Ika Yekun

Some are born and others die

In the land of Ayo lived two twin brothers: Oyekun Bika and Ika Yekun. The younger brother was poor, but the two loved each other dearly. One day, Ika Yekun had a consultation in Ifá, and his sign marked a cleansing with cepa de oguede meta, igba okan, and so on.

He did not perform it, however, for he was a very careless awo, and one day he went to the river — which was forbidden to him — and took off his clothes to bathe. In a moment of carelessness, a stockade of debris swept along by the swollen river struck him on the head and left him unconscious.

As it happened, his brother Oyekun Bika had also had a consultation in Ifá, and his sign marked a cleansing (the very one Ika Yekun had ignored), to be taken to the river. When he reached the river, he was startled to find his twin brother unconscious in the water. He began to pray to Ifá, and with the adie he performed oparaldo, pouring the blood of the leri into the river while calling on Ifá. He took the cepas de oguede meta and arranged them around his brother’s body. He gave the eyele fun fun to the stalks at the center, the etu fun fun to the stalks at the sides, and placed the igba upon the skull.

Shortly afterwards, Ika Yekun awoke and began to speak, asking Ifá for forgiveness. A few days later, however, Oyekun Bika died. Even so, Ika Yekun went on to attain greatness and power. One day, Ika Yekun consulted Ifá to learn more about his brother’s death, and Ifá told him that if his brother had been consecrated and had received the osun of his sign, he would not have been lost.

This Osun eats with Eggun, and its load is: oguede root, oguede yam, ache of Orumila, leri of adie, leri of eyele, moruro, ceiba root; the 16 meyis are prayed, along with Ika Yekun and Oyekun Bika; it eats everything that the Eggun of the awo eats.

It must have been that the stockade, driven by the force of the current, struck him hard on the leri, and because of this he lost consciousness. His brother healed him without first doing what he himself had pending, and so exchanged heads with him.

The powers of Orishaoko

In the land of Inle Ogba Yekun, ruled by Orishaoko, lived Awo Ogba Ori Laye, to whom Orishaoko had granted great powers by teaching him his secrets for calling upon him and upon Shangó. Every time Ogba Ori Laye was going to perform one of those ceremonies, he made the following calls:

«Babá Orichaoko Ogba Niye Orun Ogba Ni Inle Ogba Ni Shangó Awa Wa Ori Laye Wawa Inle Ori Laye Orishaoko Bayekun Olorun Ogba Ni Shangó Ogbara Laniye»

And Orishaoko and Shangó always answered him, counseling Ogba Ori Laye — who had two sons — never to make Ifá for them, which always troubled him. One day, Ogba Ori Laye gave an unyen to Orishaoko, Inle, and Shangó, and Shangó said to him: «Do not think you are going to deceive us. You imagine one thing, and something else will come of it. Here, we are the ones who know.»

Ogba Ori Laye knelt before them and swore that he would always heed whatever they commanded. Shangó said nothing while Orishaoko watched and listened. Elegguá appeared at once, and together with Shangó they said to Orishaoko: «This joro joro will serve to bury Ogba Ori Laye, because he will be lost under the very weight of the knowledge he carries in his head.»

Days later, Ogba Ori Laye sent for Elegguá, gave him an osadie with its ingredients, and told him what he intended to do with his sons. Elegguá replied: «That is the best thing you could do,» and asked him: «When are you leaving for the land of Awana to consecrate your omo sons in Ifá?» Ogba Ori Laye said he was leaving right away, and Elegguá told him he would go with him.

When they arrived in the land of Awana Ifá — where all the Awoses who lived there were Egguns, ruled by Ogba Yekun — they brought the two sons of Ogba Ori Laye and were well received. Awo Ori Laye informed Awo Ogba Yekun of the purpose of his visit, and the latter performed intori osode; Ika Yekun came out, and he said to him: «Think carefully about what you wish to do.»

After the ceremony, everything seemed to have gone well. But on the seventh day, Ogba Ori Laye died suddenly. His sons were bewildered and asked themselves what had happened. The invited awoses knew this would happen, but did not dare say anything.

Elegbá, on the other hand, knew exactly what had happened. He sang and played his drums as he guided the body of Ogba Ori Laye to his grave in the land of Inle Ogba Yekun. There, Shangó and Orishaoko awaited him at the joro joro they had prepared for him.

The joro joro was a sacred grave where special ceremonies were performed. Orishaoko and Shangó placed the body of Ogba Ori Laye into the joro joro and gave him a final offering of food. Together with Akuaro Meyi, Shangó and Orishaoko withdrew, leaving the body of Ogba Ori Laye in its final resting place.

To perform this ebbo, one must find a house with a yard, so that when it is finished it can be cast into a joro joro and the animals sacrificed there. The leri of iki is placed with Shangó and with Orumila. When it is placed with Orunmila, two adie dundun must be given to it together with the leri of the awo or Obba. The head of the iki lives with Shangó or Orumila, or with whichever one takes it. On this path, salvation lies in giving unyen to Inle Aguere; if the person has Orishaoko, it must be set to eat beside Inle Aguere. If the person is an Obba, his leri must unyen akuaro meyi or etu so that he does not otuko.

The ceiba tree

On one occasion, Orunmila needed to make ebbo with ceiba leaves, so he sent all the orishas to fetch them. But they could not climb the hill where the ceiba grew, and they returned without the leaves. So Orunmila decided to go and fetch them himself.

After performing osode and carrying out the corresponding ebbo, Orunmila set off for the hill. But he could not climb it because of the steep slope, and the orishas called him a boaster. Then Orunmila took a hoe and a machete and began to cut steps into the hillside until he reached the summit where the ceiba stood.

There he gathered the leaves and returned with them to perform the ebbo with akuko, eku, eya, the hoe, and the machete, and thus defeat his opponents. The orishas finally saluted Orunmila.

Skill is worth more than strength. You have many enemies, because where you work or move you have done things that others did not know how to do.

The food of Ikú

On this path, Ika was accustomed to feeding Ikú, and he wished to know who his father and his grandfather were. Oshún lived with Ika Yeku, and since she was the one who cooked the meat of the sacrificed animals, she grew curious to see what her husband did with the food she prepared.

One day, Oshún made up her mind and went out to see what Ika was doing with the food, and at that very moment Ika was singing the suyere, giving account of what was being offered. Then Ika looked up and saw Asofuele, his grandmother, who was in the air, and she said to him: «Go home — I have just taken your wife from you.» Then Ika took three sheets and sang: «Feleya confele …».

Ika managed to pull Ikú off Oshún. He then went to where Ikú was to thank her for having withdrawn, and in this way he was able to avert death and save Oshún’s life. Then Ikú, Idde, and Orun asked him to feed them. On this path, one must feed Eggun or Ikú, the principal Egguns. It speaks of women not being allowed to witness this ceremony, and of the need for caution, for death walks nearby or close overhead.

Through this Oddun one must always keep three white sheets at hand in case of urgent need, and one sings: “Peleia Confele”. On this path, plantains are not eaten.