Obara Kana

When Shangó began to play his tambourine

Through this Ifá, Shangó went to a land where there was much discord, and above all against him. There, Shangó began to play his tambourine, sono bata. And while the people of the city were dancing joyfully, lightning bolts began to fall and a great many of them perished.

People envy you greatly, but they will not defeat you.

The king’s ebbo

Orunla told the king to make ebbo with all the money he had saved, so that he would not fall ill, and that afterwards it would be seen what was to be done with all that money. The king refused to listen and did not make the ebbo, because he did not want his money to go out and be given away. Then Orunla said to him: Iboru Iboya Iboshishe. A short time later the king fell gravely ill and no doctor could identify the illness. Then the king remembered and sent for Orunla, and Orunla had all the money brought down and made ebbo, and each servant, as they were handed a fistful of money, went off casting curses upon it, and thus the king got well.

Orunla’s enemies

On one occasion, Orunla had many enemies, and despite fulfilling his duties to all the Santos, he found himself in ever worse straits, because more and more enemies kept appearing. Even though the Santos held some of them back, twice as many would appear. It was then that Yansa offered to take charge of the war, explaining that she worked differently from the other Santos.

She told Orunla to make ebbo with two baskets and a scythe. After Yansa had won the war, she told Orunla that he must give her two hens. The next day, Orunla saw the great devastation that Oyá had caused in the street and told her that this was not what he had wished for. Yansa answered that this was the only way to put an end to his enemies, since all the other Santos had made offers and, in her eyes, had not delivered.

Here it was born that a mother’s love is blind

In the land of Oyomorele lived Abiodun, a son of Shangó and Oyá who was regarded as a prophet and had a great deal of money. One day his father Shangó came to visit him and told him that he must make ebbo with all his money at Orunla’s house, to cleanse it and drive away whatever evil might be coming. But Abiodun paid no heed to his father, and his enemies killed him by preparing an Ogún against him.

After Abiodun’s death, the land fell into disorder, and Oyá, seeing her son dead, flew into a fury and began to kill all the people of the land of Oyo Morele, the innocent included. The people of that land lived in dread, hiding from Oyá’s fury.

Elegbá, seeing what was happening, decided to go to Orunla in search of a solution. As he went along the way, he sang: «Obara Ikate Owo Ifá Dari Eko Olofin Shangó Ifá Bayana Kako Toriboshe Tori No Olofin Shangó Ifá Bayana Kako» and he came to Awo Obara Ikate, Shangó’s trusted awo in that land. On seeing Elegbá, Awo Obara Ikate realized that something was happening in the land of Oyomorele and decided to seek out Shangó, to try to appease Oyá, who had let herself be carried away by her mother’s love and could not see the fault of her son, whose caprice had led him to his ruin.

When Elegbá arrived he said: to go to that land, one must cover the leri with asho of Yemayá, so that Shangó does not kill us. Then Orunla and Elegbá set out with a line of Arolodo for the land of Eyo Morele, and as they went they sang: “Oyo Inle kaye Shangó omo orisha Agba kile Shangó yekun”. It was then four in the morning, and along the way they found Awo Orisoñi (artemisa), and Orunla and Elegbá took the awo and placed it on the leri. Then Shangó appeared, and Orunla called to him, and set him to eat adie meyi with Orunla, singing: «Adie Kere Kere Oyu Maimai Adie Lamiwe Adie Dun Dun Inaa Tutu Ni Shangó».

Then, after he had eaten, he covered Shangó with awo dun dun and qeo oriseñi, and Elegbá and Orunla spoke to Shangó of what was happening in the land of Apo Morele after the death of Abiodun. Then Shangó said to Awo Obara Ikete: my son died through caprice and through not listening to me, and Oyá has refused to acknowledge it, because she thinks only as a mother; I am going to settle this now. And he set out with Elegbá and Orunla to seek Oyá in the land of Eyo Morele, and they carried adie meyi pupúa and bogbo tenuyen, singing as they went: «Oyá Balere Elere Oyá Morele Inle Lese Eggun Ono Abiodun Eni Sokun Adie Yale Shangó». When they came upon Oyá’s house, Shangó said to Elegbá: call your mother. And Elegbá took a framboyán pod and, together with Orunla, began to call her. «Oyá Tonti La Aroay Ba Unloro Oyeun Iyanigo Lanosi Oyá Ale Erure».

Then Oyá broke into tears and understanding came to her, and she said: I have acted harshly, I let myself be carried away by my mother’s love, and I have committed injustices. Then Awo Obara Ikate embraced Oyá and said to her: «Oyá, this land must be cleansed, and for that, all the awo that belonged to Abiodun must be gathered and smeared with opolopo epo, and Shangó must carry it off to his own land; thus misfortune will never again reach the land of Oyo Morele». Then Shangó took all the owo, poured opolopo and omi over it, wrapped it up and put it in his sack beneath otra, and began to sing: “Owo Epo Mayereo Owo Epo Mayereo Kobalokun Ota”

Then he poured oni over it. Owo kilotu Shangó Owo ero eru Owi kolofun Shangó osakoso From that day on, misfortune and the curse never again reached that land.

The two omo of Shangó

In this path, Shangó had two sons, who in turn were godchildren of Oggún, which made Shangó and Oggún compadres. One of the sons had the gift of divining through words, and the other was a millionaire merchant. Shangó did not want his sons to make Ifá, for they did not need it, since Shangó and Oggún gave them everything they required. One day, when Oggún and Shangó had left for the land of Yoggo, his son Molekun, who was clairvoyant, went to the house of Orunla, who told him that he had to make Ifá.

Molekun did not tell Orunla what his father had said, and in the end he made Ifá. When Shangó found out, he was furious and returned to Ife to punish his son, but Orunla said to him: «Your son Molekun Awo is clairvoyant and has the Ashe of Orun; that is why Ifá was made for him». Shangó understood the reasons and accepted Orunla’s decision. Shangó and Oggún had to prepare a journey with Orunla to the land of Akuleku, and his other son, Molele the millionaire, who also wanted to make Ifá, took advantage of his elders’ absence to ask his brother Molekun Awo to make Ifá for him. He replied that it was fine, but that he had no knife, for he was only three months past his itasi mimo Ifá. Then Molele said to him: «Offer opolopo awo to the Babalawos so that they give it to you, and then you make Ifá for me».

Molekun Awo sought out the brotherhood of Awoses of that town and, by bribing them with his brother’s owo, obtained a knife to make Ifá. Seven days later, they made Ifá for Molele. However, Elegbá warned Orunla, Shangó and Oggún of what was going on. Shangó raged against his sons, and Orunla was ashamed of the conduct of his omofa and said to Oggún: «leave it to me, I will punish him».

Turning himself into Erin Oke Ayanaku, Orunla set off swiftly for the land of Molekun Awo. Entering the town in a terrible fury, he made for that one’s house. At that moment it was Ita, and the Odun that Molele Awo brought was Obara Kana, which prescribed abo for Shangó for the salvation of the leri.

The elephant entered the house, laying waste to everything. The Awoses, seeing this, fled in terror, and when Orin Oke reached the interior of the Igbodun, only the disobedient sons of Shangó remained, whom Erin Oke furiously crushed, exacting with their lives the disrespect shown to their father Shangó. All the other Awoses gave Awo to Shangó and begged his forgiveness. Orunla, Shangó and Oggún met with the Awoses and instructed them that the «pinaldo» must not be given to an Awo before an Oddun has passed since his iyasi mimo Ifá, and this law was established in the land of Ifá.

The Ifá of the master diviner

In this path, Olofin had three sons whom he was teaching the studies of Ifá over a period of five years. It happened that upon reaching the third year, the sons told Olofin that they did not want to learn any more, for they believed that what they had learned was enough and that they would go off to work on their own. Olofin answered that they knew nothing, and that what they had learned in three years would serve them for nothing, not even to feed themselves, and that for this reason they must complete the full five years to avoid any trouble in the future.

The sons persisted stubbornly and told him that they knew enough and would go out to work in the world. Then Olofin handed them their books and study quills and sent them away. After a year, the sons returned to Olofin’s house, utterly lost and hungry, and told him they wished to complete the two remaining years. But Olofin answered that there was no longer a place for them there, and that what they knew was enough for them to live on. The sons departed and went on suffering hardship for the rest of their lives.