Okana Yekun

Path 1

In the land of Okana Di Yekun lived an awó named Awo Guaorun, who devoted himself solely to performing oparaldo. Yet he never had himself read, and he always felt unwell in his health. He had many troubles in living his life.

One day, Awo Guaorun went out to the yard of his house to tell all the Saints that he did not know what to do with his life. He began to pray to Olorun, saying: «Olorun Beberi Wa, Olorun Beberi Wa Lona Odunyere Omo Awo Okana Yekun Teo Baba Lori Olorun Yakilona Baba Tiwa Loro Mi Layeri Awo Komine Yekun Awo Leni Olofin Ni Yekun Okana Yekun Nayire«. At that moment, a dove fell on his head and covered him in blood. Frightened, he ran off and put efun and ori on his head. He said: «Tomorrow I am leaving for the land of Awo Bebefun.»

Awo Bebefun saw Awo Guaorun arriving; he took an etu, placed it at the door of the house and said to him: «Olorun already told me you were coming and what I had to do for you.» He performed oparaldo at the door with the etu and told him: «Look toward the earth, because you do not know what you are doing. You have gathered the bad shadow of everyone. Before reaching your land, bury this and turn back. Everyone in your town lives well, and the only one who lives restless is you.»

Awo Guaorun did as he was told, and when he turned back, he came to Awo Bebefun, who said to him: «Now the good shadow is coming to you, and you will prosper. You must stay here.» He prepared an omiero, and with the last ewes he bathed him. While bathing him, he prayed: «Kuaralode kuaroloniku kuaralode kuaroloniku kairo boshagua ni awo akuaro ewe befun kuora lode kuaro bebefun saraberiku sarakuereneyekun».

Before that, Awo Bebefun performed ebbó for him and carried out the second oparaldo. Then he had it taken to a yagruma tree, gave the eyele to the leri, with ori, efun and the oparaldo, and covered him with asho fun fun. He had him sleep before Ifá for a few days, and gave him two adie dun dun to offer to Orunmila. He also gave him a bell to ring along the way, calling on Orunmila and all the Saints.

Awo Guaorun followed Awo Bebefun’s instructions. When he reached his land, everything had changed; his good shadow arrived, and with it, his prosperity. In gratitude, he sent for his brother so that he would join him. This is how it is known that the Oddun Okana Di Yekun came to be joined.

: this okpele is special; it is washed, and on the right it eats guinea fowl and on the left rooster and dove. The guinea fowl is buried; the rooster and the dove go at the foot of a yagruma tree.

The Path of the Güira Tree

Distribution

The frizzled rooster, the bird, oti lorun, obi and itana go to Ozain; a wild güiro (if one does not have it, it must be gathered). A bird for the prenda — a path of rayamiento and of prendas where jealousy existed between Ozain and the prenda, though it is advised to give a bird to the prenda before giving one to Ozain. One must find out what species the bird is and what its name is. A chick, white and black cloth, gbogbo ewe, obi, itana, oñi, oti, eku, eya, epo, awado, a little doll for oparaldo.

In this path of the güira seed, a tree was born that bore a round fruit on a branch that kept growing and growing. The woman, seeing the branch grow without end, said to it: «If you keep growing like that, you will take up the whole of heaven and earth.» She cut the branch and the güiro, and split the güiro into three pieces. She said to one of the pieces: «This one will serve me as a plate.» But the piece of güiro answered her: «I am not a plate.» Then the piece of güiro turned into a man holding an axe in his hand. The woman said: «I am a harvester of bees. There is a hive over there. Knock it down and we will eat honey.»

The man went toward the hive, which was high up; he sang to it, the hive fell on top of him, and he ran off and disappeared. The old woman shouted at him: «You are no hive harvester, and you are nothing at all.» The woman picked up another piece of güira and said: «With this one I will make a skimmer.» But the piece of güira said to her: «I am not a skimmer, I am a fisherman.» The woman said: «Then let us go to the sea.» The other piece of güira turned into a fisherman with his casting net, who sang at the shore. Suddenly, a great fish came out of the sea and struck him with its tail.

Koko sets traps

The man took fright, broke into a run and disappeared. The woman picked up the third piece of güira and said to it: «With you I will make a spoon.» But the piece of güira said to her: «No, madam, I am not a spoon. I am Koko, the hunter.» The hunter set traps all the way to the land of the devil. When he reached his house, the devil’s watchman saw him setting his traps and took him prisoner before the devil. The hunter told him everything he had seen, and the devil asked him: «Who gave you permission to hunt in my territory?» The hunter replied: «No one.

Without meaning to, I entered your lands.» Koko told the old woman to leave her snares in place, but that the first bird to fall would be for him. Afterwards, he went to find the old woman and told her: «When I call you, come, because there will be birds in all the traps I have set.»

The old woman gathered many people to go collect the birds, but when Koko gave them word, they collected all the birds without giving the first one to the devil. The devil remembered Koko’s debt to him, and Koko said: «This time I will give you two birds.» Then the devil created evil creatures and placed them in the traps. When the old woman and everyone else went to fetch the birds, just as Koko had told them, they fled at the sight of the creatures chasing after them. They screamed without knowing where to hide, and Koko vanished into the güira tree.

The Path where Okana Is Consecrated in the Secrets of Osha

In the land of Oshakuaribo Adele Aye Ofo lived Baralokue, where only Oggún and Olokun were worshipped, and they were the rulers there. Only the back of the cowrie shell was read. Obatalá was sad because he saw that the secrets of Osha were being lost, and he did not want that to happen. Every day, Obatalá went to Olokun’s house ringing an agogó and singing: «Agogo Nileo Lanla Agogo Nileo Agogo La Osha.»

Obatalá arrived in the land of Oshabioye and handed over his son Baralokue, who was carrying his Osha, so that he would be read and blessed. Oshawo performed the necessary rituals and consecrated Baralokue as a child of Osha, giving him his eleke, his Warriors and his fundamento. Then Oshawo taught him all the secrets of Osha and taught him to read the diloggún.

Back in the land of Oshakuaribo Adele Aye Ofo, Baralokue arrived with his consecrated Osha and began to teach the people about the secrets of the Orishas and how to read the diloggún. People gradually joined him, and little by little the practice of worshipping only Oggún and Olokun was abandoned. The land began to prosper and became a place of devotion to the Orishas and to Osha.

Obatalá rejoiced to see that the land had been saved and thanked Oshawo for his help. And so Baralokue became a great priest of Osha, teaching and guiding his people on the path of religion and spirituality.

Obatalá and Oshawo performed the necessary rituals to separate the negative shadow from Baralokue, and then consecrated him in all the great secrets of Osha. They gave him his Mano de Orula (Hand of Orula) and handed him the ewe he was to carry with him always for his protection and spiritual guidance. Baralokue became a great awó and began to teach the inhabitants of Oshakuaribo Adele Aye Ofo the secrets of Osha and to lead them along a higher spiritual path.

In time, Baralokue’s land became a prosperous and peaceful place, and all the saints of the religion of Osha were worshipped there. Olokun and Oggún continued to be honored and respected, but now the Orishas of the religion of Osha were worshipped as well.

Then Baralokue fell upon the ota and the peregun and began to tremble violently. Afterwards, the consecrators removed the shadow from him, placed upon him all the secrets of Osha, and gave him the cowries so that he could read them correctly. When the ceremony ended, Oshawo said: «this consecration will save the land of Oshakuaribo Adele Aye Ofo.» Baralokue became a great babalawo and spiritual guide for his community, and the land prospered thanks to his wisdom and knowledge of Osha.

They removed all the mariwo, wrapped the eyele in the mariwo and sang to him: «Mariwo Mosode Mariwo Mosode Baba Ariku, Mariwo Mosode Ikú Unlearun Inlo«.

Obatalá carried out the ceremony without changing anything, only improving the grammar and spelling. He then set out on his way back to the land of Oshakuaribo with the Osha objects for Baralokue’s consecration. When he arrived, he found him at home, anxiously awaiting his initiation into Osha. Obatalá began the ceremony, placing the necklace on him and consecrating him in all the secrets of Osha, while this was sung: «Eshu Baralokue Olufina Arere Olokun Oshaguere Iré Osha Lo Laye». Baralokue felt filled with power and wisdom, and from that day on he became an awó respected and loved by everyone in the land of Oshakuaribo.

Obatalá felt happy to see that he had managed to preserve the secrets of Osha in that land and thanked Olofin for having given him the opportunity to do so. After performing Baralokue’s consecration, they took him to render account to Oshún at the river and left all the blessings in the ibulesa. Along the way, they went singing: «Riboshe Iyawo Obonlelei Ilona». When they reached the river, they prayed: «Iyami Eyeku Biyere Obo Kilabafia Ashe Iworo«. Then they immersed Baralokue in the water, and while they performed the ebomisi, they sang to him: «Omo Osha Aboshe Osha Wawe Osha Iyawo Lawo«. The shadow of Oshún covered him and handed him a secret from the depths of the river. Obatalá lifted him out of the water and sang to him: «Ashe ishuba iyawo».

Baralokue continued along his path of consecration in the land of Oshakuaribo. When he arrived, he was received by babalawos and awokes who welcomed him and took him to be consecrated. They dressed him in asho fun fun and led him to the door of the secret of Osha, where Asheda gave an eyele at his feet and sang to him: «Irekun Ashilelekun Kaferefun Irekun Ashilelekun Kaferefun Ashilekefedun».

Baralokue continued with the consecration ceremony while singing went on and the drums were played. When it ended, everyone celebrated his initiation into Osha, and Baralokue felt whole and grateful. From that day on, he became an awó respected and loved by everyone in the land of Oshakuaribo.

Baralokue entered atebo and felt filled with strength and energy. There he was washed with different herbs and received the blessing of Ozain. He then left atebo with the left foot, entering the world of the initiates of Osha, and then with the right, completing his consecration in Osha. All those present welcomed him as an awó respected and loved in the land of Oshakuaribo Adele Ayeopo.

After Baralokue’s consecration and the preservation of the secret of Osha in the land of Oshakuaribo Adele Aye Ofo, Obatalá and Baralokue returned to their home in Oshabioye. However, the news of the land’s salvation spread quickly throughout the whole region, and many people began to seek consecration in Osha. However, Osheda and Koda, children of Olofin, warned Obatalá and Baralokue that, because of the influence of Eggun in that land, people should not present their leri for consecration, but should present it at the forehead instead.

Thus this practice was established in the land of Oshakuaribo, and the secret of Osha remained alive and respected in the region thanks to the intervention of Obatalá and Baralokue. This is how the secret of Osha was consecrated in that land of Oshakuaribo Adele Aye Ofo. Then Osheda and Koda told them that, to keep the good fortune, the ebosha meta had to be performed three months later.

For this, the following day they were to bring an akuko, inso from the leri and elese merin, juju of everything that would be consumed in the ceremony, paint in four colors, malaguidi meta dressed in the iyawó’s oldest clothes, and the jío jío that would go inside the ebbó. The akuko was fiderin and was divided into four parts to be offered at different nigbes. In this way, the iyawó’s good fortune would always be assured.

The first three Orishas were Akeda, Osheda and Baralakue.