Abstract
The entangled relations between man and animals amongst the Mòosé (Burkina Faso) does not allow for the identification of a ‘cultural keystone' animal. One mouse however occupies a special place within divination practices. Considered an offspring of the rodent lineage, the grandfather of which is said to be the Thieving Rat, the mouse is purported to have fled the bush to live among men. In daily life, it is disparaged because of the thefts and damage attributed to it, and is therefore hunted, killed, even eaten. Things are completely different in the courtyard of the mouse diviner, where mouse capacities for seeing, understanding and relaying what goes on in places not normally accessible to humans are valued and put to use. Because it is said to hold a symbolic place between the profane and religious worlds, and to be useful for communicating with the bush spirits, it is locally raised to the status of animal-soothsayer. Other African societies also use living animals like foxes and spiders in divination. In that case, the animal is considered to possess special capabilities, which allow it to see and to explore what is invisible to man, to create a communication channel between the sacred and profane worlds, and lastly to formulate answers in the form of tracks left on a divinatory table or by modifying a previously arranged pattern of objects. Such animals never seem to be domesticated, but it is nevertheless likely that their particular status may be due to their proximity and their behavior towards humans. As far as the mouse is concerned in Mòosé society, this interpretation also revolves around the modifications in the daily relations between humans and animals, at least within the space allotted for the diviner's residence.