Otura Bara

Here Eshu Laboni was born

Obatalá set out to win Oshún over, and she accepted. They had a son together, and that son turned out to be Eshu. One day Obatalá went out, and when he came back the child said to him: «Babá, do you know that Iyá Oshún poured palm liquor into your jug?». Obatalá grew angry and kept silent.

Another day, however, Oshún went out, and on her return the child said to her: «Iyá, do you know that Babá poured millet liquor into your jug?». Oshún began to quarrel, and people learned of the situation. They told her to throw the child into the river, so Obatalá took the child away to cast him in.

Halfway along the road the child said to him: «Babá, do you know that you are treading on a jubo snake, and that this year your fortune will be long?». Then Obatalá said to him: «Get on, wicked child», and went on his way. When they reached the river, the child said to him: «Babá, you are treading on an eel». Obatalá lifted his foot and saw that it was true. Then the child said to him: «This year your affairs will be long and steady». At that moment Obatalá threw the child into the river. As he fell, he fell head first and turned into a palm of ikines. Ever since then everyone looks for four-eyed ikines, which are the ashé of Obatalá and Oshún that they gave to their son named Rabe, who became a palm tree.

Ifá says that the man who looks for a woman in haste runs into the devil, because he takes up whatever is wandering about, wandering because it is bad; that whoever has a child should be careful with what she says, that he knows a great deal and Elegbá must be made for him first and Ifá afterwards, for he has a great deal of ashé in his mouth.

Omotien, the son of Ozain

In the land of Yerekun, ruled by Oluo Popo, slavery and sickness held sway. Food was scarce, and the water the slaves drank had been poisoned by Orunmila, who allowed none of them to prosper or to leave that land. Their main sustenance was flour and bread. There was, however, a slave named Omotien, son of Ozain, who was the strongest and the most punished of all. Ozain, on account of a mistake committed, had sent him there as punishment, to the land of Mosayere.

But Omotien would stand beside a cubay jobo tree and wrap himself in abre camino grass. At daybreak, with a chick he kept, he would sing to Ozain: «Ozain Zaba Mayere Awo, Ozain Zaba Pile Ozain Mayere Awo».

After a year, Ozain went out and walked at dawn without realising that he was coming to the land of Yerekun, where he heard his son’s voice. Ozain quickened his step, and on entering the land in the morning he began to sing: «zaba Oluaye Awo Omonieru». Oluo Popo, who heard the chant, grew angry and went towards Ozain to confront him. He told him that everyone there belonged to him and to his son, Awo Mosa Yere, as slaves. Ozain flew into a rage and leapt upon them, but Awo Mosa Yere fled and poisoned Mosayere, corrupting his blood.

Ozain withdrew and set about grinding the maize that Oluo Popo also ate, which made him ill. After three days, Oluo Popo went to where Ozain was and told him everything that had happened during those days in the land of Yerekun. Oluo Popo did not fully understand the situation and asked Ozain about his brother. Ozain told him that his brother was the one who could save all the slaves. As it happened, Oluo Popo had turned his own brother into a slave. Shangó, who was coming from the land of Obara Koso, dressed himself as a tiger and hurried on because of the words of Ozain that he had heard from Eyó. Shangó was carrying Eyó’s brother in a tiger-skin sack and, covered up, he arrived and asked them what was going on. They told Shangó everything, and he said that it was nothing serious, and that they would go to the land of Yerekun, where Omosaye and Oluo Popo were, to bring their secret.

Shangó set off walking and went along singing: «oluo Popo Eye Nilé, Oluo Popo Aba Obo Ekan Nilé Odura Oluo Popo«. Oluo Popo, hearing this, rose up sick and prostrated himself before Shangó, who was accompanied by Ozain. Ozain put Eyó inside the güiro so that Oluo Popo could not see him. Shangó said to Oluo Popo: «I bring here the secret you lack in order to rid this land of slavery and sickness». Oluo Popo, who had a ram, took it and knelt before Shangó to hand over the secret he carried with him.

Ozain and Shangó began to heal the people and to drive out the negativity and the curse that lay upon them. Thus came the health and the well-being of Otura Bara. It is necessary to perform the rite of Obara Koso in order to obtain the secret of Ekun. Before making Oluo Popo, it is important to offer an abo to Shangó and afterwards to undo it.

Here was born the first knock on the door of a room of Osha

In the land of Gualola lived Obatalá, where the consecration of Osha had never been performed despite the presence of many Oshas. Obatalá had a son named Alarboni, whom Oshún was raising, and this child was forever up to mischief and feigning illnesses. Oshún would always go to her mother to tell her of Alarboni’s mischief. One day she said to Oshún: «Let us take him to the land of Bakerioyo, where Otura Bara lives».

They went through many hardships to reach that land, for it was very far away and they had to pass through the territory where Oduduwa and San Lázaro lived. Even so, Oshún went singing the whole way: «Agonileo aguo Ifá, agonileo aguo lalarosha». Orunmila, who was at the door of his house, saw Oyá and Oshún coming with Alarboni, and went inside. There he consulted the okpele, and Otura Bara came out; he began to cleanse Alarboni with eku, eyá, epo, singing: «Elegbá nitalaroye nisikó, Elegbá nitalaroye niseku».

Alarboni began to dance; Orunmila fed him eku, eyá, epo and obí, and told Oshún and Oyá that he had to be consecrated in Osha. So they sent Oshún ahead to arrive before the others, and they gave her these eyele for Obatalá, telling her to call all the Oshas so that, for the first time, the consecration of Alarboni might be carried out in the land of Gualola. Oshún did so, and Orunmila kept her and Alarboni for 3 days in his house, cleansing them with various elements. They handed over the herbs needed for Alarboni’s consecration, and on the way she met Shangó, who had obí, kola, eru and osun naburé for consecrating Elegbá. She set out with Alarboni, repeating the words that had been given to her by Otura Bara: «Ashe Eshu Alarboni, ashe Eshu Ba Alarboni, Obatalá laguede ashe Eshu Ba Alarboni».

Shangó heard these words and was overjoyed, following her as she went along singing until they reached the land where Obatalá was. Everyone was delighted, and at last they came to the door where Obatalá stood, who already had everything prepared. Alarboni knocked at the door and Obatalá prayed: «Shinini Lepó, eyá Oshún, shinini Lepó, Obatalá moguera omo leye ni lorun, Olorun Olordumare nire Osha». Obatalá took a dove and struck it against the door while singing: «Edun shinini Lepó, edun shinini Lepó, arikú babagua».

Then they went in, the door was opened and Alarboni entered along with them. When they went to bathe him, they set him in the basin and she said: «atobo Con El Pie Izquierdo. Atiguo Osha, Atobo Ori Ni Osha Areni Tiague». Afterwards they put Elegbá into the basin and gave to him at the moment of yoko osha, Osayidé upon his eledá. That was the first saint to knock at the door; here consecration takes place for the first time on earth, and there was great rejoicing among the Oshas, and Olofín was very pleased.

It was Shangó who gave Alarboni the ashé upon his head. When Elegbá reached the wilds, he began to whistle. Otura Bara says that every Elegbá that is made must have a stone, small or larger, and one must ask whether it is Elegbá.

This sign is used for making any saint. The first thing to be asked is whether the person comes seeking Elegbá. Whenever Elegbá of Ifá is seen, one must cleanse oneself with something and take it to the thicket in the name of San Lázaro, and cleanse him in the name of Oduduwa, with roí, efun, eran, awadó, and take it along with San Lázaro. When one goes to fetch Elegbá, one must bring 3 chicks, from the smallest to the largest. «Pio pio», chicken and pullet are killed, and they must be kept roasted on the throne together with the feathers. «Atibo Ilagua Osha, left foot. Atibo Ori Ni Osha, right foot. Are Ni Liague».

The appearance of Igbo Were and of the eggun

Ibowere was the mother of Ozain and wished her son to become oba (king). She went to have a reading with Orunmila, and he saw this Ifá for her and told her that in order to obtain what she wanted and to live to see it, she had to make an ebbó. She did not do it, however, and shortly afterwards she died. Ozain, her son, did come to be oba of Enigbe. When Ibowere died, Ozain was very young, and the grass covered her grave. Many years went by, and one day a man went to Enigbe in search of roots to cure himself and to make an inshe. There he saw a great many yellow okuma herbs, and as he began to dig for roots his foot struck the skull of Ibowere, which began to sing: «ya Ofioko Ajun Ami Lori».

The man took fright at hearing the skull speak and ran off to tell Ozain everything, who, as oba, did not believe him. Ozain sent Oggún to verify whether it was true, but when they arrived, the skull said nothing. Oggún beheaded the man, and then the skull began to speak to Oggún, who ran to tell Ozain everything. So Ozain went to fetch the members of Ogboni, and together they went to the place where the skull lay. On the way they met Orunmila, who joined them. When they arrived, the skull was speaking. Orunmila performed a reading and Otura Bara came out; he told Ozain that this skull was that of his mother Ibowere, who had died without being able to see what he had achieved in life.

They therefore decided to prepare a great secret with the skull, so that the power she held would allow all the eggun (ancestral spirits) to manifest alongside Ozain. Orunmila painted Otura Bara and Oragun on the skull; they placed it in an ikoko and offered it abo and agutan with orun while singing: «iya Ikú Eggun Mare Ibowere, Iya Orun Mishere Ikú Eggun Mare, Iya Orun Dina Oyu Olodumare Uya Ikú Eggun Mare Wawa». Then the skull began to speak, and it sang: «Oma Ibowere Iya Abebefumiyo, Ozain Ewe Aye Aye».

Ozain bowed down and kissed the skull, and the members of Ogboni told him that this would be his secret, together with Orun and Oduduwa. Then, into the ikoko, they placed the head of a mouse, of a rooster, of a ram, of a dove, of a parrot, a great many peppers, a handful of akuerin seeds, leaves of moruro, cambia voz, ojo de buey, root of ceiba, indigo, tamarind, ewe ato, mate, dilogún, 21 cowries, all the ashé, the head of an abo of agutan, and they poured in plenty of coloured aye; they cleansed Ozain with a white rooster and offered it to the secret. Ozain began to eat with Orun and the secret, singing: «ikoko Walashe Ibowere, Ozain Iré Mali Sokuta Ibo Ibowere, Ozain Laye Ozain Ibo». At that moment the shade of Ibowere rejoiced and granted Ozain her blessing, giving him strength and virtue to heal, to fight and to prevail with all the herbs.

Ibowere, who is the mother of Ozain, is the spirit of nature that grants strength to all the herbs and plants of the world, as well as their virtues. The ikoko, the piece that represents Ibowere, is covered with asho funfun and is offered a white rooster, together with Ozain, abo, agutan, eyele with Orun, eure and adie with Orunmila.

Why Ozain speaks through his nose

On this path, in the land of Ikosiyu, there lived a king named Ozain, Obashineggun. In that land, the faculty of Ozain and his children resided in the stomach and not in the head. For that reason he and his children could speak without moving their mouths, since they were ventriloquists. Although Ozain was not an awó of Orunmila, he was always in his house, which in that land was called «Awo Okini Fifun Inu Awo». Ozain carried out works with herbs and sacred objects that had to be done in Orunmila’s house. Even so, Ozain and his children longed to speak with their mouths, as the other orishas did.

One day Orunmila gave him a reading and saw this Ifá for him, and told him that in order to speak with his mouth like the other orishas he had to perform three oparaldos; and he handed over a single rooster. Although the voice did reach his throat, it was a weak, nasal voice. When he realised that his children had begun to speak in the same way, he grew very upset and argued with Orunmila about what was happening to them. Orunmila explained to him that he had not completed what he had been told to do, and that this was why his voice was nasal; and further, that for his children to speak properly, the whole procedure had to be carried out.

On this occasion Ozain brought the two missing roosters and the two osiadie required to complete the ceremony that Orunmila had indicated to him. He did so, and his children began to speak properly, but he went on speaking through his nose.

Otura Bara is the sign of the voice of Ozain, and when the secret is mounted in his güiro it is painted inside; to give Ozain to the awó of this sign, three oparaldos are made for him and 3 akuko are given to the empty aweru Ozain, so as to load it afterwards. The tongues of the 3 akuko go inside the load of the aweru; into it go 3 leri of eyaoro, 3 zunzun, three eshinshin, scorpions, hairy spiders, gunugu, owiwi, root of ope, of aragba, afoshe of 21 sticks, precipitates, red and white, blue, yellow, quicksilver, ashé, 7 different coins from all the lands that can be obtained. It is fed, always three of each, ayapa, akuaro, jío jío, and the leri go inside.

Baba and the cleaning

There was a town that was prosperous, and its people began to burn rubbish there, which gave off a great deal of smoke. Obatalá lived in that place, and it was thanks to his presence that the town prospered and that happiness reigned. Obatalá did not like smoke, bad smells or uproar. Unable to bear those conditions any longer, he decided to leave. As soon as Obatalá had gone away from the town, the troubles began. There was nothing but complaint, since everything started to run short. They decided then to go and see Orunmila, who revealed this Ifá to them and told them that what was happening there was caused by the excessive burning of rubbish and the smoke, and that they had to put a stop to all of it and perform an ebbó with akukó, eyele, a flag, efun, omí and ou, so that happiness might return to that land.

Obedient, they did as Orunmila had told them. They cast the said elements onto a road, and it began to rain. The rain scattered the cascarilla, and the road turned white. Obatalá took that road and returned to the town, finding it clean and beautiful. He decided to stay there, restoring happiness and prosperity to that land. ¡Kaferefun Obatalá!