term

its meaning

as^e`

so be it!

ebbo`

sacrifice

oris^a

force of good

ajogun

force of evil (including:-)

iku`

death

arun

disease

ofo

loss

eqba

paralysis

epe

curse

ewon

prison

p.

oris^a

locality

necklace of __ beads

other traits

63

Oris^a-Oko

chieftain of city Irawo

pink-&-blue

[(p. 64) honeybees {cf Aristaios}]

64

+Yewa` (virgin goddess)

inside of cemetery

[(p. 65) "will not tolerate any sexual dalliances among her "daughters"." {cf. Artemis}]

65

Dada`

twice king of Oyo

"also known as Ajaba or Bayanmi"

Ibeyi twins

also known as Jimawa-s

66

+Oba

river-nymph

pink

"bone structure of the body."

Inle

white with green streaks

"physician ... carries a staff with two snakes intertwined."

Osun

[(p. 67) "one’s personal guardian angel"]

"small silvery cup, topped by a tiny rooster and surrounded by small bells."

oris^a

colors

function

force

symbol

#

Eleggwa`

red & black

messages; fate

corners, crossroads

clay head with face of cowrie shells

3

Oru`nmila

green & yellow

divination

tray of Ifa`

16

Obatala`

white

peace

fatherhood

iruke (horsetail)

8

S^ango`

red & white

power

fire, lightning

mortar

4 & 6

Oggu`n

green & black

hospitals

iron

knives

Os^osi

violet

hunting, gaols

game-animals

crossbow

Aganyu`

red & green

control of enemies

volcanoes

ax

9

Babalu`-Aye

sackcloth

cure illness

leg-ailments

crutches

17

+Yemaya`

blue & white

maternity

ocean

seashells, corals

+Os^u`n

white & yellow

love, marriage, gold

rivers

fans, mirrors

5

+Oya`

maroon & white

protection from death

wind

horsetail

9

oris^a

propitiation

Eleggwa`

smoked fish & opossum

Oru`mila

kola-nuts

Obatala`

cotton, cascarilla

S^ango`

apples, bananas, rams

Oggu`n

cigars

Aganyu`

crackers with palm-oil

Babalu`-Aye`

pigeons, beans

+Yemaya`

watermelon, sugar-cane, ducks

+Os^u`n

honey, pumpkins

+Oya`

eggplant

p.

rank

title

initiation

84

1^st

omokoloba

Olofi

2^nd

Cuanaldo/Wanaldo

3^rd

oluwo

Ifa` with asiento

4^th

babalawo

Ifa` without asiento

5^th

Pinaldo

84-5

6^th

iyawo`

kariorios^a (= asiento)

85

7^th

aleyo

Abo-Faca` (for men); Ico-Fa (for women)

8^th

guerrero

9^th

eleke (= collar, necklace)

10^th

Osain amulet

11^th

uninitiated believers

12^th

non-believers

way

through __

ariku

the dead

otonowa

heaven

elese os^a

the oris^a-s

aye

material prosperity

logwo

one’s own initiative

eledda

one’s own intelligence

elese Oloddumare

God

elese eggun

a dead person

owo

unexpected money

ori yoco

"making the saint" [initiation]

p.

way

meaning

98

Iku`

death

Areye`

hatred, envy

99

Ofo

losses, suffering

Eyo`

disputes

Ogo

witchcraft

Ano

illness

Ona

punishment

Fitivo

sudden death

p.

caerimony

99

"opo`n Ifa`, the round wooden tray ... of Ifa`" : "Over the surface of the tray the babalawo sprinkles some special powder known as eyerosun ... After sprinkling the powder on the tray, the babalawo proceeds with the divination procedure, which uses a deer horn known as irofa` .... to draw on the powder the lines ... which represent the oracle." {cf. the Bodish writing on powder which hath been sprinkled upon the surface of a mirror, or the Daoist writing in sand}

100

"The ceremony of ita` is ... used to determine who is the guardian orisha of an individual."

102

the initiation known as Eleggwa`-and-the-Warriors : "the babalawo ... told me to kneel down facing him and to extend by opened hands toward him. He then placed the sandstone head representing Eleggua` on my palms ... After a while, he ... replaced Eleggua` with a small cauldron containing Oggu`n’s and Ochosi’s implements ... The last thing he laced on my hands was a small silvery cup, ... that represents Osun."

103

"the orisha’s beaded bracelet known as the ... ilde`-fa`, must be worn always on the left hand, which is ... a symbol of life. Because the pact between Oru`nla and Death, ratified by the ide`, signifies life for the believer, he or she must wear the bracelet on the left hand."

pattern

sides

effect

Alafia

4 white

‘possibly’

Itagwa

3 white, 1 brown

must throw again

Ellife

2 white, 2 brown

"yes"

Okana Sode

3 brown, 1 white

"no"

Oyekun

4 brown

"predicts death."

The seashells that are removed from each hand – usually two – are called addele. The ones that are read are called Diloggu`n. ...

a piece of animal vertebra, eggun."

Generally, the major oddus call for the left hand, while minor oddus call for the right."

"if the oddu presages osogbo, the santero finds out if there is a lariche, a way out of the problem. There are several lariches, among which is

addimu, a small offering to the orisha who protects the individual ... Another is the

ebbochure, which calls for offering to the orishaa small part of everything a person eats for one or more days. ... The

ebbokun says that the person must perform some sort of personal cleansing, such as special baths and rubbing rituals. The

kilase ... may require a rogacio`n de cabeza, or head purification."

#

oddu

its proverb

1^st

okana sode

If there be nothing good, there is nothing bad.

2^nd

eyioko

An arrow betwixt brethren.

3^rd

oggunda`

Contentions cause tragedies.

4^th

oyorosun

No one knoweth what lieth at the bottom of the sea.

5^th

os^e

Blood floweth through the veins.

6^th

obbara

A king praevaricateth not. From the mendacity, the truth is born.

7^th

oddi

Where the grave was first dug.

8^th

eyeunle

The head carrieth the body.

9^th

ossa

Thy best friend is thy worst foe.

10^th

ofun

Where the curse was born.

11^th

ojuani

Water cannot be carried in a basket.

12^th

eyila` s^ebora

When there is war, the soldiers sleep not.

13^th

metanla`

Where illness is born, blood is bad.

14^th

merinla`

A family that agreeth not; envy surroundeth you.

15^th

manunla`

The same manner it moveth thee, it paralyzeth thee.

16^th

mediloggu`n

Thou wert born to be wise, if thou hadst only listened to advice.

type

#s

major

1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

minor

5, 6, 7, 9, 11

p.

Spanish

English or Latin

use

143

hedionda

Cassia occidentalis

against colitis

yerba mora

Solanium nigrum

against throat infections

rompe-zaragu:ey

Eupatorium odatorum

against evil (in baths)

albahaca morada

basil

against stomach troubles

zarzaparilla

sarsaparilla

against rheumatism

parai`so

Melia azederach

against evil (in baths)

an~il

indigo plant

against tumors, epilepsy

verbena

vervain

for liver, hair

144

lechuga

lettuce

against evil

yerba buena

spearmint

against skin troubles

canela

cinnamon

against intestinal trouble

campana

elecampane

against bronchitis

higuereta

Ricinus communis

against diphtheria, headaches

algodon`n

cotton-plant

against bronchitis, asthma

verdolaga

purslane

for good luck

malva te`

Corchorus siliquosus

purifying baths

berro

watercress

against stomach irritations

anis

aniseed

against indigestion, hysteria

helecho

river-fern

against evil

calabaza

pumpkin

against burns, skin-diseases, whooping-cough

espartillo

Sporobolus

against evil

p.

145

"the guardian angel – Eleda`a – of an individual."

146

"the best way to refresh the Eleda`a is through a rogacio`n de cabeza, which is a combination of prayers and coconut plaster applied directly to the head. The basic rogacio`n is made with coconut, cascarilla, and coconut butter".

147

plate containing "other half of the coconut ... divided into four parts" : "The santero faces the recipient and presents the plate with the coconut to his forehead, the back of his neck, the shoulders, the hands, the feet. ... Now the santero takes the largest part of the coconut mixture and puts it on the top of the person’s head, covering it with some of the cotton. He divides the rest of the coconut mixture among the various body points he has already blessed. He covers the coconut mixture with cotton".

148

"The santero ... picks up the four pieces of coconut to be used for divination. First he throws the coconut behind the recipient, asking him not to nook back. He does this because he is asking the eggun if they are pleased with the rogacio`n. ... The pate with the rest of the rogacio`n is placed under the recipient’s bed, where it must stay until the next day."

oris^a

food

Eleggwa`

3 balls of maizemeal & guava-paste

Obatala`

"towers" of mashed n~ame sprinkled with cascarilla and cocoa butter and covered with cotton.

S^ango`

amala` = okra, sliced and mixed with maizemeal

Yemaya`

mariquitas = fried plantain-chips with fired fried pork-rinds.

Os^u`n

pumpkin filled with ochinchi`n (scrambled eggs with shrimp & watercress)

oris^a

fruit

S^ango`

apples & bananas

Os^u`n

pumpkins & oranges

Yemaya`

watermelon

Obatala`

white grapes & pears

Oya`

eggplant

oris,a (oris^a)

offering

Es,u (= Eleggwa`)

epo` (palm-oil), cowrie-shells

S,ango` (S^ango`)

ram, orogbo (bitter-kola)

Ogu`n (Oggu`n)

hound, roasted yam

Obatala`

snails fired in shea butter, white kola nut

Osun (Os^u`n)

goat

S,onponno (Babalu`-Aye`)

rooster

oris^a-s

bead-alternation

Eleggwa`

3 black, 3 red

Obatala`

all white

S^ango`

6 red, 6 white

Yemaya`

7 colorless, 7 blue

Osu`n

all yellow

"When ... head was completely shaved, the oriate` painted on it six concentric circles in the colors of the four main orishas :

white for Obatala`,

red for Chango`,

yellow for Oshu`n, and

blue for Yemaya`."

oris^a

braclets

Yemaya`

7 silver ones

Os^u`n

5 golden ones

Oya`

9 copper ones

"Iya` always "speaks" to Ito`tele while Oko`nkolo marks the beat."

p.

191

"There are certain songs known as cantos de puya, which are sung to the beat of drums. These are ... insults to the saints [oris^a-s], designed to anger them and make them come down and take possession of their initiates."

192

"The drums have two "heads" ... The large head is known as enu, and the smaller is known as tcha-tcha."

195

"Every drum that come from Africa, not just the bata`a, carried inside it a kola nut that was believed to be the soul of the drum."

oris^a

instrument

S^ango`

maraca

Os^un

bell

Obatala`

cencerro (square bell)

oris^a

Eleggwa`

Oggu`n

Os^osi

Obaloke

Inle

Babalu`-Aye`

Osain

Osun

Obatala`

Dada`

Oggwe

Aganyu`

Oru`nla

Ibeyi

Oko

S^ango`

Yewa`

Oya`

Os^u`n

Yemaya`

Obba

Oddu`a

the oris^a to whom the festivity is dedicated

oris^a

oru

S^ango`

Tui-Tui

Eleggwa`

Lalu` Bans^e`

Os^osi

Agu:ere

Os^u`n

Rumba Llesa

p.

oris^a

movement

194

Eleggwa`

"often hops frantically on one foot or does a swift zapateado, ... the body is balanced on one foot, whose heel is tapped rapidly against the floor".

S^ango`

"always stretches out his legs in an exaggerated gesture, as if her were carefully measuring each step." ["stretching out his legs and arms in an exaggerated fashion" (p. 195)] {cf. Kemetian strider-deity}

194-5

Yemaya`

"swirls very fast ..., bending her body sideways as if she were imitating the sea waves."

195

Obatala`

"shuffles slowly, three steps to the front and three backward, ... his body bent".

p.

day

oris^a

236

Mondays

Eleggwa`

215

Tuesdays

S^ango`