture content (his blade had been left out in the rain) probably explains the difficulty in cracking this bone.

REFER TO VISUAL NARRATIVE, PHOTOGRAPHS 17-22

We used three heating—and one cooling—techniques to crack bones:

  1. Charcoal briquets—the "traditional" method. Hessler reports Ken Takashima, unable to crack bones in a series of attempts, casually tossed a failed experiment on a barbeque grill, only to succeed. He also reports a Czech scholar deliberately and successfully used charcoal, to mimic materials Chinese had available. To repeat these scientific experiments—thus validating their results—I purchased laboratory equipment consisting of an "Outdoor Charcoal Barbecue Grill," a unit made in China with a 7 Burger Capacity, a 3 Position Adjustable Cooking Grate, and Chrome Plated Cooking Grate (Charcoal included)—all for $6.99 from Wal-Mart.
  2. A propane gas ring-jet courtesy of Professor Fox).
  3. Again courtesy of Professor Fox: a Worthington-Gerett Map-Pro Fuel tank—a hand-held propane torch described as "High temperature fuel for welding, brazing, and soldering"—to heat brass rods.
  4. Heating a bone in the "traditional" manner (briquets)—but dropping cold water on the hot bone.

REFER TO VISUAL NARRARTIVE, PHOTOGRAPHS 23-38

Recommendations

All of the methods we employed cracked bones, but there were unwanted side effects encountered with some. Frequently, bones were scorched, creating unsightly swaths of black or brown that disfigured many of the bones. We credit this unsightliness to our inexperience and haste. Late firing of briquets, for instance, meant some of the bones heated "traditionally" were exposed to flames, instead of glowing, flameless briquets. Likewise, intense heat from gas jets or torches resulted in unwanted scorching, even when brass rods or plugs were inserted through drilled holes. (See photographs of Professor Fox's and Kim's bones.)

Resting bones on the aforementioned Chrome Plated Cooking Grate above hot, glowing briquets or holding a bone with tongs directly above these briquets, however, did crack bones, scorchlessly. Dr. Wu suggested yet another method which proved scorchless: after heating bones on the grate, droplets of cold water were dropped into grooves or carved indentations. Cracks formed, sans scorching.

Beware false witness!

Michelle also reports diviners should not rush to conclusions. Her bone continued cracking as it cooled—even after it was cold.

Divinations

And the Answers Are (from cracked student bones—as student priests/esses read them):

REFER TO VISUAL NARRATIVE, PHOTOGRAPHS 39-41

For further information

  1. Excellent introduction to images and historical information: www.npm.gov.tw/english/exhbition/eyin0701/select.htm
  2. Scapulimancy and Oracle Bones: "Divination and Power A Multiregional View of the Development of Oracle Bone Divination in Early China,' Rowan K. Flad, Current Anthropology 49. 3(June 2008) 403-437 - www.yinxu.org/en.htm. This article has a an extremely comprehensive bibliography.
  3. Images: Shang oracle bone, Zhengzhou Museum - picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AkS7KbClkTSzbQbt8hZuPA
  4. An oracle bone (ox scapula) showing an array of drill marks where a hot poker would have been applied to cause the bone to crack - c. 12th century BC. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C (with an array of queries) - faculty.sxu.edu/~bathgate/gallery/shang/shang.html
  5. Preparation and cracking:

Final "Before the Book" Student Essay

Thanks to

My students, Peter Hessler, David Keightley, Bob's Meats Royale (Boise), Professor Francis Fox (Boise State University Art Department), Shalom Pennington (web installation, Boise State University Printing & Graphics), Carrie Quinney (Boise State University Photographic Services), Dr. Pei-Lin Wu, Enver Sulejman and the Boise State University Extended Studies Program.