Irete Kana

The ayapa and the leopard

This is where the Ayapa, who had no drum, stole the Leopard’s drum and presented herself before Olofin. She played the drum and won. The Leopard, weary of searching for his drum, crouched by the road to watch everyone who had gone to play at Olofin’s house. When the Ayapa heard him sing, she understood it was about her and stopped. The Leopard recognized his drum, leapt upon her and raked her all over with his claws. When he tried to throw her against the ground to kill her, she got away and hid among the grasses. The marks left by the Leopard’s claws on the body of the Ayapa can still be seen to this day.

– iré oshegun ota

There were three Babalawos who wanted to harm Irete Kana and, since they could not do it to him, they looked for a way to do it to his wife. To that end they went to Olofin’s house and told him that the cause of the unrest in the town was the women who sold thread in the marketplace, and among them were their own wives and the wife of Irete Kana. They also said that an Ebbo should be made with a rooster and the two women to avert the unrest. Then they went and told their wives not to go sell thread at the marketplace; but Olofin had already given orders to proceed against all the women who sold thread.

That day, Irete Kana looked and saw that there was treachery; so he ordered that his wife’s head be rogated and that she wear a bandage for the space of seven days. When her friends came to fetch his wife, she told them she could not go because she was ill, and as his wife was obedient, so she did. The other women did not obey their husbands, and all were seized except the wife of Irete Kana. The Awoses, seeing that their wives were imprisoned and prepared for the Ebbo, decided to go to Irete Kana’s house and plead with him for their release. There they confessed the treachery they had meant to carry out against him; thanks to that, they were able to save their wives.

They also told Olofin that among the participants they needed Irete Kana for the ebbo with used clothing, and he was sent with this task. In the end he decided to perform the Ebbo with the threads of the women who sold those goods together with some pieces of clothing; that was how the problem could be resolved.

– how Shakuana established his kingdom

Once, San Lázaro (Shakuana) led a disorderly life and did not heed the counsel of Olofin, and so he came to gather every contagious disease there is on earth. The complaints reached the ears of Olofin, who was powerless to save him. Then the Yoruba Priests gathered in a Council and agreed to banish him from their town; furthermore they would scorn him for his disobedience, to the point that no one would offer him help to be cured, not even his own son.

The only one who took pity on him was Elegbá; the Yorubas then agreed not to speak with him and imposed the closing of his voice within the religion, forbidding him the use of the cowries (Dilogun); that very day they sewed the ja (ritual broom) with him, to prevent him from being able to act in the religion.

Shakuana, seeing himself scorned and banished, left the Town; the people threw water behind him and told him: «Take the evil with you.» From that moment on, the Dilogun was no longer read beyond Eyila Shebora; this was done so as never to remember him again, since he spoke in Metanlá.

One day, Shakuana met Eshu, who took him to the house of Orunmila in the territory of Ife. There, Orunmila said to him: «Alaguana, you always bring me these entanglements, but I will look into it.» And there came out an Ifá in which Orunmila told him that they had left his voice mute because of his disobedience; nevertheless, he would be very great in another land that was not his own, but for that he would have to make Ebbo (the second one).

Shakuana obeyed Orunmila, and as he was about to depart, Orunmila brought him a dog he had taken from between Oggún and Ozain. Then Shakuana followed his road until he reached the Land of Dahomey (the Arara Land). There everyone lived by strict principles, believing in nothing and no one but the King. The King thought himself an absolute God over his subjects; he killed and did whatever he pleased. When the King saw Shakuana arrive, he knelt before him begging forgiveness for his evil deeds; the other Natives, seeing this, followed him. Then Olofin saw all that had happened and consecrated him for having listened to the counsel of Orunmila, sending a downpour that cleansed Shakuana of all his sins. At that very instant there was a bolt of lightning, and a hole formed in the ground where he was standing; there he buried all his ills, thus establishing his kingdom in the Land of Dahomey.

That is why, although Shakuana is of the Yoruba land (Lucumí), his greatness and miracles came about in Dahomey (Arara) by direct command of Olofin, and he is respected and venerated by the Arara and the Lucumíes alike.

When the Arara give a cazuela of Azojuano, they give it covered or sealed, because Shakuana covered the hole with all the ills that afflicted him. A man to whom this Ifá comes out must receive the hand of Orunmila (Awofaka). If he is a son of San Lázaro he will have to make oluo popo; if he is not a son of this Santo, he will have to make Ifá.

– lodafun Obatalá

Because the Hunter obeyed Orunmila, his hunts went well; this angered the others, who envied him. His affairs took a bad turn and he had to go see Orunmila. Orunmila saw this Ifá for him and told him to make the Ebbo, but the Hunter had no money to buy what was needed and went off into the forest to hunt; there the arayes set wild beasts upon him to devour him.

The Hunter, finding himself pursued, fled in desperation without knowing where to go. While searching for a refuge he came upon a closed door, which he pushed hard to get in, and it was the house of Obatalá. Seeing him so breathless, Obatalá asked what was happening; the Hunter recounted all his troubles after escaping the beasts, and when he said he could not do what Orunmila had prescribed for lack of owo, Obatalá with great generosity gave him what was needed to fulfill the prophecy. Thus he was able to return to Orunmila’s house and did as he had been told; his business improved and his life was happy.

– irete kana

There were four Awoses, among them Irete Kana, who was poor compared to the other three. Those three envied him greatly, for they said he knew more than they did and had set on her path a woman whom they had been unable to accept. The four recorded their readings at the house of Olofin.

The three plotted to do away with the Obini of Irete Kana. While the other three sold tomatoes and other goods in Elele, the Obini of Irete Kana sold Ou Fun Fun and Dun Dun in Yeleya. When these three Awoses made their reading at the Ilé of Olofin, he told them that all the misfortune Irete Kana was suffering was of their own doing.

Lodafun Olofin Orunmila.