Orisha oko

Who is Orisha Oko?

Orisha Oko: the male orisha of the earth and of abundance in the Yoruba religion.

The Nature of Orisha Oko and the Respect He Commands

Orisha Oko is a male orisha who embodies the vital force of the earth and its power to bring forth life and abundance. He is deeply respected in the Yoruba religion for his importance in agriculture and his connection with prosperity. He is the orisha who owns the land, farming and the harvests, and the patron of those who work the soil. Orisha Oko is also regarded as the arbiter in disputes among the orishas, above all those that arise among the female orishas. In the judgments of the orishas, he is the Judge.

Symbolism and Meanings of Orisha Oko

He is tirelessly hardworking and chaste, even though his testicles hang down to the ground. This orisha guarantees the fertility of the land, and bees are his messengers. The bees are the emblem of the character of his children — industrious and organized — who resemble them in the care with which they choose the people around them. Women unable to conceive turn to this orisha. Together with Oggué and Oké, he forms the trinity responsible for the harvests, the rains and the inner fire that makes the earth and the animals give birth.

Relationships and Transformations of Orisha Oko

He was the husband of Olokum, and together with her he is the most powerful and most venerated orisha in the Yoruba pantheon. He represents one half of creation — the land — while Olokum is the water. He shamed her by telling the world that she was a hermaphrodite. This saint has two faces: by day he is a handsome, virile man; by night he is the grimace of death in the company of his friends from the cemetery. This orisha speaks only through the mouth of Yemayá, and every santero should receive him, or be told to receive him through itá, because he represents the ground we walk on — the earth in which we live and to which we will one day return.

Mystical and Ceremonial Aspects of Orisha Oko

Receiving him gives us firmness in life. He is made up of several figures: Orisha Oko himself, called Kulua, along with Kori Koto, Poolo, Inle, Oggún and Aína. It is said that Kulua was a tyrant king who caught leprosy, took refuge in the wilderness and was healed thanks to Ozain. He never wished to be king again and became a farmer. Kori Koto represents the nocturnal, spiritual aspect. This nocturnal aspect of the orisha has a mystical name: it is called iwi. It is the disguise of death that this orisha puts on, and it is handled by the awó. Those corkscrew-shaped ayé represent Kori Koto and are called kerikete.

He is a very old orisha, with no known syncretization. His disguise is his aspect and his relationship with Ikú. This is represented by the eight cowrie shells of various colors. Osobo is the son of Kori Koto and king of the land of egbadó.

He is Omó Odara Olofun (a child of God) and the spirit that gives life to the bodies of human beings and of nature. The secret of Orisha Oko of Ifá, in the land of Egbadó, is represented by a doll with its ritual charge. Poolo is a flute player who pays homage to these deities.

The roof tile is called Ibolé, and before it is painted the following are consecrated: an edún ará (thunderstone), obana yeku (dried ox dung) and oyé made from ox nose-rings (preferably used ones), an ox shoe, a plow blade or earth-breaker which, having been used, carries the ashé of the earth, a stick or jan shaped like a pointed digging blade, his painted wooden board with its two necklaces at the ends, the oxen that represent Oggué, birth; two pointed coconuts with cascarilla and osun, a hand of 18 cowries, his flag (colla), an earthenware dish or frying bowl, and a clay jug.

Orisha Oko is a faithful keeper of his word, for there is a pact between him and Oloddumare that he honors without fail. His ceremony is divided into three parts: one for Iyalochas and Babalochas, one for the babalawos, and one for his direct children. He has his own Ozún, made to the measure between the knee and the heel of those who receive him. This Ozún has a snake coiled around its rod; on the upper part of the small plate it carries a dove with open wings, a half-moon with two fish and, at the two points, a sun.

Characteristics

• Orisha Oko is generally depicted as an elderly man with a long white beard.
• He is often shown seated on a throne or a pedestal, holding a farming tool or a scepter.
• Symbol: the plow
• Number: 7
• Color: red and white
• Day: Monday, Tuesday and the 12th of every month. He is greatly venerated in the town of Madrid.
• To call him, a güiro painted white with seven red stripes is required.

Attributes

The attributes of Orisha Oko include farming tools such as machetes, axes and knives, as well as foods and drinks such as corn, fruit, honey and wine.

Offerings

The offerings that may be presented to Orisha Oko include:

• Fresh and dried fruit such as grapes, plantains, mangoes, pineapples, coconuts and nuts, among others.
• Corn and its derivatives such as cornmeal, tortillas and cornbread, among others.
• Animals such as chickens, goats, lambs and rabbits, among others.
• Tobacco and cigars for smoking.
• Drinks such as water, wine, rum and aguardiente, among others.

Animals He Eats

Red rooster and monkeys, dove, goat. After the sacrifice they are buried, although in some branches of Santería they are thrown onto the rooftops.

Tools

The tools of Orisha Oko include the machete and the axe, used to cut and harvest the crops. He is also offered knives and other implements for tilling and farming.

Herbs

Bibijagua tree (also called campana), bejuco colorado, bejuco de conchita, bejuco guarana, bejuco perdiz, bejuco lechero, bejuco sabanero, sweet potato, jiba, yam, peregún and peony. His favorite crop is the custard apple (chirimoya).

Offerings

All the fruits harvested from the earth, all kinds of dried meats, yams, beans and slugs.

Syncretism

In the Yoruba religion, Orisha Oko is associated with agriculture and the fertility of the land. In the religious syncretism of Santería, he is linked with Saint Isidore the Farm Laborer (San Isidro Labrador), the patron saint of farmers. The two share similar traits in their protection and care of the land and the harvests. Both are depicted with farming tools, such as a plow or a hoe, and both are credited with powers of healing and protection for farmers and their crops.

In Santería, Orisha Oko is usually represented as an old man with a white beard and peasant clothing, and he is credited with powers of healing and protection in agriculture.

Paths

In the Yoruba religion, people do not usually speak of the «paths» of Orisha Oko in the way they do with other orishas. Even so, different aspects of his worship and practice can be identified that might be considered «variants» of this deity. Some of these variants are:

1. Orisha Oko Alagba: an elderly representation of Orisha Oko, associated with wisdom and experience in farming.
2. Orisha Oko Alaye: associated with the fertility of the land and the growth of plants.
3. Orisha Oko Awo: a mystical, secret aspect of Orisha Oko, connected with the practice of divination.
4. Orisha Oko Agbede: associated with the protection and raising of domestic animals.
5. Orisha Oko Alufina: a representation of Orisha Oko associated with the gathering and storage of food.
6. Orisha Oko Onile
7. Orisha Oko Ilé, Orisha Oko Ayé,

It should be noted that the worship of Orisha Oko may vary across different communities and regions, and that each of them may hold specific variants of his cult. Like other orishas, Orisha Oko has several paths or aspects, each with its own personality and characteristics. Among them are those listed above, among others.

Prayers

ORICHA OKO ONI OCUNI IBIKUJI ORICHAOCO MAFEREFÚN IBAN ECHÓ.

Translation

Orisha Oko, divinity sent by God, Orisha Oko, we bless you; bless us in return.
So be it.

Patakí

ORISHA OKO, DISCOVERER OF SHANGÓ AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE EARTH

In this path took place the appearance of Shangó upon the earth, born of the breasts by the work and grace of Olofin and Olodumare. Olofín spoke: this is my son, and he entrusted him to Santa Rita de la Acacia (Abañere Orisha). This woman was the one who raised him, and Olofín covered her expenses for the upbringing of his son.

The boy grew, and his father Olofín shared all his secrets with him, for he wanted to have a son here on earth. Olofín went to see Shangó every six months; then, when Shangó became a man, he went away, and Olofín, desperate at no longer having his son, went to the house of Orunmila, who, upon examining him, saw this Ifá and prescribed the ebbó (the one above). After performing it, he told him to take it to a joro joro and then to spread the word that he would grant a prize or favor to whoever found his son, who knew all his secrets in life. Orisha Oko, who was working his fields with his plow, sang like this: Infunso nisere yombao niserere.

A voice answered him, and it came from the bowels of the earth: that voice was Shangó. On hearing it, Orisha Oko drove his plow deeper, and at once a stone appeared on the surface of the earth. In an instant the stone turned into a man, and that man was Shangó. Immediately, the man turned back into a stone, which Orisha Oko took and kept in his pocket, and when he arrived at the house of Olofín he told him the story of his find.

Olofín answered: that is the man I need, the only one who knows my secret in the world. That is why Olofín blessed Orisha Oko and told him: from this day on you shall be king of the earth forever. And that is why he is, after Olofín, the second closest friend of Shangó — and the reason why anyone who must receive Orisha Oko but cannot yet do so is told to paint a tile white and red to mark their house. Note: Santa Rita de Acacia, elder orisha sister of Shangó, was the one who raised him.

PATAKÍ OF OTRUPO OGBE

THE WHEEL WAS BORN

Orumboti awó was an awó of Orunmila who lived near Oyo. He had his house at the foot of a ceiba, where he devoted himself to divining for the people and to worshiping his father Orisha Oko in that land, which was a land of traders. They had to carry their goods on the backs of animals and could load only as much as each animal could reasonably bear. Orumboti awó suffered greatly at seeing his land grow poor because the merchandise could not be shipped. One day he was summoned by Onide Oyo, who was oni Shangó, to divine about a problem he had there. He saw this Ifá and told him that food had to be given to Shangó and to Orisha Oko; and then he noticed that they had large boxes there, drawn by horses and buffalo, in which he saw them transporting the goods, and he thought that this could help the people of his own land.

When he had fed Shangó and Orisha Oko, he fed his own lerí, and there he fell asleep, and in his dreams orun aborotefa appeared to him in the form of egun afefé laye and told him to pay attention to what he was about to show him. He showed him a round object and said: this, together with the boxes they build in that land, will help you perfect what your land needs so that it does not grow poor. When Orumboti awó awoke, he saw his Ifá, which was Otrupo Ogbe; whereupon he had 4 round objects made, performed ebbó with them, and fastened them to the 4 corners of those great boxes that Oyo had. With that he saw that the boxes moved without difficulty, and as they carried the merchandise he began to sing:

Odede orun dupue, egun afefé laye omó Orisha oko omó Olofín odara ni laye

Otrupo Ogbe gave thanks to orun and to Shangó and mounted the thing he had perfected, which turned out to be the wagon. He took it to his land and made it known to men so that it would serve them in commerce and in the transport of the goods that men used in the marketplace. Otrupo Ogbe was forever venerated as the one who gave the peoples of Ife and Oyo the use of the wheeled wagon. Note: Shangó created the body of the cart, and Otrupo Ogbe was the only one who created the wheels for the perfecting of the wagon, which brought well-being to the land, to agriculture and to commerce. In this Ifá, Shangó and Orisha Oko must always be worshiped, and the oath is sworn in orun, with the firmness of egun afefé leye.