Ika Kana

Obatalá, the ologbo and the etu

The Ologbo, a wealthy merchant, had many servants who were guinea hens, called etu. One day, Ologbo began punishing his servants and whipped one of them so hard that the etu flew off and took refuge in the house of Obatalá. While Obatalá was washing his face with water and soap, the etu perched nearby and was covered in lather, which left white spots on her plumage.

Obatalá noticed the etu and asked what had happened to frighten her so. The etu told her story and asked him to be her godfather, and Obatalá accepted, giving her a room so she could live there.

On the third day, Ologbo visited Obatalá to ask after his servant, but Obatalá denied knowing what he was talking about. When Ologbo saw the etu in Obatalá’s house, he did not recognize her because of the spots on her plumage. Ologbo asked Obatalá about his servant, and Obatalá told him the only etu in the house was his goddaughter, and that she had lived there a long time.

Ologbo argued with Obatalá but could prove nothing. Obatalá claimed damages, and when asked what he wanted as compensation, he answered: «For every feather on the etu, I want a sack of gold.» Obatalá became rich, while Ologbo, the merchant, was ruined. Since then, guinea hens carry white spots on their plumage.

2.- THE CURSE AND THE BUTTERFLY.
EBBO: Osiadie fun fun meyi, adie fun fun meyi, stale food, a whistle, gbognbo igui, ota, pashan, asho fun fun, dun dun, gbogbo ewe, ewe dun dun, juju alakoso (turkey vulture), eku, eya, epo, awado, orí, efun, obi, itana meyi.

FOR SHEPE UNLO (TO LIFT THE CURSE): Ebbo misi (baths) with: ewe shewerekuekue (toad herb) and obori eleda with obi omi tuto and ewe dun dun.

Once there was a young man who fell in love with a butterfly, but he did not know how to win her over and never said a word to her. The butterfly was very flirtatious and was always fluttering from flower to flower with her whistle, which she never let out of her sight. One day, while the young man was going about his daily chores, he saw the butterfly perched on a flower and seized the chance to steal her whistle and use it as leverage, to see whether the butterfly would accept him.

When he got home, he gave the whistle to his mother, the turkey vulture, for safekeeping. The butterfly quickly realized her talisman was gone, and Eshu, who was hidden among the weeds, came to her defense and told her: «The thief of your whistle was the son of the turkey vulture, but you must go see Orunmila to avert a great misfortune.» But the capricious butterfly ignored the warning and did not go to see Orunmila; instead she decided to watch the turkey vulture’s house. When she saw that the son had gone out, she knocked on the door and spoke with the turkey vulture, accusing the young man of stealing her whistle and demanding it back. The frightened turkey vulture returned it.

When the turkey vulture’s son came home and asked his mother for the whistle, she told him the butterfly had claimed it, accusing him of being a thief, and that she had given it back. The young man flew into a rage and gravely disrespected his mother, calling her insolent. Seeing that his plan to win the butterfly had failed, he began to curse himself, wishing that he would never find a fixed place to rest, that his food would be rotten, and that everyone would despise him for his appearance.

At that moment, Obatalá entered the turkey vulture’s house and, hearing the young man curse himself, said to him: «Son, so shall it be. To Iban Eshu.» Meanwhile the butterfly, who had recovered her whistle and was happy, was coming back along the road. Eshu, who felt mocked by her disobedience, thought to punish her and pointed her out to some young men passing by. Armed with sticks, they chased her from flower to flower until they killed her.

3.- THE UNBELIEVING MAN.

There was a man who was an unbeliever, and one day he went to see Orunmila. In that consultation, Ifá came forth for him and ordered him to make ebbo. He did so and afterwards began buying produce from the countryside to resell at the market, and he prospered so much that he came to buy entire harvests and sold them on to the resellers.

But the man forgot Orunmila, and one day Elegbá asked Orunmila about him. Orunmila said: «That is one who no longer remembers me.» So Elegbá disguised himself and spoke with the man. He told him that he no longer remembered the old man who made the ebbo for him when he was poor, and the man replied that he did not remember.

Then Elegbá cast ogú and filth onto the man’s grains and root vegetables, and they became infested with vermin. When people came to buy his goods, they saw they were spoiled and bought nothing from him. The man lost everything he had in storage and found himself in hardship, so he decided to return to Orunmila’s house.

Orunmila looked at him again and, once more, Ifá came forth and ordered him to make ebbo. He told him he would prosper again, but that it would cost him effort, and that he must not forget the Santos. Orunmila gave him Elegbá and consecrated him as Omo Ifá, giving him a mano de Ifá. Little by little, the man rose again and once more became the grain and produce warehouseman of that town.

4.- THE POISONED AWO.
PRAYER: Ika Kana Loyorun Baba Iré Omo Yare Omo Ashe Igba Ashe Babá Babá Laye Orun Iterun Oba Ikú Babá Omo Laye Winkolode Omo Ofo Asgo Kanfun Osun Bilode Apayureo Foribale Olorun Ñaña Kode Ifá Ñaña Yure Orunmila Ebbo Ebbo Ashe Asho Timbelara Malaguidi Ori Efun Epo Eku Eya Akuko Lese Egguns Eyebale Elebo Eggun Loye Okana Yebe Ikú Egguns Iré.

Ika Kana was the Oddun of the awo Lereyun Baba, who had a son named Ire Omo Yare who lived in the land of Ilorun. He lived very well, since his father was the Obba of that land and he had everything. The father tried to educate his son so as to make him Obba there upon his death, but the son had no interest in his studies, and for that reason his father was often displeased with him, and only managed to steady him a little when he sang: «Okana Yebeiku Eggun Laye, Okana Yebeiku Eggun Iré».

Then he would tell his son: «Some day I must die, and then you will call me with this song so that I may save you from something, because your disobedience will be punished by Olorun, and you will have to leave this land, and things will go very badly for you.» But the son paid no heed to his advice. Awo Lereyun Babá was a man greatly admired by everyone, but he had an enemy named Awo Yekuye Ofo, who was waiting for the right opportunity to destroy him.

On one occasion when Awo Yekuye Ofo was going to hold one of his religious feasts, he invited Awo Lereyun and prepared his wife Apayureo to attend to him in everything. They already had egú prepared to slip to Awo Lereyun in the unyen. From the moment Awo Lereyun arrived at the feast, the other introduced his wife, and he was struck by her beauty, her fine manners, her dress, and the attentions she showed him.

When the table was served, a woman took charge of the task, and the first guest she attended was awo loyorun, to whom she served the food with ogu. However, when the feast ended, Awo Loyorun began to feel ill; he withdrew to a corner, took out his opkele, cast it and saw his sign, vomiting over it as he said: «if I had checked myself before, this would not have happened to me.»

Then, to conceal his discomfort, he took some leaves of ewe dun dun, chewed them, and tried to hide his indisposition. On reaching his house, he sacrificed an akuko to the Eggun of his father in the courtyard, calling on Kuinkolode, and at that instant he fell dead.

The people of that land, seeing this, sent for Awo Yekuye Ofo to perform the ituto and take command of the region. He performed the ituto and assumed leadership, while the son of Awo Loyorun, ashamed of his disobedience, went off to his own land with only the clothes he was wearing — which, as punishment from Olorun, had turned into the colors of the rainbow. Upon reaching his new home, he met Awo Omo Laye who, on learning of his misfortune, told him: «I am going to help you so that you can return to your land and be held in some regard.»

This Awo Omo Laye took two eyele, painted the four ritual colors (white, red, blue and yellow) on the ground, and cleansed Iré Omo Lade while calling on the principal stars of the rainbow.

The person is envied, and must take care with the things that stand for their good qualities.

This sign marks disrespect and inconsiderateness toward the mother. The person resorts to ill arts to obtain a woman’s favors. When the person does not achieve their aims, they curse themselves, and that is why they are held back. The person is an unbeliever and does not listen to advice.