Osa Bara

Path of oroiña

To carry out this Ifá correctly, it is essential to receive Orisha Oko with Itá. The Oparaldo ceremony must be performed in the wilderness. Oparaldo is performed on the person concerned using an Osiadie or whatever animal can be obtained. A hole is dug in the ground about two spans deep, with its corresponding reas, and the person is placed inside it. Once the Oparaldo is finished, the person removes all their clothing, dresses in other garments, and leaves the old clothes in the hole where the animal is placed. The Eku, Eya, Epo, Orí, Efun, Itana, Alaigi, perfume, Oñí, Otí, Awado and the ewe used in the work are first wrapped in cloths and buried together with the animal. After the Oparaldo, the obori is performed with Eyele Meyi Fun Fun and the path to follow is consulted.

This path determines why, when the direct crowning of Aggayú is made, the Osun of the leri takes the form of a rainbow from the forehead to the nape. Moreover, the Iyawó’s garments for Aggayú must always include a shawl, and coconut water must be used in Aggayú’s lavatorio. It is also necessary to perform oro for Aggayú. The shawl is white with a blue band.

In Cuba there is great controversy surrounding Aggayú, since some do not make him directly and each one puts forward his own theory. Valentín Nicolás Angarica made a direct Aggayú and was accused of profaning the religion, yet neither he nor his godchild suffered any consequences. Some houses of saint make him through Shangó and others through Oshún.

This path determines that it is indeed possible to make him directly; one simply has to know how it is done.

Path where it is born why Oyá eats black goat

It was in this place that Oyá found Yemayá eating with her husband Shangó, and with her adá she tore off the head of the abó that Yemayá was bringing. From that day on, she stopped eating abó and went very hungry, since every animal was already destined for the different saints.

It happened that one day Oyá was at the house of Obatalá, and a dark eweré was offered to him. On seeing it, he said: «I do not want it, it is very ugly, I do not eat it». Hearing these words from Obatalá, Oyá said to him: «My father, give it to me, for I will indeed eat it». Since then, Oyá eats dark goats.

The Obba of the hunters

It came to pass that Olofin wished to put Orunmila to the test with a very difficult task, and ordered him to bring him a quail. Despite Orunmila’s pleas on account of how hard the errand was, Olofin did not listen and held to his demand.

Seeing that there was no way to persuade Olofin, Orunmila set out to walk through the wilderness, but obtained no results. He went through all the nearby towns without success.

Orunmila kept asking people who was capable of hunting the quail, but everyone answered that no one was. On his way back, he passed by Oshún’s house and asked her the same question: «Who is capable of hunting the quail?» Oshún answered him: «Go to the neighbouring town called Llelede Inle and ask for Oshosi of Mata».

Orunmila followed Oshún’s advice and went to the place indicated, where he found Oshosi idling about with his friends, since after hunting he gave himself over to idleness and wandering.

After Oshosi was pointed out to him, Orunmila asked: «Are you capable of hunting the quail?» And he answered: «Of course, come tomorrow and you shall have it». Oshosi went into the wilderness, caught a live quail, took it home, put it in a cage and went back to his friends. That night Oshosi returned, and his mother saw the quail, took it, cooked it and ate it.

The following morning, Orunmila went to fetch the quail and asked Oshosi whether he had it. Oshosi said that he did, but on approaching the cage he found it empty and asked his mother what had become of the quail he had in the cage. The mother gave no answer and carried on with what she was doing. «You would not be deceiving me», said Orunmila to Oshosi. Oshosi answered: «I will get you another one later», and so he did.

Oshosi went deep into the wilderness and caught another live quail, handed it to Orunmila, and Orunmila said to him: «Come with me so that Olofin may reward you». They climbed the hill together and Olofin said: «I grant you the power to be the Oba of hunters, but since you have already given me that ashe, I will loose an arrow and it will lodge in the chest of whoever stole the first quail». Olofin added: «To iban Eshu». When Oshosi reached home, he found his mother pierced by the arrow and cried out: «Mother of mine, it was you». From that moment on, he renounced the trade of hunter.

The son of Shangó does not mistreat a daughter of Oyá

Osa Bara was a proud man on account of his luck in business and with women. He paid no attention to the counsel of his elders, since he claimed that what God had given him no one could take away.

One day he met a daughter of Oyá and wanted to take advantage of her, to abuse her and mistreat her. Osa Bara was very jealous and would quarrel for no reason. At times he even struck women.

On one occasion he had a dream in which he saw himself floating in space and the wind was carrying him to an unknown world. In the dream he felt frightened and cried out. His mother, hearing her son’s cries, came to see what was happening to him. She knew that something strange was going on, and as a mother she asked her guardian angel to protect her son, despite his disobedience. It turned out that the Guardian Angel was Yemayá. Then she called him by another name. Osa Bara woke from the nightmare and told his mother everything that had happened in the dream.

His mother said to him: «Son, will you grant me a favour? May we go to the house of Ogbeni Isin?» Very frightened, he answered: «Yes, mother, let us go». They arrived at the house of this man, who turned out to be Orunmila. During the consultation, this Ifá came out, and it said: «You are a son of Shangó, but Yemayá and Obatalá protect you greatly. However, all your good fortune depends on a daughter of Oyá. You know that Shangó has great respect for Oyá, since she is his wife and watches over his son. But the sons of Shangó, such as yourself, must never mistreat the daughters of Oyá, for that will bring them misfortune and they could even lose their lives, since Oyá is the wind and may leave one deaf or crippled through a bad draught. Pray to Oyá and to Shangó so that you may have good fortune in everything».

The heir

There were two kings who disputed control of one and the same territory during their reigns. They lived immersed in intrigues, traps and the worst of conditions. The first of them, while travelling through his territory, fathered a son with a beautiful young woman who lived in a cave called Orilona. She listened to and accepted the words of love and the promises of this man, who did not reveal to her that he was a king. She gave him her virginity and became pregnant. One night she had a dream in which she saw her beloved dressed with a crown in his kingdom. She told him the dream, and this sealed her misfortune.

The king, startled by so clear a vision, feigned a hunt and abandoned her. She fell into deep sorrow. She raised her son, and when he was nine years old she died. The boy, almost wild, worked in the depths of the earth where he lived, far from the world. Nature endowed him with a supernatural strength that had no comparison with that of other men.

The boy was born with a mark on his forehead in the shape of the shadow of a crown of his father’s reign. As he went on with his work, this mark grew more and more covered over, until at last it broke open and revealed itself as a crown in all its magnificence. This caused amazement among the inhabitants, for they saw a king in the shadow of the crown on his forehead, and his imposing stature and strength made him a giant. The people acclaimed him as king, but he fled in fright and destroyed everything in his path. If he leaned against a plant, he knocked it down.

At last he came to a great mountain where a great river divided the hills, and only a woman and a child lived there. On seeing him, the woman and the child greeted him with respect. The woman, without fear and with a machete in her hand, drew near and embraced him. The boy fell in love with her. The old man gave them coconut water so that the woman might regain her composure, and he decided to stay and live there.

The king of those lands, feeling himself near death, ordered his soldiers to search the region for someone who resembled him. The soldiers believed he had gone mad, since finding someone with so striking a likeness would be difficult. In their search they went far afield and found the great man who resembled the king. They had a great struggle to convince him to go with them, since he was the king’s son. «If I am the king of the earth, I acknowledge no father other than the bowels of the earth», he told them.

In the end, the old man managed to convince him. When they were about to set out, the boy was asleep and they tried to cover him as best they could.

His woman made him a thick tunic. The old man gave him a shawl, white on one side and blue on the other.

Distrustful, the boy sharpened his working hoe and set off for the place where his father and the people awaited him. On his arrival, the king said to him: «You are my son, you are the king of my whole reign. Take this crown». However, when he tried to place it on him, he saw the shadow the boy had borne marked on him since birth, and said: «King, my son, I crown you and I acknowledge you». He answered: «The earth is my mother». As he spoke those words, the earth shuddered and the volcano hurled fire, proving that he was the king of the fire that burns within it.

His father died and he became the king of the throne and of all the lands that had raised him.

How force loses its power

Oggún and Ikú held the force of the world, in the land of Sokuba Yeku. Under that great dominion they had deceived Olokun, who used to go to the feast held there, and everyone who lived there was out of their mind. Ikú and Oggún would dress themselves in bells and cloth of every colour and begin to sing:

«Olokun Aba Ikú Awana Yekun Eggun, Eggunaba Olodeo Arayire Ikú Eggun Taba Abalode Abanire Olokun Bawo Olokun Bawo Ikú».

Olokun brought all manner of things to Oggún and Ikú, but Olokun had spent a year with his daughter, whom Orunmila had baptized and named Teshí Ikú Eggun. As Olokun was arriving at the land where Oggún and Ikú were, something came over Olokun’s daughter, Teshí Ikú Eggun, as though it were an eggun.

When Oggún and Ikú saw that the thing coming was so very small, they were startled, they took fright, and they saw the ceremony she performed with a hen, and they sang:

«taferen Ikú Oggún Orun Oggún Aba Ikú Taferen Orun Orun Leri Eggun Bani Yero Oggún Bayeren Ikú».

Oggún and Ikú saw that all the people were taking off their clothes and throwing them up toward Olokun. Olokun took fright as well, seized his daughter and carried her away. Ikú went out after Ifá singing:

«eggun Babawo Eggun Bananire, Oforiye Orun Eggun Obaniye Eggun Oba Orun».

Teshí Ikú Eggun removed the efun she wore on her face, and when Ikú saw her, he was astonished and ran off and was lost. Olokun’s daughter came to a ditch, washed her face and went on with Olokun, who scolded her while she answered him nothing. Just then Elegbá came along together with Shangó; Olokun greeted them and rendered them moforibale, and spoke in secret to Elegbá so that he would tell Shangó. Elegbá, Olokun, his daughter and Shangó went on together along the road, and Olokun told them how the people of the land of Sokuba Yokuri dressed themselves.

Shangó said: «This must be told to Orunmila to see what is to be done». Orunmila marked ebbo for them, and to dress a doll in nine colours with shaworo in the city before they arrived, and to light the candles at daybreak in order to strip Eggun and Ikú of their great power, together with all the children of this world.

Orunmila asked Shangó and Elegbá when Olokun would return, and they answered: «We are going there». Elegbá and Shangó came to where Olokun was and prepared a meal for him. Olokun told them of the grief his daughter had caused him when he went off to enjoy himself. Shangó and Elegbá said to him: «I believe you are mistaken. Look — with what you take along to enjoy yourself, what you are really doing is feeding them and giving them strength. They are deceiving you». At that moment, the same thing happened to the daughter again. Olokun realized what had happened to his daughter once more and said: «I will go with them; you will come afterwards to take the strength away from Oggún and Ikú, and you will dress as befits the occasion. We will go ahead playing the bata — I will not carry the drum alone. Elegbá will carry one, you, Shangó, will carry the other. My daughter will carry the shekere». So they did, and at dawn they lit a candle and set out a jar with drink. That aroma enveloped them and everyone drank. Oggún, Ikú, Shangó and Elegbá played.

When Oggún and Ikú saw that Olokun had come in, they took fright. Elegbá and Shangó took hold of Oggún, Ikú and Teshí Ikú Eggun. They gave them more drink and they were left half asleep. Shangó and Elegbá performed rituals for all the people and offered sacrifices so as to keep improving matters and weakening those forces.

Olokun began to dance with all the masks, and Oggún and Ikú took fright and begged for forgiveness. Olokun cursed them: «You, Oggún, will have the strength to withstand fire and to hold up the world, but your intelligence has been spent and you will be a slave. And you, Ikú, who have been deceiving me, will not be able to reach anyone until Olofin sends you, and you will not be able to feed yourself». Elegbá brought herbs and they prepared a brew. They called Teshí Ikú Eggun, performed a sacrifice for Ikú and for Oggún, as well as for all the people. They took intelligence away from him and gave him strength, while at the same time prayer was made for universal intelligence. Elegbá and Shangó showed Olokun that intelligence prevailed over force. He blessed his daughter and set off for where Ifá was, to express his gratitude.

The path where Shangó ran

Two Chinese towns were at war, a war to the death, and there was great activity in those towns, since the warriors were determined not to lose the battle. At that time Shangó, who was bored, decided to undertake a journey and passed by Orunmila’s house to receive a divination reading. Orunmila revealed this oddun of Ifá to him and told him that, in order to travel, he had to make ebbo with an Oduduwa, an akuko, an ayakua and a crystal ball, and to place it all in an apo (bag), which he was to carry with him.

Orunmila warned him that he would come to a town where a war to the death was being waged, and that he must not return by the same road he had travelled. Shangó made the ebbo, bought a horse and set out until he reached the town called Filani. When the warriors saw that Shangó was not Chinese, because he wore no braids in his hair, they took him to the village and asked that those who were not their opponents should not become involved in the fight.

Despite being at war, as custom required they offered him a tribute with dances and a banquet, and ordered that an abo be prepared for him. Shangó sat down at the table to eat along with the other guests, among them another Shangó, who ate hungrily, since he had not tasted a bite along the way, and he savoured that delicious dish.

Once the meal was over, the Chinese gave Shangó another horse and took their leave of him, paying him tribute and bowing to him. Shangó continued on his way and the Chinese returned to their fighting. After hours of hard combat, they called a truce to gather the wounded and to carry out their corresponding ceremonies, which consisted of preparing an abo and eating it.

Shangó, who was nearby, caught the smell of that savoury dish he liked so much and, forgetting Orunmila’s words, decided to go back to that place. So as not to be recognized by the Chinese, he tore a braid from the hair of one of the dead Chinese and tied it on, but he did not know that the battle had resumed. When Shangó was about to cross over to the opposing side, those of the other side saw him and believed he was one of their enemies, so they came out to meet him. Shangó began to run, but they caught up with him and seized him by the braids. They were about to behead him when Shangó ran off, leaving the braids in their hands. On seeing that it was Shangó, the Chinese left him in peace, and from then on in that land they called him «Shangó Fancon», which means «Chinese, but not genuine».

The path of inle osa shepe

Ogún considered himself the most powerful in the world and ruled the land of AwaniLayé. He had appointed his son, called Obara Yire, as chief babalawo, and this son also possessed Ogún’s great powers. During the hours of dusk, Ogún would sing:

«oba Lekun Laye, Mo Baye Kun Laye Omo Kareye Gbogbo Omi».

The people of that land took fright and, instead of going to sleep, went out to work, which left them without rest.

For his part, Ogún, in order to help his son, would begin making noise with his feet at four in the morning, stamping hard on the ground and calling everyone. He would sing:

«omo Ladir Dide, Omo Ladire Dide, Owa Yekun Obadishe Omo Ladire».

The people who were asleep would wake up and set to work.

Because of all these circumstances, in the land of AwaniLayé there was no rest and everyone lived in worry, for they barely had time to eat. Ogún and his son, Obara Yire, would take malu and eya tutu in order to have more energy and work more, but this did them great harm, and the men felt weak and poisoned.

One day, Ozain went to the land of AwaniLayé to observe how Ogún and his son governed. The first thing he found was all the people forced to work in that manner. Ozain spoke with Ogún and his son, but they grew angry on hearing him. Ozain kept silent and gave them no answer, but he carried with him two bags of herbs and sticks, with which he began to visit the people and heal them, warning them that it had to be done without Ogún and his son finding out. One day, while Ogún was going about the land, he found the people sitting and drinking. He asked them what it was they were taking, and they answered that they were things they had come across here and there. In time, the people began to grow stronger and to heal.

Given the situation, Ozain went to the land of AwaniLayé, where Shangó lived, and told him everything that was happening. Shangó, angered, ordered that Ogún be sought out together with Ozain. When the two of them left the land of AwaniLayé to go to where Shangó was, Ozain sang along the road to warn Shangó that he was coming with Ogún:

«Ogún Bara Nire, Awo Alele Eggun Lekun Lorun, Ogún Bara Nire, Awo Alele Eggun Lekun Lorun».

Suddenly, eggun began to appear everywhere. This was the only thing Ogún saw, and he took fright and was left intimidated.