Ojuani Tanshela

The work

In this account, it is told that Orunmila opened a joro joro (a hole) in Onika and placed Elegbara inside it. He then gave Elegbara, on his leri (head), a sacrifice of eyebale of ejele (a kind of bird) meta and sang a verse. Orunmila lit seven itanas around the joro joro and covered it with añari ekun (a special cloth). The birds’ bodies were thrown into the sea, while the leri (heads) were taken by Orunmila together with Shangó, Oduduwa, Ozain and Orun, to prepare an inshe Ozain (a sacred object) that Eshun Mowani Lorun (Elegbara) would always carry with him.

After seven days, Orunmila returned to the place, took Elegbara out of the joro joro and bathed him with water from a river, herbs and eyebale of osiadie (a kind of bird). Then, together with Elegbara, he knelt before Shangó, Oduduwa, Ozain and Orun, asked their forgiveness and offered them food. Orun told Orunmila that the food had to be given by performing oparaldo on Elegbara.

After that, Orunmila, Shangó, Oduduwa, Ozain and Orun swore Elegbara into those secrets so that he would do only good. It is said that the awo (initiate) of this Ifá (divination system) must be sworn into those secrets.

Orunmila and the corojo

Once, Orunmila came upon a corojo and told it that it had to make an ebbó (offering) to protect itself from an evil that was on its way. The corojo, however, which looked very strong, paid no heed and answered Orunmila that nobody could harm it because it was very powerful. Orunmila went on his way and further along he met Eshu. Orunmila told him what had happened with the corojo, and Eshu went out looking for it. When he found the corojo, Eshu took a china pelona (a stone) and crushed it.

The power of eggun over the awo

This is mounted in a frying pan; it carries a load of 63 sticks, ceiba root, leri de Eggun, leri de Ayana Ku, Ekun fang, leri de Eya, Orun, leri de Edan, Ero, Obi Kola, Osun, Obi Motiwao, Aira. It is covered with 63 ayo, and the otá must always emerge from the masa. This is washed with 9 eyele with Orun.

This Eshu works with Orun and Eggun and is the one who warns Ojuani Tanshela of dangers, so that he can live among the betrayals that surround him.

Olokun Ayila was a man who lived in the land of Tole. He lived among his people, giving them directions on what to do. In that place there was an awo called Afonya Awo, who told him that he had to be consecrated in Ifá in order to gain the power of being believed in his directions, which were the ones Eggun inspired in his mind, since his mind always worked together with Eggun and Orun.

After carrying out one of the destructive works with which he used to defend himself from the betrayals of his enemies, one that had been renounced by Orun in dreams, Olokun Ayila decided to follow Afonya Awo’s advice. He went to Afonya’s house so that Ifá would be made for him. Afonya told him that, in order to receive Ifá, he had to give up all his possessions, to which Olokun Ayila answered: «How can I give up what has always protected me from the betrayals of my fellow men?». Afonya Awo replied: «Do not throw them away, but do not use them».

Olokun Ayila was somewhat satisfied with this answer and came back with everything needed for the awo to make Ifá for him in the Unlefa. Olokun Ayila became Ojuani Tanshela and began to face difficulties. Every time he went to see his padrino, the man marked things for him and taught him things that, instead of benefiting him, held him back even further. Then Olokun Ayila, or rather Ojuani Tanshela, felt a destructive hatred born in his heart, and a desire for revenge took hold of him.

On a day when he was at Obori Eleda with Eyele Meyi, Eggun appeared to him in a dream — his protector, who had been Oni Shangó. Eggun and Orun saw in him their enemy, someone who envied him in the depths of his heart. He was told that he must seek the land of Eshu Dokun so as to live without his padrino’s interference in his life.

On his way to the land of Eshu Dokun, he came upon a protection of Aboban Eggun, which carried the Ode of Okuta de Ituto, coming from an Oba who had been Oni Shangó in that land. There he saw a black stone that shone and, when the protection of Aboban Eggun had gone, he picked up that stone and asked it whether it would go with him, to which it answered yes.

4.- WHERE Orunmila HAD TO BURY Elegbá IN INLE OWIKA TO KEEP HIM FROM DESTROYING HUMANKIND.

In the land of Ayani lived Orunmila and Elegbá. For all his consecrations, Orunmila would call Elegbá to obtain his approval. Elegbá became a faithful servant of Ifá on entering Orunmila’s house, and Orunmila placed all his trust in him. Because of Elegbá’s intelligence in interpreting the secrets of Ifá, Orunmila decided to put him to the test by sending him to govern a land called Adada Nile. Confident in the wisdom he had gained through Orunmila, Elegbá began to do favours for all the inhabitants of that land. He noticed, however, that despite his efforts to do good, there was more and more distrust of him among the people of the land.

He decided then to go to Orunmila and lay out the situation. Orunmila performed a reading and Ojuani Tanshela came out, where Ifá told him he had made a grave mistake in not consulting Shangó, Ozain, Orun and Oduduwa before sending Elegbá to the land of Adada Nile, which needed a leader. Seeing Orunmila’s disobedience, Ifá placed Elegbá in a difficult situation in that land.

Instead of listening to Ifá, Orunmila withdrew the Ekuele and told Elegbá that all of it was because he had to travel to several lands to impart his knowledge, but that he should ignore the intrigues.

Elegbá, sent by Orunmila, went on to other lands in the same situation. In those lands he gave advice and teachings, but the people mocked him and did not value his knowledge.

Elegbá felt ashamed and sad, seeing that despite all his efforts and sacrifices alongside Orunmila over the years, humankind gave him no regard. Weary and disenchanted with humankind, Elegbá began to teach and say the opposite of what Orunmila had taught him. He noticed that now, when he told lies, people began to believe him, which caused great confusion in his mind: «When I acted well and lawfully, nobody believed me, and now that I have changed, humankind believes me?» He did not know that all of this was the result of the action of Shangó, Oduduwa, Orun and Ozain, who, seeing Orunmila’s lack of respect in revealing all the knowledge to Elegbá without his being duly consecrated in those secrets of such great magnitude, had transformed him into a being destructive to humankind.

Elegbá, thirsting for revenge against humankind, carried on with his plan and decided to keep travelling the lands, since he saw nothing but harm for his fellow beings.

Witnessing this phenomenon, the inhabitants decided to go to Orunmila to complain and to tell him how Elegbá was destroying humankind with his transformed mind. Orunmila, who had not seen Elegbá for a long time, performed a reading and once again Ojuani Tanshela appeared, where Shangó, Orun, Ozain and Oduduwa told him to make ebbó for his great irresponsibility in sending Elegbá to govern without being duly consecrated in those four powers.

Feeling ashamed, Orunmila decided to look for Elegbá and perform a ceremony for him to erase all the evil that had taken hold of his mind. When he found Elegbá, he took him to the shore of the beach, carrying with him three eyele, a bottle of otí and 7 itanas. As they walked along the beach, Orunmila sang:

«shon Shon Loguani Loguani Elegbá Eshu Maguani Lorun»

And he sprinkled otí until reaching the point where the waves broke hard on the shore. Orunmila opened a joro joro and put Elegbá inside it, pouring over his head the contents of the three eyele he carried. During this ceremony he chanted:

«layere Akunni Loda Yanlao Eshu Maguani Lorun Eyele Marun Layere Aguani Yenlao Eshu Moguani Lorun»

Once the operation was over, Orunmila lit the 7 itanas around the joro joro, covered it with sand and left it buried for 7 days. When that time had passed, Orunmila returned to the place, dug Elegbá out of the joro joro and gave him omi okun and ewe jobo and iroko. He then took him to his house and offered him an ounko keke and an osiadie. Together with Elegbá, he knelt before Oduduwa, Orun, Shangó and Ozain, asked their forgiveness and offered them the food mentioned above. Orunmila, together with Orun, Shangó and Ozain, swore Elegbá into that power so that he would do only good.

The alliance of the powers

When the 401 deities of Ode Orun decided to descend to Earth, they went to the diviner Ayalorun, whose name was Arinmorin Awo. He consulted Ifá for them and revealed that they would have to fight hard against witchcraft. In those times, Ozain Eleye, Eggun Orun Lala, Orisha Lawa Tomi and Orunmila Abeniregun also decided to descend to Earth, and this same Ifá was revealed to them.

Each of them wore their characteristic garments, but the sorcerers who wished to descend to Earth were naked and could not do so. So they asked Fefe Ikú for help in bringing them, and they descended in the form of Eshisi. Once on Earth, they began to prepare the conditions to rule over everyone.

When Ozain, Orun Lala, Orisha and Orunmila descended, they found a world full of evil and betrayal, where the sorcerers sought to be the absolute owners of everything and eliminated those who rebelled against their designs.

Faced with this, Orunmila implored Olofin to help Ojuani Tanshela — the name he bore in that land — to resolve all the problems he faced because of the evil of humans. He offered food to Eshu and had a vision of Ode Orun Imole, who taught him the secrets for preparing the Great Medicine of Ojuani Wori and defeating witchcraft, and ordered him to seek the alliance of all the astral powers against the sorcerers.

Orunmila then understood the importance of union and of the alliance of all his kind. He went to see them and managed to have them unite and live together at his side, so as to defeat the betrayals and the evil that existed on Earth on the part of those who wished to seize the world.

He gathered them all in his house and there, before Eshu, he gave them the medicine he had prepared in the land of Ojuani Tanshela. They all swore their alliance with his akuko in order to destroy betrayals. Then he began to ring the great cowbell that Ojuani Tanshela had for calling Ozain, who arrived gladly together with Eggun Orun Lala, singing: «agogó Ni Ikú Orun Afefe Baba Yakoria».

They crowned him with the unfailing power against witchcraft and betrayal, and he gave them his eyerbale, singing: «Eyemi Obami Lowo Oshede Arinmorin».

This is always applicable, asking Orunmila, in any oddun of Ifá.

The eggun

The eggun must be consecrated, an igbá eggun, where it is adorned and given its offerings; but for this one must go to the sea with 4 pieces of coconut and opolopo de eggun, and look for 16 otás that belong to eggun, gather those otás and take them to a place where they can be consecrated. There omiero is prepared with: paraíso, canutillo, albahaca, siguaraya, abre camino, vencedor, bleo blanco, bleo colorado, atiponla, salvia, pata de gallina, mangle rojo, campana, pasiflora, mar pacífico, doce del día and álamo.

Those otás, before being washed, are painted with white enamel; afterwards they are washed with omiero while singing the songs of Ozain. Once this ceremony is finished, the following animals are given: a black rooster, three osiadie, one ayapa, singing the songs of eggun.

Those otás are mounted in a clay pot on which the following odu are painted with efun and osun:

+ +
I o i
I i i i
I o o i
I i o
+
O
I o
I i
·i
+ +
I i i i
I i i o
I i i i
I o i i

Along with these otás, a moruro staff marked with efun is washed, and one of atori with 9 bells. In addition, three cujes of rasca barriga, a machete, a bell and an osun de eggun, a roof tile with the atena de eggun, and the animals given to these go into a joro joro ilé onika, where the otás were taken. On one side of this igbo eggun, flowers and itana unyen are placed. This is where the eggun of Ojuani Tanshela lives. Furthermore, for the ogu at the door, 21 ripe corojos are taken and placed with Elegbá for three days, after which they are crushed with an oduara before Elegbá, asking him that ogu unlo. Afterwards, ebbó is made with that and it is mixed with epó, and palo yo puedo más que tú and three ataré are added. This is buried in shilekun, giving an Indian rooster together with Elegbá. This eats an eyele or an osiadie every three months, as it asks. In addition, the awo of Ojuani Tanshela does ebori eleda with two coconuts that have fallen from the tree, so as not to have ofo (loss) leri.

Where the women held Olofin’s wife tied up

Orunmila warned his children not to play the drums or sing, but when he left, they began to play and to sing. Olofin, who heard them, ordered that they be brought to him and said: «you do not know what is happening in my house». They answered: «there is nothing new», but Olofin replied: «there is indeed something new, because my wife is dead and I will send you all to ruin».

Eshu went out looking for Orunmila and told him what had happened. Orunmila came before Olofin and asked him: «father, what is going on, are there dead?». Olofin answered: «no, the women are holding my wife tied up». Then Olofin ordered that all the women come forward, and Orunmila instructed that obí be given to them. Then he threw them to the ground and said: «whoever does not take obí will die». All the women went to take obí and released the dead woman, who fell to the ground.

Then Olofin said: «we must make ebbó and free the prisoners».

When this Ifá is consulted with iré (good fortune) or osorbo, an Elegbara must be made for the person. If it is a man, he must quickly take the Mano de Orula (Hand of Orula), and if he already has it, he must part ways with his padrino and make Ifá, because Olofin holds him prisoner. If it is a woman, she must receive Ikofa so that death may release her.