Oyekun Meyi

The Tool Seller

On this path there was a man, a son of Shangó, who made ritual implements for the orishas. This son of Shangó was very fond of amusement and was always going from party to party, which made him quite unreliable towards those who commissioned work from him. The orishas whose implements he made were Olokun, Dada and Abanarí.

People paid him in advance because they trusted him: he was a true master at making these tools. He lived without a care and the commissions piled up, and when at last he sat down to work through what he owed, night would catch him still at it and, without having finished, he would put everything away and go off to the parties, coming home at dawn to sleep.

One day word spread through the town, until the complaints about his unreliability reached his own ears. He then decided to take on an apprentice to help him. Even so, people went on complaining. The day came when a client arrived to collect the implements of Abanarí, which had a set date, and they were not finished. The apprentice took the messages, but he also took the scolding from every client, and he could not wake the son of Shangó.

In the end the apprentice grew tired of dealing with people because of his master’s negligence, and told him he was no longer willing to put up with the reproaches. The master’s answer was to dismiss him. The apprentice decided to open his own tool workshop without being a certified craftsman, and he did very well. Meanwhile things began to go badly for the son of Shangó, since the dissatisfied customers stopped commissioning work from him.

He fell ill and went to see Orunmila, thinking that what was happening to him was witchcraft worked by the apprentice. Orunmila examined him and told him that everything befalling him came from the bad reputation that had been made for him, along with the gossip and the ill will hanging over him. He recommended that he make an ebó to improve his health, but not to prosper in the trade of making implements for the orishas.

Why Oyekun Takes Charge of the Night

On this path, when Oragun created the world, in the midst of the darkness he called Oyekun and said to him: «I shall give you the light; you will open the doors of the light and leave them open so that the light may reach every creature in the world.» He warned Oyekun that he must never touch drink, and named him guardian of the light and of the brightness of the day.

Oyekun used to accompany his brother Ejiogbe in his tasks. One day they held a feast to celebrate that Olofin was going to grant Oyekun absolute power. Oyekun invited everyone to drink, and he himself got drunk and fell asleep with his hat covering his ears. Taking his chance, Ejiogbe went before Olofin and, since Olofin’s sight was poor, took absolute power for himself, leaving Oyekun a servant on account of his negligence and his forgetting of the warnings.

One day Ejiogbe said to Olofin: «Oyekun is my brother; through a mistake he has been reduced to serving. Could you give him some occupation?» Olofin answered: «Since you are the guardian of the day, he shall be the guardian of the night.» From that day on, Oyekun has been the one who leads the night.

Where Feeding Eggun and Ikú Was Born

Aleuba’s father sent her to the market with the errand of buying him a fish. When she arrived, she saw that there was only one fish left, and standing in front of the fishwife was an old woman who turned out to be the mother of Kukete (death), who had likewise sent her daughter to the market to buy a fish.

Aleuba snatched the fish from the old woman’s hands and ran off in a commotion to take it to her father, telling him what she had done to please her mother. «Ill-bred girl,» said Ifá, «today you have disturbed my house by quarrelling with the mother of death.»

Orunmila then made a consultation of Ifá and Oyekun Meyi came out, which indicated the necessary ebbo. He sacrificed a goat and gathered its blood in a jícara (gourd bowl), adding some of the animal’s hairs. He cooked the goat’s meat and prepared a paste of amala and epó (palm oil). He mixed the paste with a little of the cooked meat and its blood, and placed the jícara in front of the entrance of his house.

Kukete came to take revenge and to bind Orunmila for the insult done to her mother, but on seeing what was in the jícara she liked it and began to eat greedily until she was completely full. Then she went away, forgetting her revenge.

Efe the Manatee Was Born

On this path, a great animal lived in the river with half the body of a man and half the body of a fish, and it was called Efe.

When people learned of this they were terrified and went to consult Orunmila, and the Oddun Oyekun Meyi came out for them. Orunmila told them that Ifá indicated that, to capture this phantom, they must wait for it to rise from the bottom of the sea to the surface to eat grass. He also told them that they must tie an Ozain, a charm, to their ofa (harpoon) in order to capture it.

They were told that they could eat its flesh, but that its bones were to be used solely as objects of worship for Olokun. It was revealed to them that this being was a man born in Enjille who had been king of León, where his children lived, and that he was the owner of Akare and Sonugagga. They were also told that he was Olokun himself, since he was the owner of the Gueleddi, whom the Mandinga called «Ma» and the Haussu «Adjon». So the Aguados followed the instructions and prepared the Ade of Olokun.

The Funeral Honours Were Born

On this path, Osheiwomo was the son of a great departed babalawo who had been chief of the ogboni. This son decided that, on the anniversary of his father’s death, he would perform the funeral ceremonies owed to the departed eguns. For that he went to consult the great Orunmila, who revealed this Ifá to him.

During the consultation Orunmila told him: «You intend to honour your father’s spirit, but since he was anego ogboni you must sacrifice 16 abo to him, beginning 16 days before the anniversary of his death and offering one each day in honour of his spirit.» Osheiwomo replied: «How can I do that? The money my father left me is for me, not to be spent on that. Who does Orunmila think he is?» And he decided not to make the ebbo.

The appointed day of the anniversary came, and the dances of the egun masks began. Osheiwomo’s babare mounted an egungun and danced to the beat of the drum, showing off his costume on a platform held up by two posts of cashew wood, one of them covered with a strange branch of Mariwo.

When Osheiwomo’s babare, still dressed as egungun, came down from the platform and passed close to the post with the branch of Ariwo, his head cloth caught in it. However hard he tried, he could not free himself and remained trapped. He jumped, he leapt, he did everything he could to get loose, but he could not, and a great many cobwebs fell over him.

Osheiwomo, seeing this, took a machete and cut the branch that held him, and slowly the cobwebs came down over the Kguagua that represented his babare.

Then Osheiwomo got up and went back to his ile to play his drums, but his babare’s egungun took him by the arm and said: «My son, you have seen death. That branch you cut was only a metamorphosis worked by Ashikuelu to avenge Ifá for your disrespect, and rather than see you humiliated I would have you come with me to the kingdom of the egungun» — where the Oba was Ikú Alashe Ona and the diviner was Baba Oyekun Meyi.

The babare egungun sang this as they took him away: «baba Ikú Osheiwomo, Oshe Unlo Egungun«, which means «you must go with him».

This shows how oyekun meyi is the babalawo of the land of the egungun.

Writing Was Born in the World

On this path, Olofin had heard of an awó called Ogba Akuelele in the land of Agba Niyerun, who was a son of Shangó. He decided to visit that land to meet the awó and discover a great secret. On arriving, however, Olofin found the very opposite of what he had been told. The people of that place communicated by signs, spoke poorly and wrote on the ground, but the wind carried their writing away, which made communication difficult.

Disappointed by what he saw in Agba Niyerun, Olofin left and, on his way, he sang:

«baba Bayekun Lorun Atefa Omo Yare Afiteku Yayeni Olofin Ofiteku».

He continued his journey and reached the land of Agba Aye, where he met people who were eguns. These people used to make their writing on stones, but the waters washed it away. Olofin was still dissatisfied and returned home hoping to find a way to create a great writing that would allow consecrations to be performed and that human beings could learn to write in the world, testaments included.

One day at noon, Olofin took a rooster, cleansed himself and performed obori, then lay down to sleep, but he was sad and troubled by the lack of writing and testaments in that world, and by the lack of confirmation of ada. In his dream, Olofin received the revelation that he should go to the Land of Bowa Oyekun, where he might find what he was looking for to establish the foundations of Ifá and of everything else.

The next day Olofin set out for that land, but feeling some mistrust he took with him an awó medilogun as a companion. Along the way they went ringing little bells, and Olofin prayed this suyere:

«awo Dire Awo, Awo Laye Niye, Awo Dire Awo, Laye Niye Baba Orun».

Shangó, who was in the Land of Bowa Oyekun, heard Olofin and began to play the ashere, preparing one jícara with efun and another with osun. When Olofin arrived, Shangó received him with moforibale and asked him: «My father, what is it you wish?» Olofin answered: «What I am looking for I have found neither on the road nor in the world.» Shangó assured him: «Stay and sleep here tonight; tomorrow you will have everything you seek.» Before reaching the Land of Bowa Oyekun, however, Olofin had told the awó medilogun to hide among the palms so that Shangó would not know he was with him.

Olofín agreed to Shangó’s request and stayed to sleep there that night. Early in the morning Shangó got up and took a piece of wood from a fallen palm he had, and hid it in the house. When Olofín woke at 4:00 a.m., Shangó came before him and knelt, saying: «Here is one of the things you need for the foundation, and in this other hand I bring the rest of what you need, but first I am going to consecrate Akuelele.» Together, Olofín and Shangó consecrated it.

Everything Shangó was doing left Olofín both very worried and very moved. «This, father Olofín,» said Shangó, «will serve for the great consecrations of an atefa, and without this you cannot be present. It is a great secret that you must keep hidden.» Olofín listened to everything Shangó said, but even so he was not content. Then Shangó began to call out: «Father, command that Ifá bring prosperity, that Ifá bring success. Shangó, born of Olofín, command that Ifá bring fortune.» Shangó knelt before Olofín holding a small stick of mariwo in his hand and said to Olofín: «You will see now why you are going to have everything you need, and what I am about to write here will have a meaning of its own.»

He then made 16 crosses and added: «Now I am going to perform the sacred writing», and he began to atefar. Each time he drew an oddun he painted it inside one of the crosses he had made beforehand. As he called each oddun, an oddun came out of each palm, and Shangó gave it a name until the first 16 were complete.

In this way writing began in the world, firmly and surely, for good as well as for ill. Olofín blessed Shangó and told him: «You will always have to be with me», and Shangó added: «I want you to grant me one thing for the confirmations. At the lower part of the atena, write ‘Oshe Tura’ on the right and, at the end of the writing, ‘Okana’. The left side will be painted», and he began to paint the strokes with Osun, as well as the centre of the circles.

Olofín then asked what that meant, and Shangó answered: «It will be our secret, but for human beings in general it means that the first ink was red.» Olofín replied: «Very well.» Then Shangó joined the ofun with the osun and, on giving it eyerbale, it turned black. Here black ink was born. Olofín added: «This ink will suit human beings better; the other will be for us.»

Before beginning the ebbo, the sign Oyekun is written inside the jícara; this is done with efun, osun and the blood of all the animals, and eyerbale is given to the ebbo calling on Shangó and Olofin. Its destination is not asked: it always goes to a palm tree.

The Obedient Ones Were Saved

Orunmila told the trees to make ebbo because of an evil that was coming. Most of the trees paid no attention; only the hog plum, the hibiscus and the cypress obeyed and made the ebbo. Before long a great rainstorm came and tore up the trees; all those that had made the ebbo were saved.

When the Young Men Thought They Knew More Than the Masters

In that time the young men worked alongside the elders building the ilé (houses), until one day the young men believed they knew enough and, since they earned little money, decided to break away and work on their own, doing cheaper jobs. But when the rains came, the buildings collapsed. The complaints reached Olofin’s ears, and he summoned both the young men and the elders.

Olofin ordered them all to build a house (ilé), and the young men failed in the attempt. Olofin asked the elders what the problem was, and they answered that the young men laid all the tiles face up instead of alternating one face down and one face up to form the channel. From that moment on, the orubo (elders) became the ones authorised to grant the young men their licence as craftsmen.

The Brothers

Eyide and Barekoko were two brothers. Barekoko was the younger, and he brought his bride-to-be to his brothers’ house, but he needed money, so he kept her there for six or eight months while he arranged everything. When he went to fetch her, Eyide told him that she did not want to marry him. Barekoko was not satisfied with what his brother and his fiancée told him, so he went to Orunmila’s ile to clear up the mystery and learn what he should do.

Orunmila consulted Ifá and told him to make an ebbo with an akuko and an eyele and to give them to Shangó. Shortly afterwards there was a fire in Eyide’s house, and Barekoko’s fiancée had to flee with a child she had had by Eyide, who had been having an affair with the woman and was keeping it hidden. But Shangó uncovered the mystery, Barekoko learned everything and married another woman.

Not long after, Eyide sent the woman and the child away and found himself in difficulties. He had to turn to Barekoko for help.

Notes

• This part is interpreted according to the tone of Ifá. If it comes in osorbo, it may be a trap involving a woman or something else. If it comes in fore, everything is reversed and turns to good. It indicates betrayals and epidemics.
• An ebbo with akuko must be made for Shangó and Olokun. The suyere is to be repeated for 9 days.

The Knowledge of Fish in the World

On this path, humankind was facing great troubles and hardships in the world. People had neither health nor food enough; consumption (tuberculosis) was taking a heavy toll on the population, as were gastroenteritis and other intestinal disorders that kept children and young people from thriving. Bones lacked strength, and human beings gathered near the sources of fresh and salt water, since enormous monsters roamed the land and made life hard for the first inhabitants.

In the midst of so many difficulties, human beings suffered from the scarcity of nourishing food that could meet their needs. In those days it was the imoles (spiritual beings) who guided humankind, and they later became orishas (deities).

Under the guidance of these imoles, they began to implore Olofin, the supreme creator, to have compassion on his children. Shangó was heard in his pleas by Olofin, who told him to offer humankind a food unknown on the land, in the rivers and in the seas. That food was eya tutu (fresh fish), and Olofin gave Shangó an agboran (a fish) of that kind so that he might preserve it and thus secure the nourishment of human beings, children of Olofin.

Then every kind of eya tutu began to rain down from the sky, and humankind had the chance to taste their flesh, which in time strengthened their bones and their brains, allowing them to make progress in their lives and to reach the roles Olofin had appointed for human beings in his creation. Among all the fish, two stood out for holding the secrets closest to the earliest religion of human beings: the eya bo (red snapper) and the eya oro (guabina).

Besides these fish, all the rest multiplied in the different waters, both salt and fresh, by the will of Olofin and through the intervention of Shangó, becoming a crucial source of food for humankind.

On this path there is talk of problems related to decalcification, such as consumption and ulcers due to a deficiency of amino acids. It also mentions pyorrhoea and stomach and blood infections. It recommends eating fish and hen soup, as well as yam as a staple food. It was on this path that fish became known in the world.

Divining With a Glass of Water Was Born

In the land of Orun Nile lived Oshún Awoyemi, a woman of great beauty who had many suitors. Although she was expert in spiritual work and healed all the inhabitants of that land, she refused the advances of her suitors, even powerful ones such as Eshu.

One day Oshún decided to consult Orunmila because of the insistence of her admirers. Ifá revealed that she must make an ebbo to Eshu so as not to suffer an accident in her life. Oshún answered Orunmila: «Eshu is my enemy, I want nothing to do with him», and decided not to make the ebbo. Instead she married Shangó. In revenge, Eshu prepared an afoshe ogu and, on crossing paths with Oshún, threw it into her eyes and left her blind.

Oshún had had so many children with Shangó that there was no longer room for them in the house, and they threw her out when they saw she was blind. Shangó abandoned her, and Oshún had to return to Orunmila’s house. There she found Obaluaye (San Lázaro), and Orunmila told her: «Because you did not listen, this misfortune has come upon you. You must make the ebbo shure to Eshu.» Obeying the instructions, Oshún began to improve, though her sight was no longer the same and she could only see on the spiritual plane.

Orunmila and Obaluaye took her to their new dwelling, where her children, seeing her between two powerful awoses, repented and prostrated themselves asking forgiveness. Oshún forgave them, but told them that, because of her spiritual work and her limited sight, she preferred to live apart from them. She decided to live separately, in the company of Orunmila and Obaluaye, together with her five owado (sacred objects).

Orunmila and Obaluaye gave her their blessing and said: «From now on you will be Oshún Awoyemi Ayaba Awomi (Oshún, she who divines through water).» Despite her blindness, Oshún went on divining for people using a glass of water as her medium.

Notes

• Here divining or seeing with a glass of water was born. This Oshún carries in the water jars an otá of Caridad (mineral), a coral, an amber, a jet, an ada keke, Osun, obi motiwao, leri adie and Atitan ilé. She lives between Orunmila and San Lázaro, and a large cup of river water, holy water and well water is placed before her — this being spiritual clairvoyance — with a piece of alum inside.
• The animals of the ebbo are: the akuko for Eshu and San Lázaro, the adie dun dun for Orunmila, the akueri for Oshún. Ebbo shure is given to Eshu.

The Annihilation of the Fish

Awo Oye, also known as Orunmila, lived in the land of Lale Odo, and he always performed his ceremonies at dawn in that land of the fish, who used to say that day broke for them before it broke for anyone else.

Awo Oye saw this sign in the Oba of the fish, who was the owner of the beds of the seas and the rivers. The Oba of the fish and his children made the ebbo that Orunmila indicated, and they had many children and spread through all the seas and rivers of the world. The wife of the Oba of the fish, however, refused to make the other ebbo that Orunmila ordered to free them from the human beings who were beginning to people the planet.

She did not make the ebbo because she believed they had no enemies, since she saw her children safe in the depths of the river. She took Awo Oye for a swindler and a liar. Then she looked up at the sky with reverence, as though her children were never going to die.

It came to pass that when human beings developed, they took up tools such as hoes, machetes and an oval güiro, and diverted the course of the river to drain the water away. When no water was left, they found the children of the fish in the riverbed and the human beings caught them. At that moment Eshu and Shangó arrived and, seeing that the men had boiled ishu, told them: «Eat them with that ishu, it is a great food.» This became a mandate for human beings.

NOTE: This is where Eshu prevented the complete annihilation of every species of fish on earth.

The Potters

At the beginning of the world, men had no vessels in which to gather water. They thought their hands were not enough and tried using a tree, but found that it did not work. The leaves of the trees also proved awkward. As they did not know what to do, they went to Orunmila, who consulted Ifá for them and indicated an ebbo they were to perform.

Orunmila told them: «Take the ebbo to the riverbank. There, twenty-five paces from the bank, dig a hole in proportion to your height.»

The men followed the instructions to the letter and, while they dug, they sang this suyere:

«Ifá Bewa Isheda Ozain Bewa Isheda Oyekun Meyi Bewa Isheda»

They dug a hole deep enough for a man to fit at the bottom, and they came upon a damp clay they did not know. They wondered what kind of earth it was and decided to make a vessel out of it. They let it dry and filled it with water, and saw that it did not leak. Then they said: «The word of Ifá is sacred.» They gathered more clay and built the walls of their houses and vessels for collecting water.

In time they noticed that the vessels absorbed water, and they went back to Orunmila. He told them: «You are missing one secret. Bring dry straw and leave me a vessel or water jar.» Orunmila heaped up the dry straw and placed the vessel inside it, then set fire to the straw. He asked them to come back in three days so that he could reveal the secret to them. The fire went on baking the clay.

When they returned, Orunmila took the vessel, which was hard and rang well. He filled it with water and they saw that the water stayed inside without leaking. Orunmila taught the men the secrets of pottery. Elegbá said: «This happened because you made the ebbo neither on land nor in water.» That is why they must pass through fire in order to be of use. This is the great secret of Oyekun Meyi.

Then the men sang this chant to their Ifá:

«Ofunmawa Imare Okuni Oyekun Meyi Baba Malipo Oyekun Meyi Baba Malipo»

And the one who gave men this skill was «Oyekun Meyi, the owner of the world».

Here all the ceramic cultures in the development of humankind had their origin. This Oddun belonged to the group that, at Olodumare’s charge, contributed to the development of humankind.

The goat and the osiadie are for Elegbá; the hoe placed with Elegbá must be a small one, like that of Ogún.

The Young Men Who Dressed Alike

There were two young men who always dressed the same way wherever they went, and at every party they attended they ended up drunk and went to bed in that state. One day it happened that one of them died, and Eggun, who was the gravedigger, was called to take the dead man away. But since Eggun was also fond of otí, he got drunk and, on reaching the house, carried off the one who was still alive, leaving the dead man behind.

This means that one must be careful, since through a mistake one may take blows or meet with displeasure.

How Oraniyan Formed the Earth

This is because at the beginning of the world there was no land, and Olokun took a chain and tied the jio jio to it so that it would scratch about, and thus the land arose. The chain represents the union between heaven and earth, and this is reflected in the way the chicken scratches at the ground before eating. This chain is the same one that, in Otura Meyi, Elegguá cut when part of the sea tried to take the land away; that is why it is sung: «awetonireo Leri Awa We, Bogbo Wani Showeye».

Olofin made Oraniyan come to earth because 15 of his brothers had already come and had not managed to form the land, and his father Oloyo gave him an igba ado (gourd) in which he had mixed epó, otá, awado and oñí (honey), and told him: «this will serve for what you have to do». And he gave him 21 inkin Ifá and a five-year-old adie.

He went to see Orunmila, who saw oyekun meyi for him and told him that he had to call Okejan, who was the alaleyo of Aiyo. So Oraniyan set out, playing his agogo along the way and singing:

«baba Alagogo Oraniyan Oro Kolefa Shangó».

In that time the earth was only water. When Oraniyan reached the earth he knelt, played his agogó and prayed:

«baba Oloyo Oyamini Oraniyan Olodeo Baba Okejan Aba Eni Yare Oko Baba Eleboro Oraniyan Foro Foro Sekun Imole».

Then he took a little of the mixture from the gourd and threw it into the water, and the water hardened, and he released the adie, and she set to scratching the earth, which grew; and Agüema, who had followed Orunmila, jumped down onto the land and said to Oraniyan: «the earth is firm now, you can come down this way».

Then Oraniyan came down by a chain with his igba, his staff, his agogo and his ikin Ifá. He took a large otá and planted it and said: «here we shall make the centre of the earth, and it will be called Inlé Odaiye».

Then all the orishas began to come down; the first were Oddúa, Oshagriñán and Shangó. Oraniyan consecrated them at the centre of the earth and called Shangó, Ayalorun and Oshagriñán, Obatalá, Oduduwa and Oshabeyi, and they in turn crowned him and gave him the name Oba Ala Iyeluwa (owner of the earth).

Oraniyan was a hunter and a brave warrior, and he decided to spread out across the earth. He took his ikin Ifá and saw oyekun meyi for himself, whereupon he set out singing:

«ayalorun Ife Shangó Obalobé Gbogbo Osha Wawa».

Along the way he met a swarm of angry ants that blocked his path, so he had to change direction and came to the land of Yangan. There his brothers abandoned him and he went on across the whole earth. He took the road to Takua, but the people there would not let him pass. Then he reached the land of Ibariba, where he prepared an inshe Ozain called Tougun, which had the shape of an agüema and to which he added the head of an eyele.

When Oraniyan continued his journey and reached firm land, he called Oloyo and set Shangó there. He returned to Inle Ife and completed the forming of the earth, then said to the people of Inle Ife: «I am leaving now. Whenever you are to consecrate someone in secret with inkin Ifá, you must call me and Okejan. And when war draws near, you must call me to defend you, and you will do it thus: «aki Otun Aki Osi Aki Nile Aki Logun Oggún Washe Loñio».

Some time passed and war came, and they called him. Oraniyan, who was the shadow, leapt up and arrived at Ife, where they were consecrating the oridoe. He took the inkin Ifá and placed them on the right, where he said: «aki Otun Aki Osi Aki Nile Aki Logun Wara Wara Adele Nifa Oro Kanshero Nile». Then, on the left: «wara Wara Adele Nifa Oro Kanshero Nile». He closed everything up and handed it to Ogbe Sa to consecrate the children of Orunmila.

After consecrating them, eight days later, he gathered up the remains and handed them to Irete Kutan to be buried. He also gave him the akuko he had, and Okejan and Oggún ate it, while he sang: «laye Laye Layema Laye Laye Lafifi». After covering the joro joro, he took the omiero of ewe paiasami and ewe atori and washed everyone’s hands while they sang: «wawa Wawa Kori Eleguede Koko Eleguede Lona Awana Wana Kori Kori«. In this way no head was lost through the secret

Neither malanga leaves nor eko are used, since at the beginning of the world there were no plants. The jío jío is tied to a chain and used to scrape the earth and the reef into a jícara with sea water. The jio jio is given to the person making the ebbo to hold, so that the person may not die but be strengthened.