Orisa Oluweri - Simple facts on orisa Oluweri
Simple
facts on orisa Oluweri
Actually little is
known about orisa Oluweri because orisa Olokun whish she share area of
influence with has taken preponderance of worship and devotee over her. One
major thing that Is clear about her is that she share same prominent and
influence over water affairs just like Olokun. But she is is submissive to
Olokun. Olokun according to yoruba spiritual cosmology is considered to be the
king, Oluweri is deemed to be his assistant. Oluweri like olokun can give
children to the barren, and also give wealth and prosperity the same way orisha
Olokun can do.
Oluweri is nickname Oluweri magbojo(that is
the one who can bring rain fall at will).
She is great and her anger can be very devastating.
Oluweri can be appease with one or more of the following :eran Agbo (Ram) oyin igan (wild honey) egbo Agbado (Marshed cooked maize, ireke (sugar cane) eyele fufun (white pegion) in short all item that can be use to Propitiate or sacrifice to Olokun can be use to sacrifice to orisa Oluweri.
Copyright :Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, phone and whatsapp contact +2348166343145, location Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : As regards the article above, all rights reserved, no part of this article may be reproduced or duplicated in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the copyright holder and the author Babalawo Obanifa, doing so is considered unlawful and will attract legal consequences.
Oluweri is nickname Oluweri magbojo(that is
the one who can bring rain fall at will).
She is great and her anger can be very devastating.
Oluweri can be appease with one or more of the following :eran Agbo (Ram) oyin igan (wild honey) egbo Agbado (Marshed cooked maize, ireke (sugar cane) eyele fufun (white pegion) in short all item that can be use to Propitiate or sacrifice to Olokun can be use to sacrifice to orisa Oluweri.
Copyright :Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, phone and whatsapp contact +2348166343145, location Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : As regards the article above, all rights reserved, no part of this article may be reproduced or duplicated in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the copyright holder and the author Babalawo Obanifa, doing so is considered unlawful and will attract legal consequences.
risa oro
This write up
was written by Nana DE Oxum from Havana Cuba , an ifa apprentice under
tutelage of of babalawo Obanifa Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.I remember vividly
when I ask baba Obanifa 'baba what do you have to share with me on orisa Oro'?
He just said Nana ,' Oro is a male cult before people turn it to a diety.
I think what you just is need to know about Oro as a female ifa
apprentice is that Oro is a male diety that Ifa can in some cases during ifa
divination reading choses as adimu for a client to Propitiate, Oro be a male
diety have power of punishing the wicked, criminals and witches,it also have
power to exonerate the innocent. It has power to prevent the evil witch from
carry out their evil intentions. It can provide children for barren women. And
what you can ask ifa to feed orisa oro with ranging from akara(beans cake), Isu
sise(boil yam) emu(palm wine) ewa (cooked beans) akukodiye (cock) elede (pig)
ewe ekoya(it is
a a variety of yoruba leaves, he didn't give me botanical name for this leaves as he normally do,I notice from his intonation he didn't want to divulge much that day on the topic under discussion)'.I now said Baba Obanifa is this all you think I need to know about Orisa Oro? His further reply is intimidating, he said 'bi obinrin ba for kan oro, oro agbe (that is if a woman witness Oro the woman will be killed'. I was discouraged. What is wrong in be a women and Oro. He just told me he has given enough information on Oro to be useful for me in my field as ifa preistess. He is very nice man open minded and intelligent and alway ready to share knowledge, I respect him a lot, but on this topic of Oro he was a bit different with me. He said it is not a thing women need to know details about, like any other part of my training. On my own personal conversation with others and information I get on orisa image about Oro, I discover while baba Obanifa give little info he thinks will help in practice. But later when I apologize to him for asking him to much questions on Oro,that I have known it is a male cult. After then he give me elaborate lecture on Orisa Oro. So in this write up, I will like to share what I gain from him and on orisha image.
According to orisha image wish give comprehensive explanation on Oro.
Orisha Orò is a male entity whose cult is closely connected with the political council known as Ògbóni or Òṣùgbó. Orò acts under itscommand and carries out their sentences. The cult is very secretive and excludes women completely. The sound of the sacred bull-roarer, a sound-producing instrument, accompanies the public appearance of the Orò masqueraders in Yoruba towns. In these nightswomen must hide in the houses, because they – and even men not being members of the cult – run the risk of being killed if they happen to see the procession or the rites. Orò cult survived the middle-passage and the Orisha is still worshipped in Cuba, although not known toa broad audience.
The bull-roarer
Bull-roarer are simple musical or sounding instruments and are used around the world in different cultures. Most likely you could have seen them in a documentary about Australian Aborigines. It is usually a thin slat carved out of wood, attached to a long cord. This cord can be fixed to a flexible pole around two meters long. The pole is rotated and the wooden spatulate can be whirled with a big momentum. The slat is swung in a circle above the head and at the same time spins around its axis, till the cord winds fully, in one direction. The vibrating sound produced by the slat moving through the air can be modulated by the length of the rope and the way it is swung. Especially large bullroarers (up to 50 cm or 20“ long) produce a low-frequency tone that can be heard over long distances.
The Yoruba call the bullroarers.iṣẹ́ Orò. It is usually around thirty to fifty centimeters (twelve to twenty inches) long, made of camwood or bamboo and can be decorated with figurative carvings. Once consegrated it is an absolute taboo for women to see this phallic representation of the Orisha. In addition every initiate receives a smaller version of a bullroarer, this oneis called ajá Orò, literally Orò’s dog. Onthe one hand the metaphor of barking through the sounding of an instrument announces the coming of the Orisha and on the other hand vice-versa also invokes the Orisha’s attention, like a dog might do. In addition, because of its smaller size, the ajá Orò produces a higher frequency tone mimicking also the voice of a smaller animal rather than the low frequency tones of the larger iṣẹ́ Orò bullroarers.Iṣẹ́ Orò are usually reserved for the elderly members or are kept in the shrine in the igbo oro ojubo Orò, the sacred forest of the Orò society out of town, where only initiated men are allowed to enter.
Orò in Nigeria
In precolonial times the Orò cult performed legislative, executive and judicial functions in the Yoruba society. The origin of Orò can be foundin the Ẹ̀gbá subgroup around the town of Abẹ́òkúta, from where it diffused among the Yoruba subgroups of the Ìjẹ̀bu, Ẹ̀gbádò and Àwórì. The cult started to decline when the British established their protectorate in Nigeria at the end of the 19th century and the traditional rulers lost their political influence. Orò executed criminals, could exile persons out of town (or sold them into slavery) and cleansed the community of witchcraft. Orò is a kind of male counterpart to the Iyáàmi, the female witches, and their senior lady Ontótóo.
Orò is a Yoruba ancestor cult, like the better known egúngún cult, they can be called "twin brothers". Both manifest themselves in annual masquerader festivals. The devotees of Orò direct their attentions to a collective of ancestors rather than to personal ones. Spirits of the dead play an active role in the daily life of the living, they are sought of for protection,guidance and are being consulted via means of divination. Orisha Orò commands the spirits of the executed criminals and those who have spilled human blood upon the earth, what onlythe most powerful players could do in the past, theỌba(kings),Ògbóni members and Ifa diviners. With his power Orò lets those deceased ancestors intercede in present day human affairs to establish social orderin the community. At the burial of deceased Orò members,ìsìnkú, Orò rituals will be performed as a rite of passage. Necromancing,ìpàdẹ, allows to consult the soul of the deceased members to clarify contending issues. In the oròópagi Oròópagi ceremony (literally killing or eating of a tree) the clothes of a deceased person appear hanging on a tree, that is stripped completely of its leaves by magic incantations. Especially important is this for the Ọba, the king. When installed on the throne the king becomesèkejí Òrìṣà, a partly de-individualized demigod for the rest of his earthly lifetime. After his death his individual soul has to go through a set of ceremonies to get relieved from the immortal existence of the Ọba.This is directed by the Orò cult-members.
Although Orò lost his official political power the Orisha is still worshipped upto today in Yoruba towns to ensure peace and to ward off evil in the community. The annual festival, Oròdóko, when Orò comes out of the sacred forest, is usually held at the endof the yam harvest season around August and lasts for several days. In modern towns this can cause conflicts on various levels. Yoruba belief demands women and children staying at home during these days, as they must never see the Orò procession moving through town. If they did, they would get killed by Orò, as it is an absolute taboo for women to see the virile entity of Orò. According to Adunni Olorisa even to encounter an Orò possession, or wander into the Orògroves, would be catastrophic to the traditionally attuned woman. The woman who enters there on purpose or even by accident will be barren for the rest of her life or give birth to a monster, begotten by one of Orò's slaves,ẹrú, the criminals executed by him also called páakọ̀kọ̀ .During festival time he takes over the land outside, "Orò gb’ode", and takes with him all those criminals and offenders who have to be punished. In the past beheaded corpses could be found after Orò was out in town, or people just disappeared and never have been seen again, with their clothes hanging in trees. Orò took them away.
The sound of the bullroarer announces the coming of Orò’s terrifying activities and men on the streets are shouting "Páakọ̀kọ̀, páakọ̀kọ̀!", calling the spirits of executed criminals that are always accompaning the Orisha. During festival time public life and business inthe streets can get interrupted severly.Modern lifestyle, christianity, islam andtraditional belief get into conflict. Ethnic diversity in modern towns is also part of today’s struggle with the cult of Orò. In 1999 around 60 people got killed in ethnic conflicts at Sagamu,a small town northeast of Lagos. A Hausa woman was out on the streets at night during Orò procession and died, what led to more violent outbursts between the Yoruba and the Hausa people.
Orò Proverbs
Òwe, Yoruba for proverbs, allow us to take a closer look on the Orò cult in Nigeria. One rule for proverbs is: translating does not mean understanding. Without knowing the cultural context often you can not interpret them correctly. It is a good way of getting familiar with another culture. Oyekan Owomoyela has published a great book I can recommend to everyone interested into Yorùbá culture (Oyekan Owomoyela: Yoruba Proverbs. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 2005). There I found some good examples that express how present-day people think about the Orò-cult.
A kì í dájọ́ Orò ká yẹ̀ ẹ́.One does not set the day for an orò riteand then ignore it. (One must not let important matters slide.)
Etí l’obìnrín fi ngbọ́ ohùn Orò.It is only with the ears that a woman hears the voice of Orò. (One must not intrude into affairs that do not concern one; undesirable people should be kept in the dark about important or delicate matters.)
“Mo mọ̀ ọ́ tán” l’Orò-ó fi ńgbé ọkùnrin.“I know it all” is the reason for Orò’s carrying a man away. (Knowing it all leads to disaster. “I know it all” is used like a name for a person here.)
A kì í rí àjẹkù Orò.No one ever sees the leavings of Orò. (What must be consumed must be completely consumed.)Bí eégún ó bàá wọlẹ̀, Orò ní n ṣe.A masquerader who wishes to disappear into the ground cries “Orò!” (A person intending to do something extraordinary should give prior warning.)
Ẹni tó ránṣẹ́ sí Orò-ó bẹ̀wẹ̀ fún àìsùn.Whoever sends for Orò is contracting for sleeplessness. (Whoever deliberately provokes trouble should be prepared for a difficult time. Orò is feared by all.)Bí ẹnìkán bá fojú di Orò, Orò a gbé e.If anyone defies the Orò mystery, it does away with him or her. (Whoever disdains potential dangers eventually pays for the disdain.)
Bí obìnrín bá wọgbó Orò, a ò lè rí àbọ̀-ọ ẹ̀ mọ́.If a woman enters the ritual grove of the Orò cult, no one will ever see her return. (Any person who engages in forbidden action courts destruction.)Ẹni tí Orò-ó máa mú mba wọn ṣe àìsùn Orò.The person who will be the sacrificial victim of Orò is joining in the revelry onthe eve of the sacrifice. (The intended victim innocently helps in making preparations for his or her own demise; if there is the slightest possibility of peril, one should not act carelessly.)
Obìnrin tó gégi nígbó Orò, ó gé àgémọ.A woman who cuts wood in the grove of Orò has cut her last. (Whoever tempts a fate that is known to strike unfailingly has tempted her last.)Òjò n rọ̀, Orò ń ké; atọ́kùn àlùgbè tí ò l’áṣọ méjì a ṣe ògèdèmgbé sùn.The rain is falling, and the call of the secret cult is sounding loudly outside; the shuttle that lacks a change of clothing will sleep naked. (If one has not made provisions for rainy days, when they come one must suffer the attendant hardship.)
Àpagbé l’Orò n pagi.Killing-without-recourse is Orò’s way ofkilling trees. (When unanswerable disaster befalls a person, there is neither recourse nor response.)
Àwíyé n’Ifẹ̀ n fọ; gba-n-gba l’Orò n pẹran.Explicitly is the way Ife speaks; it is openly that Orò kills animals. (Whatever one has to say, one should say without mincing words. Ife refers tot he oracle here.)
Àgbà l’ó tó Orò-ó lọ̀; ọba l’ó tó ehín erin-ín fun.Only a (male) elder is qualified to invoke Orò; only a king is qualified to blow a horn carved out of elephant tusk. (Certain tasks are for august people only.)Ọ̀pọ̀ èèyàn kì í wọ Orò kí Orò gbé wọn.A multitude of people cannot enter the Orò grove and be carried away by Orò. (There is strength and security in numbers.)
Ní inú ilẹ̀kú l’Orò n jẹ.Where the dead are buried, there Orò feeds. (Some people’s misfortune is other people’s good fortune.)
Awo Eégún l’obìnrín lè ṣe, awo Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ l’obìnrín lè wò; b’óbìnrín bá fojú kan Orò, Orò á gbé e.Only the mystery of Eégun is accessible to women; it is only the mystery of Gelede that women may watch; if a woman catches a glimpse of Orò, Orò will make an end of her. (Only certain rites are allowed to certain people; the rest are proscribed.)
Etí l’obìnrín fi n gbọ́ ohùn Orò.Only with her ears does a woman hear the voice of Orò. (The sight of Orò is forbidden to a certain class of people.)
Obìnrin kì í tóbi k’Órò má gbèe e.A woman is never so large that Orò cannot carry her off. (There are certainoffenses a woman cannot get away with.)
Pàtàkì Orò ò ju ilé Àjànà.The greatest authority within the Orò cult is not to be sought beyond the Ajana’s home. (Said of a person or thing that is not surpassed in importance. Ajana is the title of the head of the Orò cult.)
Orò = Oru in Cuba
It is interesting that Orisha Orò’s cult survived the Middle Passage and is still worshipped among the Lukumí in Cuban Santeria. The Cuban colonial context left no room for the political functions of the Orisha. His cult is devotional, secretive and mostly in the hands of the babalawo, Ifá-diviners. His ìlèkè, the beaded necklace, is completely black. Women are also excluded completely not to be harmed by the virile powers. Cubans call Orò intheir Lukumí dialect Oru, Orun, Oro or even Orus (Horus) – see also theYorùbá Guide to Lukumí in this blog. Omo Oru have a close relationship withikú, the death,eégún, the ancestors andòru, the night time, in their spiritual work and perform efficient chanted invocations supported by his power and sacred tools.
Fernando Ortiz, the famous ethnographer, still witnessed the sounding of bullroarers in Afrocuban funeral rites around 1950. The small bull-roarer ajá Orò, Orò’s dog, in Cuba became the ẹjaOrò or Luk.eyáOru, literally Orò’s fish. It is not far from Luk.ayá(dog) toeyá(fish). Ortiz described in his influential books the “pesciform” bullroarer, what might have influenced the Santeria priests to carve them in the form of a fish today. Various other forms of miniature bullroarers can be bought in the Botanicas as "Oru set" for babalawo today, see the links below. Its sound is enforcing the spiritual powers of the devotee initiated into the Orisha's cult. Elements of Yorùbá Egúngúnworship also have been included into Cuban Oru worship as well. I found this especially interesting, as usually the common opinion is thatEgúngúncult and ancestor worship was substituizedby theEspiritismoin Cuba. So this would be worth some more research.
Michael Marcuzzi,ìbà’ẹ, wrote an elaborate study of the bullroarer cult inCuba, that leaves hardly any questions.In his study he focuses on various levels on the Yorùbá roots of Lukumí words, the influence of academic literature on the worship and is mentioning many details, speaking about the rites, Oru’s tools, pots, switches and even transcribed Lukumí songs for Oru.
This sources of this write up is from the informations I received orally from my god father Babalawo Obanifa Ile Ife osun state Nigeria and information I extract on orisa image who have wrote extensively too on it. I dedicate this write to babalawo Obanifa Ile Ife osun state Nigeria, for his tutelage and spiritual guidance for me all this period. Odabo.
a a variety of yoruba leaves, he didn't give me botanical name for this leaves as he normally do,I notice from his intonation he didn't want to divulge much that day on the topic under discussion)'.I now said Baba Obanifa is this all you think I need to know about Orisa Oro? His further reply is intimidating, he said 'bi obinrin ba for kan oro, oro agbe (that is if a woman witness Oro the woman will be killed'. I was discouraged. What is wrong in be a women and Oro. He just told me he has given enough information on Oro to be useful for me in my field as ifa preistess. He is very nice man open minded and intelligent and alway ready to share knowledge, I respect him a lot, but on this topic of Oro he was a bit different with me. He said it is not a thing women need to know details about, like any other part of my training. On my own personal conversation with others and information I get on orisa image about Oro, I discover while baba Obanifa give little info he thinks will help in practice. But later when I apologize to him for asking him to much questions on Oro,that I have known it is a male cult. After then he give me elaborate lecture on Orisa Oro. So in this write up, I will like to share what I gain from him and on orisha image.
According to orisha image wish give comprehensive explanation on Oro.
Orisha Orò is a male entity whose cult is closely connected with the political council known as Ògbóni or Òṣùgbó. Orò acts under itscommand and carries out their sentences. The cult is very secretive and excludes women completely. The sound of the sacred bull-roarer, a sound-producing instrument, accompanies the public appearance of the Orò masqueraders in Yoruba towns. In these nightswomen must hide in the houses, because they – and even men not being members of the cult – run the risk of being killed if they happen to see the procession or the rites. Orò cult survived the middle-passage and the Orisha is still worshipped in Cuba, although not known toa broad audience.
The bull-roarer
Bull-roarer are simple musical or sounding instruments and are used around the world in different cultures. Most likely you could have seen them in a documentary about Australian Aborigines. It is usually a thin slat carved out of wood, attached to a long cord. This cord can be fixed to a flexible pole around two meters long. The pole is rotated and the wooden spatulate can be whirled with a big momentum. The slat is swung in a circle above the head and at the same time spins around its axis, till the cord winds fully, in one direction. The vibrating sound produced by the slat moving through the air can be modulated by the length of the rope and the way it is swung. Especially large bullroarers (up to 50 cm or 20“ long) produce a low-frequency tone that can be heard over long distances.
The Yoruba call the bullroarers.iṣẹ́ Orò. It is usually around thirty to fifty centimeters (twelve to twenty inches) long, made of camwood or bamboo and can be decorated with figurative carvings. Once consegrated it is an absolute taboo for women to see this phallic representation of the Orisha. In addition every initiate receives a smaller version of a bullroarer, this oneis called ajá Orò, literally Orò’s dog. Onthe one hand the metaphor of barking through the sounding of an instrument announces the coming of the Orisha and on the other hand vice-versa also invokes the Orisha’s attention, like a dog might do. In addition, because of its smaller size, the ajá Orò produces a higher frequency tone mimicking also the voice of a smaller animal rather than the low frequency tones of the larger iṣẹ́ Orò bullroarers.Iṣẹ́ Orò are usually reserved for the elderly members or are kept in the shrine in the igbo oro ojubo Orò, the sacred forest of the Orò society out of town, where only initiated men are allowed to enter.
Orò in Nigeria
In precolonial times the Orò cult performed legislative, executive and judicial functions in the Yoruba society. The origin of Orò can be foundin the Ẹ̀gbá subgroup around the town of Abẹ́òkúta, from where it diffused among the Yoruba subgroups of the Ìjẹ̀bu, Ẹ̀gbádò and Àwórì. The cult started to decline when the British established their protectorate in Nigeria at the end of the 19th century and the traditional rulers lost their political influence. Orò executed criminals, could exile persons out of town (or sold them into slavery) and cleansed the community of witchcraft. Orò is a kind of male counterpart to the Iyáàmi, the female witches, and their senior lady Ontótóo.
Orò is a Yoruba ancestor cult, like the better known egúngún cult, they can be called "twin brothers". Both manifest themselves in annual masquerader festivals. The devotees of Orò direct their attentions to a collective of ancestors rather than to personal ones. Spirits of the dead play an active role in the daily life of the living, they are sought of for protection,guidance and are being consulted via means of divination. Orisha Orò commands the spirits of the executed criminals and those who have spilled human blood upon the earth, what onlythe most powerful players could do in the past, theỌba(kings),Ògbóni members and Ifa diviners. With his power Orò lets those deceased ancestors intercede in present day human affairs to establish social orderin the community. At the burial of deceased Orò members,ìsìnkú, Orò rituals will be performed as a rite of passage. Necromancing,ìpàdẹ, allows to consult the soul of the deceased members to clarify contending issues. In the oròópagi Oròópagi ceremony (literally killing or eating of a tree) the clothes of a deceased person appear hanging on a tree, that is stripped completely of its leaves by magic incantations. Especially important is this for the Ọba, the king. When installed on the throne the king becomesèkejí Òrìṣà, a partly de-individualized demigod for the rest of his earthly lifetime. After his death his individual soul has to go through a set of ceremonies to get relieved from the immortal existence of the Ọba.This is directed by the Orò cult-members.
Although Orò lost his official political power the Orisha is still worshipped upto today in Yoruba towns to ensure peace and to ward off evil in the community. The annual festival, Oròdóko, when Orò comes out of the sacred forest, is usually held at the endof the yam harvest season around August and lasts for several days. In modern towns this can cause conflicts on various levels. Yoruba belief demands women and children staying at home during these days, as they must never see the Orò procession moving through town. If they did, they would get killed by Orò, as it is an absolute taboo for women to see the virile entity of Orò. According to Adunni Olorisa even to encounter an Orò possession, or wander into the Orògroves, would be catastrophic to the traditionally attuned woman. The woman who enters there on purpose or even by accident will be barren for the rest of her life or give birth to a monster, begotten by one of Orò's slaves,ẹrú, the criminals executed by him also called páakọ̀kọ̀ .During festival time he takes over the land outside, "Orò gb’ode", and takes with him all those criminals and offenders who have to be punished. In the past beheaded corpses could be found after Orò was out in town, or people just disappeared and never have been seen again, with their clothes hanging in trees. Orò took them away.
The sound of the bullroarer announces the coming of Orò’s terrifying activities and men on the streets are shouting "Páakọ̀kọ̀, páakọ̀kọ̀!", calling the spirits of executed criminals that are always accompaning the Orisha. During festival time public life and business inthe streets can get interrupted severly.Modern lifestyle, christianity, islam andtraditional belief get into conflict. Ethnic diversity in modern towns is also part of today’s struggle with the cult of Orò. In 1999 around 60 people got killed in ethnic conflicts at Sagamu,a small town northeast of Lagos. A Hausa woman was out on the streets at night during Orò procession and died, what led to more violent outbursts between the Yoruba and the Hausa people.
Orò Proverbs
Òwe, Yoruba for proverbs, allow us to take a closer look on the Orò cult in Nigeria. One rule for proverbs is: translating does not mean understanding. Without knowing the cultural context often you can not interpret them correctly. It is a good way of getting familiar with another culture. Oyekan Owomoyela has published a great book I can recommend to everyone interested into Yorùbá culture (Oyekan Owomoyela: Yoruba Proverbs. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 2005). There I found some good examples that express how present-day people think about the Orò-cult.
A kì í dájọ́ Orò ká yẹ̀ ẹ́.One does not set the day for an orò riteand then ignore it. (One must not let important matters slide.)
Etí l’obìnrín fi ngbọ́ ohùn Orò.It is only with the ears that a woman hears the voice of Orò. (One must not intrude into affairs that do not concern one; undesirable people should be kept in the dark about important or delicate matters.)
“Mo mọ̀ ọ́ tán” l’Orò-ó fi ńgbé ọkùnrin.“I know it all” is the reason for Orò’s carrying a man away. (Knowing it all leads to disaster. “I know it all” is used like a name for a person here.)
A kì í rí àjẹkù Orò.No one ever sees the leavings of Orò. (What must be consumed must be completely consumed.)Bí eégún ó bàá wọlẹ̀, Orò ní n ṣe.A masquerader who wishes to disappear into the ground cries “Orò!” (A person intending to do something extraordinary should give prior warning.)
Ẹni tó ránṣẹ́ sí Orò-ó bẹ̀wẹ̀ fún àìsùn.Whoever sends for Orò is contracting for sleeplessness. (Whoever deliberately provokes trouble should be prepared for a difficult time. Orò is feared by all.)Bí ẹnìkán bá fojú di Orò, Orò a gbé e.If anyone defies the Orò mystery, it does away with him or her. (Whoever disdains potential dangers eventually pays for the disdain.)
Bí obìnrín bá wọgbó Orò, a ò lè rí àbọ̀-ọ ẹ̀ mọ́.If a woman enters the ritual grove of the Orò cult, no one will ever see her return. (Any person who engages in forbidden action courts destruction.)Ẹni tí Orò-ó máa mú mba wọn ṣe àìsùn Orò.The person who will be the sacrificial victim of Orò is joining in the revelry onthe eve of the sacrifice. (The intended victim innocently helps in making preparations for his or her own demise; if there is the slightest possibility of peril, one should not act carelessly.)
Obìnrin tó gégi nígbó Orò, ó gé àgémọ.A woman who cuts wood in the grove of Orò has cut her last. (Whoever tempts a fate that is known to strike unfailingly has tempted her last.)Òjò n rọ̀, Orò ń ké; atọ́kùn àlùgbè tí ò l’áṣọ méjì a ṣe ògèdèmgbé sùn.The rain is falling, and the call of the secret cult is sounding loudly outside; the shuttle that lacks a change of clothing will sleep naked. (If one has not made provisions for rainy days, when they come one must suffer the attendant hardship.)
Àpagbé l’Orò n pagi.Killing-without-recourse is Orò’s way ofkilling trees. (When unanswerable disaster befalls a person, there is neither recourse nor response.)
Àwíyé n’Ifẹ̀ n fọ; gba-n-gba l’Orò n pẹran.Explicitly is the way Ife speaks; it is openly that Orò kills animals. (Whatever one has to say, one should say without mincing words. Ife refers tot he oracle here.)
Àgbà l’ó tó Orò-ó lọ̀; ọba l’ó tó ehín erin-ín fun.Only a (male) elder is qualified to invoke Orò; only a king is qualified to blow a horn carved out of elephant tusk. (Certain tasks are for august people only.)Ọ̀pọ̀ èèyàn kì í wọ Orò kí Orò gbé wọn.A multitude of people cannot enter the Orò grove and be carried away by Orò. (There is strength and security in numbers.)
Ní inú ilẹ̀kú l’Orò n jẹ.Where the dead are buried, there Orò feeds. (Some people’s misfortune is other people’s good fortune.)
Awo Eégún l’obìnrín lè ṣe, awo Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ l’obìnrín lè wò; b’óbìnrín bá fojú kan Orò, Orò á gbé e.Only the mystery of Eégun is accessible to women; it is only the mystery of Gelede that women may watch; if a woman catches a glimpse of Orò, Orò will make an end of her. (Only certain rites are allowed to certain people; the rest are proscribed.)
Etí l’obìnrín fi n gbọ́ ohùn Orò.Only with her ears does a woman hear the voice of Orò. (The sight of Orò is forbidden to a certain class of people.)
Obìnrin kì í tóbi k’Órò má gbèe e.A woman is never so large that Orò cannot carry her off. (There are certainoffenses a woman cannot get away with.)
Pàtàkì Orò ò ju ilé Àjànà.The greatest authority within the Orò cult is not to be sought beyond the Ajana’s home. (Said of a person or thing that is not surpassed in importance. Ajana is the title of the head of the Orò cult.)
Orò = Oru in Cuba
It is interesting that Orisha Orò’s cult survived the Middle Passage and is still worshipped among the Lukumí in Cuban Santeria. The Cuban colonial context left no room for the political functions of the Orisha. His cult is devotional, secretive and mostly in the hands of the babalawo, Ifá-diviners. His ìlèkè, the beaded necklace, is completely black. Women are also excluded completely not to be harmed by the virile powers. Cubans call Orò intheir Lukumí dialect Oru, Orun, Oro or even Orus (Horus) – see also theYorùbá Guide to Lukumí in this blog. Omo Oru have a close relationship withikú, the death,eégún, the ancestors andòru, the night time, in their spiritual work and perform efficient chanted invocations supported by his power and sacred tools.
Fernando Ortiz, the famous ethnographer, still witnessed the sounding of bullroarers in Afrocuban funeral rites around 1950. The small bull-roarer ajá Orò, Orò’s dog, in Cuba became the ẹjaOrò or Luk.eyáOru, literally Orò’s fish. It is not far from Luk.ayá(dog) toeyá(fish). Ortiz described in his influential books the “pesciform” bullroarer, what might have influenced the Santeria priests to carve them in the form of a fish today. Various other forms of miniature bullroarers can be bought in the Botanicas as "Oru set" for babalawo today, see the links below. Its sound is enforcing the spiritual powers of the devotee initiated into the Orisha's cult. Elements of Yorùbá Egúngúnworship also have been included into Cuban Oru worship as well. I found this especially interesting, as usually the common opinion is thatEgúngúncult and ancestor worship was substituizedby theEspiritismoin Cuba. So this would be worth some more research.
Michael Marcuzzi,ìbà’ẹ, wrote an elaborate study of the bullroarer cult inCuba, that leaves hardly any questions.In his study he focuses on various levels on the Yorùbá roots of Lukumí words, the influence of academic literature on the worship and is mentioning many details, speaking about the rites, Oru’s tools, pots, switches and even transcribed Lukumí songs for Oru.
This sources of this write up is from the informations I received orally from my god father Babalawo Obanifa Ile Ife osun state Nigeria and information I extract on orisa image who have wrote extensively too on it. I dedicate this write to babalawo Obanifa Ile Ife osun state Nigeria, for his tutelage and spiritual guidance for me all this period. Odabo.
Orisa osoosi (Facts about orisha Osoosi)
Orisa
osoosi (Facts about orisha Osoosi)
Orisa
osoosi is a prominent orisha in African spirituality. Babalawo Obanifa will in
this article explains some grey area on this great orisha to the world. Orisa
osoosi which have been corrupt into many names like oshosi, ochosi,
oxossi,oxosi, in many places has his original name has Osoosi. His original
name Osoosi. One grey area that often bring controversy is the gender of
orisa osoosi. Orisha Osoosi is a a male in gender. Orisa osoosi which was
know as ochosi or oxosi by Latin American people, the people who practice
candomble call this osoosi oxossi. Even in Brazil this orisa is known as
oxosi. As I said earlier the correct pronunciation and spelling of the
name of this orisa is Osoosi. The reason is simple here in yoruba land where
orisa osoosi originated there is no letter like C or x in our alphabet. So
ochosi or oxosi can't not in any way form from yoruba alphabet.the word Osoosi
itself come from two words Oso and Osi, Oso mean a wizard or male
sorcerer while Osi mean left. So osoosi mean a wizard or sorcerer with magical
and astute of his left hand. That is why orisha osoosi is called Ode ata matase
(a great hunter who Never miss his target, he always hit the mark).for the sake
of easy comprehension babalawo Obanifa will make this write up in form of
questions and answers between the audience and babalawo Obanifa.
AUDIENCE :Who is
orisha Osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA : Orisha osoosi is an indigenous orisha in ogun state part of Nigeria. He is orisha of justice.he is in charge of law enforcement, fortune telling, magic, Astral traveling. Hunting, knowledge of herbs in the forest. He understands voice of animals and birds.. He understands voice of animals in the water. He is a great Fisher man he is also in charge of fishing. Osoosi during his life time before he becomes orisha he was a great hunter. He use ofa (a bow and arrows) for hunting. He is a great archer. He can shoot anything within range or long distance with his left hand. He was very verse in the knowledge of herbs and magic. He reside in forest, he spent most of his time in forest and rivers banks. Hunting and fishing. He is a great seer. His clothes is skin of Leopard and sometimes he can wear deer skin. He feed mostly of fish and wild games. The king in ancient times do employees him to secure the prison and court yards. Despite osoosi hunting in the forest and river banks, you will still find him in all his duty post. He can be in many places at the same time because he have power to remove his spirit from his original body and send the spirit to go where ever he want(power of Astral travel). His close friends his ogun. Although osoosi work for obatala as an hunter.
AUDIENCE :what are the symbol of Osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :the symbol use for Osoosi are the hurting implement he use during his stay on earth. The symbol for Osoosi are three bow and three arrows. A armour, images of Three dogs it may be iron or wooden image, three fishing hook and line, Two antlers of deer, a hand mirror, all these must be present on the alter of orisha osoosi.
AUDIENCE :is it true that osoosi was syncretised with some Saints?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :yes it is true that Osoosi was syncretised with some Saints that like saint Sebastian, Saint George and Saint Hubert.In Candomble osoosi was syncretised with saint George in Bahia region, and Saint Sebastian in Rio de janerio region, in santeria it is saint Hubart. If you observe you will see that the image of Saint Sebastian his whole body is cover with arrow. saint Hubert also have a bowl and arrows and a stag. But osoosi have both hunting and fishing tools.
AUDIENCE :is there any relationship between ORISHA ogun and Osoosi and Esu.
BABALAWO OBANIFA :yes osoosi was a younger brother to Ogun. But Esu is the one who sold discord between the two of them. ogun was very good in use of iron. And osoosi is a great hunter who only use ofa (bow and arrows) but in most cases when ever osoosi shot his arrows and kill a game. He will find it difficult to carry it because of think bushes. And ogun also in most cases do miss his target during hunting. Both of them went to orunmila for divination reading to overcome this problem. Orunmila instruct them to offer sacrifice. And take it to deep forest. It inside this forest that ogun and osoosi meet. Osoosi ask ogun brother what are you doing here. Ogun explain his hunting ordeal and osoosi also explains his own that is how they settle their discord and they begin hunting to gether. Ogun will clear bushes after osoosi osoosi shot animals. They are both successful. Both ogun more successful than his brother osoosi. Esu leave them alone after the ebo (sacrifice)n
AUDIENCE :what is the benefits of orisha osoosi. What purpose does he serves to his followers.
BABALAWO OBANIFA : orisha osoosi serve many purpose among which are :
1 those people who work as hunter, police officer, vigilante, army officer, lawyers and judges. Prison officer and any body who works to maintain law and other. If they pray to osoosi they are usually very successful. This orisha offer this cartigories of people protection.
2:those who engage in Astral travel can also gain immense benefits from orisa osoosi.
3 he also protects the Fisher men and people in fishing business.
4 those who keep wildlife can also pray to orisha osoosi for protection and blessings.
5 those who seek justice can also speak to orisha osoosi to attain justice
6 the fortune teller can also seek the aid of osoosi e.g those who do psychic or tarot reading can seek more insight from orisha osoosi.
those who want to achieve their aim in business or politics etc can also pray in name of osoosi.
AUDIENCE :what are the food given to osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA : normally all ingredients using feeding ogun can be use for osoosi. But Osoosi have special delicacy in white game and fish . maize food and fruit is one of his delicacy.
AUDIENCE :is it true that orisa osoosi have no longer exist in yoruba land where it originate from?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :the answer is no. Osoosi is still exists and practice in yoruba land. The fact is that it is not all orisha in yoruba land cut across all the town in practice. There are certain orisha that is localised to people of certain town or vicinity. E. good agemon for people of Ijebu alone, osun for people of ilogbo and Osi ekiti. Etc. In the ancient time orisha osoosi is a localized orisha of ogun state people. Town like Ijebu ode, sagamu etc. But the slave trade cart away majority of the devotee and preist of this orisha who really worship osoosi because it is a localised orisha of people of ogun state. This give rise to while osoosi have many devotee in diaspora than his real home. But we still have osoosi preist in sagamu, and Ijebu ode area in Nigeria. Orisha Osoosi is still very much at home.
AUDIENCE :is it true that osoosi kill his own mother?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :yes it is true, but this is not Done on purpose.in ancient times. There was a king name olofin ajaye. Who was a demigod. He needs a certain bird to carry out a sacrifice. But no ordinary hunter can get this bird, hence the duty fall on osoosi. Osoosi was a great hunter in turn get the bird. He cage it and bring it home. Osoosi now went to orunmila to inform him of his break through. When osoosi was away his mother think the bird is for food, he quickly kill it and use it to prepare soup. When he comes back asking his mother who killed the bird. His mother denied and say he didn't know who kill the bird. Then osoosi go back to the forest and get another bird after a lot of effort. He presented the bird to olofin. Olofin ajaye compensate osoosi by deification of osoosi as orisha. The first which osoosi make after getting his orisha power is that he shot arrow into the sky and he said he wants the arrow to kill who ever killed his first bird he catch. The arrow killed his mother. It is then that osoosi know that it is his mother who killed the bird. Since then osoosi have always stand for justice.
AUDIENCE :which day of the year, and month is dedicated to osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA : ojo aje (Monday) ojo isegun (Tuesday) ojoru (wensday). This day are good to solicit osoosi. Especially fourth day of the week. The month for Osoosi is osu Agemon (month of October) especially between October 25 to 30.
AUDIENCE :what is the favorite color for osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA:when we are talking of color of osoosi we are here concerned with color of his ileke beads. His favorite colors are Green, yellow, coral and amber color beads.,royal blue, honey color beads.
AUDIENCE :how do we identify children of osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :the children of osoosi are usually know by their profession and level of concentration. Mostly hunters, police men, lawyers and judges are children of osoosi. Archer, Fisher men, magician, and tarot readers, psychic are children of osoosi. Most activists are also children of osoosi.
AUDIENCE :what is the praises or prayer to osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :when you are talking about praises of osoosi you mean oriki of orisha osoosi.
Osoosi afinju ode iba re oo
iba re afinju apeja oba bebe odo
Iba re afinju ose ti je ninu igbo oohun odan
Ode atamatase
Agba ni ogun le
Agbani lojo to buru
Alosi bi Eni lo otun
afiye eko bori eru monle.
Asode jihin hun arare.
Translation
Osoosi a unique hunter I pay homage to you.
Unique Fisher man who is the king of the bank of the river I pay homage to you
A rare wizard that eat in the forest and wilderness
A great hunter that never miss his target. Always hit his mark
One who save one when battle is tough
The orisha who save one on the day of adversity
One who use left hand perfectly as right hand
One who use parrot feather to conquer fear.
A great hunter who is his own master..
Copyright babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, phone and whatsapp contact :+2348166343145, location Ile Ife osun state
BABALAWO OBANIFA : Orisha osoosi is an indigenous orisha in ogun state part of Nigeria. He is orisha of justice.he is in charge of law enforcement, fortune telling, magic, Astral traveling. Hunting, knowledge of herbs in the forest. He understands voice of animals and birds.. He understands voice of animals in the water. He is a great Fisher man he is also in charge of fishing. Osoosi during his life time before he becomes orisha he was a great hunter. He use ofa (a bow and arrows) for hunting. He is a great archer. He can shoot anything within range or long distance with his left hand. He was very verse in the knowledge of herbs and magic. He reside in forest, he spent most of his time in forest and rivers banks. Hunting and fishing. He is a great seer. His clothes is skin of Leopard and sometimes he can wear deer skin. He feed mostly of fish and wild games. The king in ancient times do employees him to secure the prison and court yards. Despite osoosi hunting in the forest and river banks, you will still find him in all his duty post. He can be in many places at the same time because he have power to remove his spirit from his original body and send the spirit to go where ever he want(power of Astral travel). His close friends his ogun. Although osoosi work for obatala as an hunter.
AUDIENCE :what are the symbol of Osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :the symbol use for Osoosi are the hurting implement he use during his stay on earth. The symbol for Osoosi are three bow and three arrows. A armour, images of Three dogs it may be iron or wooden image, three fishing hook and line, Two antlers of deer, a hand mirror, all these must be present on the alter of orisha osoosi.
AUDIENCE :is it true that osoosi was syncretised with some Saints?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :yes it is true that Osoosi was syncretised with some Saints that like saint Sebastian, Saint George and Saint Hubert.In Candomble osoosi was syncretised with saint George in Bahia region, and Saint Sebastian in Rio de janerio region, in santeria it is saint Hubart. If you observe you will see that the image of Saint Sebastian his whole body is cover with arrow. saint Hubert also have a bowl and arrows and a stag. But osoosi have both hunting and fishing tools.
AUDIENCE :is there any relationship between ORISHA ogun and Osoosi and Esu.
BABALAWO OBANIFA :yes osoosi was a younger brother to Ogun. But Esu is the one who sold discord between the two of them. ogun was very good in use of iron. And osoosi is a great hunter who only use ofa (bow and arrows) but in most cases when ever osoosi shot his arrows and kill a game. He will find it difficult to carry it because of think bushes. And ogun also in most cases do miss his target during hunting. Both of them went to orunmila for divination reading to overcome this problem. Orunmila instruct them to offer sacrifice. And take it to deep forest. It inside this forest that ogun and osoosi meet. Osoosi ask ogun brother what are you doing here. Ogun explain his hunting ordeal and osoosi also explains his own that is how they settle their discord and they begin hunting to gether. Ogun will clear bushes after osoosi osoosi shot animals. They are both successful. Both ogun more successful than his brother osoosi. Esu leave them alone after the ebo (sacrifice)n
AUDIENCE :what is the benefits of orisha osoosi. What purpose does he serves to his followers.
BABALAWO OBANIFA : orisha osoosi serve many purpose among which are :
1 those people who work as hunter, police officer, vigilante, army officer, lawyers and judges. Prison officer and any body who works to maintain law and other. If they pray to osoosi they are usually very successful. This orisha offer this cartigories of people protection.
2:those who engage in Astral travel can also gain immense benefits from orisa osoosi.
3 he also protects the Fisher men and people in fishing business.
4 those who keep wildlife can also pray to orisha osoosi for protection and blessings.
5 those who seek justice can also speak to orisha osoosi to attain justice
6 the fortune teller can also seek the aid of osoosi e.g those who do psychic or tarot reading can seek more insight from orisha osoosi.
those who want to achieve their aim in business or politics etc can also pray in name of osoosi.
AUDIENCE :what are the food given to osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA : normally all ingredients using feeding ogun can be use for osoosi. But Osoosi have special delicacy in white game and fish . maize food and fruit is one of his delicacy.
AUDIENCE :is it true that orisa osoosi have no longer exist in yoruba land where it originate from?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :the answer is no. Osoosi is still exists and practice in yoruba land. The fact is that it is not all orisha in yoruba land cut across all the town in practice. There are certain orisha that is localised to people of certain town or vicinity. E. good agemon for people of Ijebu alone, osun for people of ilogbo and Osi ekiti. Etc. In the ancient time orisha osoosi is a localized orisha of ogun state people. Town like Ijebu ode, sagamu etc. But the slave trade cart away majority of the devotee and preist of this orisha who really worship osoosi because it is a localised orisha of people of ogun state. This give rise to while osoosi have many devotee in diaspora than his real home. But we still have osoosi preist in sagamu, and Ijebu ode area in Nigeria. Orisha Osoosi is still very much at home.
AUDIENCE :is it true that osoosi kill his own mother?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :yes it is true, but this is not Done on purpose.in ancient times. There was a king name olofin ajaye. Who was a demigod. He needs a certain bird to carry out a sacrifice. But no ordinary hunter can get this bird, hence the duty fall on osoosi. Osoosi was a great hunter in turn get the bird. He cage it and bring it home. Osoosi now went to orunmila to inform him of his break through. When osoosi was away his mother think the bird is for food, he quickly kill it and use it to prepare soup. When he comes back asking his mother who killed the bird. His mother denied and say he didn't know who kill the bird. Then osoosi go back to the forest and get another bird after a lot of effort. He presented the bird to olofin. Olofin ajaye compensate osoosi by deification of osoosi as orisha. The first which osoosi make after getting his orisha power is that he shot arrow into the sky and he said he wants the arrow to kill who ever killed his first bird he catch. The arrow killed his mother. It is then that osoosi know that it is his mother who killed the bird. Since then osoosi have always stand for justice.
AUDIENCE :which day of the year, and month is dedicated to osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA : ojo aje (Monday) ojo isegun (Tuesday) ojoru (wensday). This day are good to solicit osoosi. Especially fourth day of the week. The month for Osoosi is osu Agemon (month of October) especially between October 25 to 30.
AUDIENCE :what is the favorite color for osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA:when we are talking of color of osoosi we are here concerned with color of his ileke beads. His favorite colors are Green, yellow, coral and amber color beads.,royal blue, honey color beads.
AUDIENCE :how do we identify children of osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :the children of osoosi are usually know by their profession and level of concentration. Mostly hunters, police men, lawyers and judges are children of osoosi. Archer, Fisher men, magician, and tarot readers, psychic are children of osoosi. Most activists are also children of osoosi.
AUDIENCE :what is the praises or prayer to osoosi?
BABALAWO OBANIFA :when you are talking about praises of osoosi you mean oriki of orisha osoosi.
Osoosi afinju ode iba re oo
iba re afinju apeja oba bebe odo
Iba re afinju ose ti je ninu igbo oohun odan
Ode atamatase
Agba ni ogun le
Agbani lojo to buru
Alosi bi Eni lo otun
afiye eko bori eru monle.
Asode jihin hun arare.
Translation
Osoosi a unique hunter I pay homage to you.
Unique Fisher man who is the king of the bank of the river I pay homage to you
A rare wizard that eat in the forest and wilderness
A great hunter that never miss his target. Always hit his mark
One who save one when battle is tough
The orisha who save one on the day of adversity
One who use left hand perfectly as right hand
One who use parrot feather to conquer fear.
A great hunter who is his own master..
Copyright babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, phone and whatsapp contact :+2348166343145, location Ile Ife osun state
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