Developer encodes Benin's 256-sign binary divination system Fa into a structured library

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A developer from Benin has built a software library encoding the Fa divination system, a binary structure of 256 signs used by the Fon people and related to the Yoruba Ifá tradition. The system is mathematically binary: each figure has two columns of four positions, each holding one or two marks, yielding 256 possible combinations. A key challenge was reconciling conflicting sources on figure names and ordering, with at least one published Beninese list placing certain signs differently from the reference sites used. The developer also identified a widely miscopied rule — one remaining palm nut signals a double mark, not a single — and verified it through tests to prevent silent errors. The library encodes only structural relationships and multilingual names, deliberately omitting any divinatory interpretation.

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