Ika Fun

Where Obatalá performed the ceremony incorrectly

Obatalá had to perform Obatalá for an omo and decided to do it alone, without inviting anyone to the ceremony. After washing the omo, he went to consult Orunmila, who revealed this Ifá to him: «The washing of this Osha is not right. You must wash him again, and this time invite the other oshas and your acquaintances so that they accompany you, help you consecrate him, eat, and enjoy themselves.» Obatalá followed Orunmila’s instructions, and in doing so everything was properly consecrated.

Where the women let down their hair

When Orunmila began to have difficulties on earth and witchcraft was suspected, he performed osode and consulted Ifá. He then decided to go to the mountains of Oke Fun with his children to see Olofin, leaving behind the less capable ones.

Arriving at a town, he went to the market, but found it closed, except for the women who sold there. Orunmila bought an akuko and the scraps the women had left, and asked them to let down their hair. He gathered the hairs that fell from them and then continued on his way toward the hill of Oke Fun.

There he performed an ebbo with the akuko, the scraps, and the hair of those women. To the 16 meyis he gave the akuko on the hill, and finally, when he reached the leri of Oke Fun, he was able to see Olofin and receive good fortune.

Where Oshún regained her hair

Here Oshún had very long hair, and she helped her sister Yemayá, who had black skin and coarse hair and envied Oshún for her hair and the light color of her skin. One day Yemayá cut off Oshún’s hair while she slept, after Oshún had spent the whole day dyeing her sister’s clothes blue so that she would have good fortune.

When Oshún saw that her hair had been stolen, she went to see Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for her and said: «Your hair was stolen by your own sister.» She could not recover her hair and remained at odds with her sister Yemayá. Then Orunmila (Ika Fun) took pity on Oshún, and using ewe oguede, ewe fin, ewe fa, rosemary, eru, obi kola, obi motiwao, indigo, asho aperi, and the hair she had left, he made her a topknot on her head and gave her akuaro meyi, and so Oshún was able to have hair again.

The binding of a woman by a babalawo

It happened that in the land of Niamey there lived a woman named Ara Cheto, who was very passionate in love. One day she was visited by an old merchant who, from that moment on, desired the woman’s love, but she scorned him. Faced with Ara Cheto’s refusal, the merchant consulted Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for him and prescribed a rogation, telling him that he had to make Ifá in order to obtain his desires.

The old merchant did so, in a short time gaining renown as an awo of Orunmila, and thus he dazzled the woman, who fell surrendered into his arms; but the awo, using his knowledge, bound her to himself.

One day, the old awo died suddenly and had no time to undo the binding on Ara Cheto, who remained enslaved for life to the deceased, who came every night to live with her, and she could not escape his influence.

The woman is cleansed with the etu, algarrobo, basil, and espanta muerto. The etu is killed, placed in the jícara (gourd bowl), and prayed over; and with one tamarind cuje and two of mar pacífico the woman is cleansed and the jícara is struck hard, and she is told to walk away without looking back. The jícara is struck 9 times, everything is wrapped up and taken back to where it was gathered.

The woman must be naked, standing on the cloths, leaving her clothes there. She walks out and dresses in other clothes far from the place, without looking back.

The only thing that saves this person is an oparaldo with etu. Behind the person, over their shadow, are placed one fun fun cloth, one pupua, and one dun dun. In an igba are placed a small pargo fish, 9 olele, 9 adalus, 9 pieces of eku, 9 ecru aro, 9 small fritters of yellow malanga, 9 little balls of ñame, 9 balls of ash, 9 atares, 9 hacha, 9 ilas, 9 flowers, one ñame of indio plantain, 9 pieces of obi, eku, eya, epo, awado, orí, efun. The igba loaded with all of the above is placed upon the cloths.

The kidnapping of Obatalá’s son

Once, one of Obatalá’s sons was kidnapped and taken to the land where Babalú Ayé reigned. Babalú Ayé sent a messenger to Obatalá to tell him that if he wanted to rescue his son, he had to bring a tin of epo (palm oil) to his land. Obatalá agreed, but when he tried to keep his promise, he could not bear the smell of the epo and turned back.

He then went to see Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for him and advised him to perform an ebbo with akuko, obobo, adie, and epo, and told him that Elegbá would help him after the ebbo. Obatalá performed the ebbo and left Orunmila’s house. On his way, he met Elegbá, who asked him for the ebbo and promised to help him.

After Elegbá took the ebbo, he told Obatalá to wait for him, and in a short time he appeared with Obatalá’s son. Thus Obatalá was able to recover his son thanks to the help of Elegbá and the counsel of Orunmila.

The unmasking of Ikú

Once upon a time there was a town ruled by a cruel queen who had decreed that all women who gave birth to a daughter had to hand her over to the palace, and the mother could not see her again until the day of the sacrifice, which the queen herself performed. Each mother saw her daughter again only when she was grown and ready to be sacrificed. On the day of the sacrifice, the queen summoned the whole town to witness it.

The maiden was sacrificed on an altar before everyone, and the mother would discover that it was her daughter. The queen had imposed the law that all women had to wear their hair gathered in a bun, she being the only one allowed to wear her hair loose, covering a face that no one was permitted to see. Anyone who tried to see her face was cruelly tortured and then executed without mercy.

After the sacrifice of the maiden, the queen would take her into a room set aside for that purpose, and the first thing she did was cut off her hair before sacrificing her. The queen used the maiden’s hair to cover her fleshless head and her face. The queen ruled for a long time, feeding on the blood of the maidens she sacrificed.

The town was weary of living in terror and suffering, for it was not only the yearly sacrifice: all the maidens had to work for the queen. No one knew where the present queen had come from, since the previous one had vanished without a trace. The arrival of that dreadful and cruel woman had destroyed the happiness and peace of the town.

The servants she kept under her orders could not say what her face was like, for as she kept it covered with hair, its features could not be made out, and anyone who set out to see her, she killed. The town never ceased praying and asking for help. One day Olofin heard the town’s pleas and chose Elegbá to investigate the cause of that situation.

To that end, Elegbá went to the town and found that a maiden was to be sacrificed that very day. Elegbá asked why everyone was sad and tearful, and they told him what was happening there. Elegbá then returned to where Olofin was and told him what was going on in that town. Olofin, on hearing what Elegbá recounted, could not believe it, and so he sent Elegbá to Orunmila so that Orunmila would indicate what had to be done.

Orunmila, upon reading Elegbá, saw this Ifá and said: «It is Ikú (death) who is ruling that town,» and prescribed an ebó. The ebó was performed at once, and Orunmila told Elegbá to go to the entrance of the town to cast the ebó, and to tell its inhabitants to make a doll and dress it in the color of the guardian angel of each of them, to place it in a visible spot of the house, and for all the women to let down their hair and then for each one to do as indicated, for he was going to order that Ikú be unmasked.

After Elegbá instructed the town in what it had to do and confirmed that they had complied, Orunmila called Oggún and told him to go to that town to unmask Ikú and then bring her before Olofin. Oggún did so, and when Ikú was brought before Olofin, he said to her: «How could you usurp rights that do not belong to you? You have committed a grave error.» At the same time, Olofin took away the hair Ikú was wearing and told her that she would have no more hair, neither her own nor false, and so ended the fear and terror that had gripped the town.

Oyorumi, the wife of Orunmila

On this path, Oyorumi was the daughter of a king, and Eggun Ashanara Logde courted her, but she scorned him. Later, Kalamodo also courted her and was scorned in the same way. Finally, Orunmila courted her, and she scorned him just the same. Faced with Oyorumi’s disdain, Orunmila decided to offer food to Eshu and to all the santos, performing Kowo Eshu and casting ashire. As a result, the king fell ill and had to go to Orunmila’s house in search of help.

Orunmila told the king that Oyorumi was a maligbo and ordered him to perform ebbo in order to be cured. When Oyorumi arrived at Orunmila’s house, he told her that she would be his wife. With this act, the king was cured of his illness.

Ozain’s work with an ota

In the land of Ika Mafun lived Ozain, who aspired to rule it. Oyá also lived in that land. Every day Ozain did something different to increase his power with three otá, and to do so he waited until everyone was present. In his call he said: «Oyá Nire Boroboro Ami Babá Bi Moyo Bayomi Oni Wa On Balosha«, and the people were left astonished.

Oyá was not well because of Ozain’s power, for he had taken from her her son by Orunmila, named Ayoro Ifá, and held him under his control. Ayoro Ifá did not trouble himself to go to Orunmila, nor to have himself read in order to find work, for Ozain kept him under the effect of the dormidera. Every 7 days, Ayoro Ifá made a call: «Kuelese Kan Kuelese Meyi Ori Ayoro Ifá Elese». He would spit on and step on the otá, and kept it bewitched.

One day, while Ozain was performing a work with an otá que Konkue lelo niyu yamasa sokun, something evil, like a shadow, enveloped the land where Ozain was working and went to rest where Oyá was, who had a hen in her hand. Oyá gave the hen to the otá and set out for where Awo Ayoro Ifá was. When she arrived, Ayoro Ifá said to her: «I am hungry,» and Oyá plucked the hen. They ate together, and what afflicted Ayoro Ifá was lifted from him. Shortly afterward, he had himself read and saw Ika Fun, and he saw a shadow approaching, which was Ikú singing: «Koko Fun Olona«. The noise Ikú brought with her was so loud that the Awo took fright, took the otá, marked Ika Fun, gave it a rooster, covered it well, and placed it behind the door.

Ikú arrived at Ayoro Ifá’s house and said to him: «Let us go together, Oyá, you and I, to Ozain so that this may end. Take black, red, and white cloth, a live jio jio, and a stone of Osha; make a kind of bag and you will see that you will triumph.» Ayoro Ifá performed the ebbo and they all set out together singing, and Oyá played: «Oyá Shoro Oloddumare Afefe Lokun Ona Ya Igbo Afefe Lokun». A very strong wind arose and the ebbo fell upon Ozain, and his children took fright and left that land. Ozain was stripped of his power.

Ikú went on with Awo Ayoro Ifá to the land of Ika Fun. Ikú took a rooster and gave it to Ozain, and they ate together. Ozain awoke from his stupor and found that Oyá and Ayoro Ifá were there. Ikú asked Ozain whether the war was now over, and he told her that it was.

: A rooster must be given to the dead one.

The agufan bird

Agufan was a very beautiful bird with long feathers who one day went to Orunmila’s house for divination. In the osode this Ifá came out, which ordered him to perform ebbo so that he would become the oba of all the birds. After Orunmila performed the ebbo for him, Agufan came to be oba of all the birds, because Olofin gave him the Ashe of awo; for that reason only the king keeps that bird, and he assigns three servants to care for it. When that bird passes over a town it announces something bad, and all the Babalawos ask Orunmila about it.