Dragon Bone Oracle, 32x25 , hand-dyed and computer images on fabric, embellished with paint. Tortoise carapaces and ox shoulder blades were used to perform and record divination in Shang Dynasty (pre-1122 BCE). Divination meanings were revealed by the pattern of cracks in response to applied heat. Both the questions asked and the answers given were subsequently inscribed on the cracked bone. The Wu (shaman) divined the will of the deceased spirits and carried out rituals to appease them, thus warding off misfortune.