Okana Sa

The Lie of Oggún and Oshosi

On this path, in the land of Orunmila, the people suffered from a scarcity of food, yet the aleyos brought offerings of roosters and other things to Orunmila, who had food in abundance. Shangó, Oggún, and Oshosi joined together to find food for everyone, while Orunmila would give them his. They ate, and then went into the bush to look for more food. Oggún found a goat and ate it, Shangó found a mouse and ate it as well, and Oshosi found a jutía and ate it, hoping to find more. After much searching, they returned empty-handed.

When they faced Orunmila, Oggún and Oshosi lied to him, but Shangó was the only one who told him the truth. He had found a mouse and eaten it because he was hungry. Orunmila, distrustful, said «To Iban Eshu» and made them vomit up everything they had eaten, thus proving that Shangó had spoken the truth. Since then, Shangó is great on earth and in heaven, and wears a king’s crown for being the only one who told the truth.

The Clean Kingdom

The story tells that there was a prosperous town where Obatalá lived and enjoyed every comfort and riches. However, the people began to burn great amounts of rubbish, and the smoke and the smells displeased Obatalá, so he decided to leave the place. Prosperity began to dwindle, and all the merchants complained because they sold nothing.

A man decided to go consult Orunmila, and this sign came out, showing him that the rubbish was the cause of the decline and the scarcity. He was told to make an ebbo with an akuko, eyele meyi, cascarilla, rubbish from the house, and water so that prosperity would return. The man made the ebbo and cast it away on the wide, broad road, which brought on a downpour, and the cascarilla formed a very beautiful white path.

Obatalá passed along that path and was astonished to see something so beautiful in the place he had abandoned. On reaching the town, he found the faithful waiting for him, and they had cleaned their houses. Obatalá rejoiced, and prosperity returned to the town, where once again everything was flowers and well-being.

The Contagion of Leprosy

The man who suffered from leprosy left that place, but before long the rich man realized that a plague had fallen upon his palace, wreaking havoc and death among his guests and servants. Then that man understood that the illness the leprous man carried was nothing compared to what had befallen him. He decided to seek out the man, thank him for the blessing he had given him, and ask for his help in curing the plague that had fallen upon his palace.

The leprous man told him: «I gave you my blessing, but you yourself have brought upon you the plague that has fallen on you and your house, for having treated the poor and the sick with contempt and harshness. If you want my help, you will have to acknowledge your error and repent sincerely.»

That man, ashamed and repentant, did as the leprous man asked, and so the leprous man helped him cure the plague in his palace. From that day on, the man changed his attitude and began to treat the poor and the sick with respect and generosity, and never again suffered any harm in his life.

This story teaches us the importance of treating others with respect and generosity, regardless of their social standing or physical appearance. It also shows us that our actions have consequences and that we must answer for them.

The man who had scorned the poor and the sick realized too late his error and the importance of treating others with respect and love. Now he himself suffered from the very illness he had so despised, and found himself alone and abandoned, victim of his own selfish behavior. But in that moment of solitude and repentance, he remembered the words of the strange man and decided to seek him out to ask for help and healing.

After much searching, he finally found the man who had given him his blessing and who had the power to cure his illness. With humility and sincerity, he asked his forgiveness and begged him to help cure his leprosy. The strange man told him that he had learned a valuable lesson, and that to be healed he had to change his ways and treat others with love and respect.

The repentant man understood that he had been punished by his own arrogance and promised to change his behavior forever. From that day on, he devoted himself to helping the poor and the sick, offering his support and generosity to those in need. Finally, thanks to his change of heart and the power of the strange man, he was cured of his illness and lived the rest of his life as an example of humility and kindness to others.

In this Ifá it is forbidden to eat sesame, for that is what that man blew; he was Shakuala (San Caralampio).

The Power of the Cardón (Soti)

In the town of Ilodo lived an awo named Obilaye, who had friends, but they were all false. One day, his wife told him at the market that at a feast they were planning to eliminate him. Obilaye went at once to Orunmila, who performed osode for him and showed him the Ifá that told him to make an ebbo.

He made the ebbo and offered an Okan Akuko to Hevioso and another to Azowano, and placed a cardón with the oduara and eku and Asho Fun Fun in the igba for 16 days. When the days were done, he made iye and prayed over the board. He scattered the resulting powder at the feast, and all his enemies were left blind and dazed, and Obilaye was saved by the power of Okana Sa.

Unyen to Shangó and to Babalu Aye; Ozain is made with the cardón.

The Godchild Who Owed His Godfather

The godchild went to bring an eyá to his godfather, whom he had not seen for a long time. The godfather held out his hand to receive the tribute, but the eyá slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. The godfather believed it was witchcraft and insulted the boy, who ran away frightened.

The godfather went to Orunmila, who revealed Ifá to him and ordered him to scale the eyá well, perform kofibori, and rub the flesh on his eyes. The godfather followed the instructions and, after a few days, fully recovered his sight. He then sent for the godchild and showered him with riches and love.

The Path Where Añaki Elufe Is Born

There was a time when no one fell ill and no one died, which made Ikú (death) and Anona complain. So Olofin arranged a feast to gather all the Orishas. The first to arrive was Elegbá, the companion of Eshu, and he was ordered to work. Then he called Shangó, also known as Caralampio, the owner of leprosy, who is always accompanied by his four daughters: Babaerde, Bayanana, Sorobo, and Sumewe.

Afterwards, Olofin called Oggún, Nana, and Yemayá, as well as Shangó Oroina, Ozain, and all the other orishas, and sent them to work. Then, over Atlantis, the sea rose and mingled with the air, the mud was stirred, and the wind, the rain, the thunder, the lightning bolt, the flash, and the fire were unleashed. Thus Ikú and Anona had free rein, and Atlantis sank, with a great number of dead whose bodies served as nourishment for the plants, giving life to the survivors. In this way the new world that exists today was created, without wars, leprosy, syphilis, epidemics, or other evils. And the death of one is the joy of others. From then on, rogation must be made both for the bad and for the good.

Maferefun Elegbá, Obatalá, and Olofin

It happened once that Elegbá set out to walk the world and came to a town where the people were suffering from hunger, sickness, scarcity, and calamities. On seeing him, the people asked him who he was, and he answered: «I am the son of destiny.» Then they told him about the hard situation they were facing, unable to heal themselves or work the land, while they were dying.

Elegbá decided to speak with Olofin, who sent him to Obatalá, the one charged with governing the towns of Olofin. Obatalá agreed to go to the town, but to reach it they had to climb a great hill. When they reached the top, Elegbá showed him the town and told Obatalá that the people were suffering greatly. Then Obatalá turned his back on the town and said: «Okana Sa Kobilari Awa Tete.»

On saying those words three times, it began to rain heavily and everything came back to life: the rivers began to flow, the plants to grow, the illnesses to vanish, and the land to yield. Joy reigned in the town, and the grateful people looked toward the hill and said: «Thank you Elegbá, thank you Elegbá.»

The Universal Flood

The earth complained to Arelu that Ikú and egun were not giving her food; Oggún complained to Oyá, and she to oroiña, and she said to her: » Iba Ibashe Adifafun Egun Arun, Adifafun Araye, Adifafun Unyen, Adifafun Elegbá, Moyuba A She, Moyuba Akoda, Moyuba Asheda Moyuba.»

In this Ifá speak: Olofin, Orunmila, Elegbá, Eshu, Oggún, Eshosi, Arelu, Yewá, Shangó, Oroiña, Ozain, Azojuano, Egun, the Grave, the Earth, and Yanza.

Why Okana Sa Came to Be Oba

Olofin summoned all the Babalawos to perform an ebbo, but the elder awoses did not tell Okana Sa, because he was the youngest and worked in the fields. After the ebbo was performed, it would not close, and it was then that Olofin asked for Okana Sa, but no one answered. Olofin sent for him so that he might do something, but Okana Sa replied that he could neither do nor say anything, because he had learned nothing.

Yet Olofin insisted so much that Okana Sa said that to close the ebbo a large bunch of Alikoko was needed, Ewe Soso for Oggún, and Kayre for the boys. Then the ebbo closed, and Okana Sa said: «Okana Sa Mokesa Bilari Awa Tetete Mokesa Bilari Ikú Arun Eyo Ofo… etc.»

Afterwards, Okana Sa went back to work in the fields, but while using the plough he noticed it kept jamming. When he checked the cause, he found an Ibañi Eggun, who told him he had come to help him and make him great. The skull asked to be moved to another place where no one would mistreat or trample it, and said it would be his guide and protector for life. Okana Sa did so, and he came to be oba. For this reason, his signature must be placed on the Opon Ifá so that the ebbo may be cast out by order of Olofin, for without his approval, Olofin neither recognizes nor approves any ebbo that is made.

The Path of Eggun

There was a man in a desperate situation who could not find work in his town, so he decided to go to the countryside to see if his luck would change. There, he found a man who employed him and gave him a pick and a shovel to open a trench. The man began to work grudgingly and complained about having landed a bad job after everything he had been through. On striking the first blows with the pick, he hit an object, and on uncovering it, he cleared the earth around it and saw that it was an Eggun. He said to himself: «Now, to top it all off, I find an Eggun.» The eggun spoke and said to him: «Do not mistreat me, for you do not know what I may give you in the future.» Hearing this, the man lifted the eggun out carefully and went on opening the trench.

When he finished his work, he took the Eggun to the farmstead where he was staying and attended to it with everything the eggun instructed. From then on, his situation changed, and in time he became the owner of everything. Finding himself in a position of advantage and now rich, the man abandoned the Eggun. With time, his wealth and standing collapsed, and the man, remembering the eggun, went to find it and asked for its protection and help. The Eggun answered: «It is too late now. I told you not to mistreat me. As soon as your position changed, you forgot about me. You even kicked me aside.» Because he abandoned the Eggun that had given him everything, this man died in misery.

Keep Your Commitments to Eggun

There was a man going through great hardship in his life; no matter where he looked or how hard he struggled, he could never climb out of poverty. By his own intuition, he decided to go to the house of Orunmila, who looked at him and saw this Ifá, and asked him to make an ebbo. Knowing the difficult situation the man was in, Orunmila told him: «Bring only an owunko, a pick, and a shovel for the ebbo; I will provide the rest of the ingredients.» The man brought what Orunmila asked and made the ebbo.

Shortly afterwards, he went somewhere to look for work and managed to get a job digging a trench. The man thought: «What a coincidence. I made the ebbo with a pick and a shovel, and now here I am getting a job using a pick and a shovel. I will never get out of poverty.»

After a few days working on the trench, his pick struck something hard, which caught his attention, and he began to work more carefully to see what it was. To his surprise, he uncovered a corpse turned to skeleton. The man thought: «Look at the misfortunes that happen to me in life! I made ebbo, I got work with the same tools I used for the ebbo, and to make matters worse, now I find a dead man.»

Suddenly, he heard a voice that said: «Do not lament. Gather me up and attend to me, for you do not know what use I may be to you in the future.» The man was stunned, but the Eggun said: «Do not be afraid, it is I who speak to you.» To which the man replied: «What do you want me to do?» «Take me off the path and make me a proper tomb, and attend to me. I will help you.» The man did as the Eggun asked, and every day he set out wildflowers, food, and water in a glass for the Eggun.

One day, the bosses of the work site made an inspection, and the head boss asked: «In how many days has this man done this stretch?» His subordinate answered: «He was among the last to start, so it has been six days.» The boss replied: «And in so few days this man has worked this much?» (The man, helped by the Eggun and hoping to find something better along the stretch, had done twice as much as the others.) «Yes, boss, this one is longer than the others,» the subordinate answered. The boss said: «Starting tomorrow, make this man the foreman so he can teach the others his technique.»

From that moment on, Okana Sabileri began to neglect the Eggun and found himself in serious trouble. When he went to the tomb and asked the Eggun’s forgiveness for his neglect, the Eggun told him: «This once, I will forgive you, but do not fail me again, for without me you are no one.» Okana Sabileri swore always to attend to the Eggun and, when he left that place, all his problems were resolved. He kept attending to the Eggun and prospering in business until he became one of the rich men of the region.

But Okana Sabileri neglected the Eggun once more, and when he went to see it, it told him: «You have mocked me; therefore, I am going to leave you alone so that you may see that without me you are no one.» However much Okana Sabileri pleaded, the Eggun refused to keep helping him, and he lost everything and fell back into poverty until his death.

By this path the person must receive Oduduwa, and if they are a child of Oddua, Obatalá. Wash Santo and make Ifá. This story is by Ikú, and one asks whether it is Ikú or Eggun Onire.