Ọya
The orisa of wind, storm and the Niger river, wife of Sango, the buffalo narrative, her relation to the dead, and the difference between the Yoruba Oya and the Oya of Cuba and Brazil.
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The orisa of wind, storm and the Niger river, wife of Sango, the buffalo narrative, her relation to the dead, and the difference between the Yoruba Oya and the Oya of Cuba and Brazil.
The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, oríkì, ẹsẹ Ifá, word list headwords, Odù names and citations dey exactly as the corpus record dem, for every language.
Ọya na the òrìṣà of wind, storm, and violent change, and na im be the river Niger. Na im be the wife of Ṣàngó, the person wey follow am go exile when every other person don leave, and buffalo horn na im emblem. Where Ṣàngó be the lightning strike, Ọya na the wind wey dey first reach, the tornado wey dey remove roof, and the power wey dey clear ground by destroying wetin dey there before.
Dem still dey connect am with people wey don die, even though the exact way dem take connect am na one of the places where diaspora story and Yorùbá story take divide, and this page mark that difference well.
Ọya, from ọ ya, e tear or e dey tear, the wind wey dey tear things.
Odò Ọya, the river Ọya, wey be the Niger. Johnson 1921 text talk am straight: the Niger "is called all over Yoruba land Odo Oya after her name" To say the òrìṣà na the biggest river for West Africa no be metaphor.
Ìyánsàn, wey dem still write as Ìyá Mẹ́sàn, mama of nine. Two explanation dey waka and the sources no settle which one correct: say e born nine children, or say river Niger get nine tributaries. Dem dey give the two well well; this compiler no see any reason to choose one pass the other.
Ọya Ìgbàlé. Ìgbàlé na the Egúngún sacred grove, and this name carry im connection with people wey don die.
Ọya Orírì, wey appear word-for-word inside Elebuibon collection and dem translate am there as "Oya the whirlwind"
Correction wey make sense to put: Afẹ́fẹ́ Ikú and Ayaba Nikua, wey dey show for plenty English writing as Yorùbá praise names for Ọya, na Cuban Lucumí forms, no be Yorùbá. "Ayaba Nikua" dey show Spanish-influenced morphology; Yorùbá for be ayaba ikú. Dem belong to the Cuban section, no be here.
Two texts dey, and one big negative finding wey we suppose talk first.
Judith Gleason Oya: In Praise of an African Goddess (1992) na the most popular English book about Ọya and e reproduce oríkì, but this compiler no fit verify even one line from am against any accessible copy, so e no quote am here . Dem confirm say Verger 1957 Notes sur le culte des orisa et vodun get big oríkì collection but dem never digitize am, so im Ọya pages still remain unverified too . The African Poems archive, wey get plenty material for other òrìṣà, no get any Ọya poem at all. That absence sef make sense to record: dem no document Ọya reach how e important for accessible English sources.
Oya wole ni ile Ira Sango wole ni Koso.
For standard orthography
Ọya wọlé ní ilé Ira Ṣàngó wọlé ní Kòso.
Oya disappeared in the town of Ira Sango disappeared at Koso.
The verb na the main point. Wọlé na wọ (to enter) plus ilé, and ilé mean both house and ground or earth. So the word mean say e enter house and go inside ground at the same time, and the "disappeared" wey Johnson use choose third meaning wey no carry any of the two literally. Im own explanation sentence clear why e choose am: "Deified heroes and heroines are never spoken of as dead, but as having disappeared" Wetin the Yorùbá do na to refuse to use death words for the two of dem, for parallel construction, for two lines, and that parallelism na the main point. English no fit carry the ilé pun and Johnson no even try. Make una note also say Johnson, wey call Ṣàngó "this heartless god" for other places inside the same pages, report the tradition own idiom well well here, and e show say source wey dey hostile still fit be good source for wetin e observe.
Ifáyẹmisi Elebuibon Canciones para los Òrìṣàs / Orisa Songs (2015) print plenty Yorùbá oríkì with named translator, Dr Ifabukunmi Adewale, recorded by Ìyálòrìṣà Ọyelọla Elebuibon .
Ọ̀yádolú Òpèré dárà l'óyàn Tàní lówó bí Ọya lóde Ìpo? Tàní ràgàn bí Ọya lóde Ìlanà? Ọya tó ràgàn ràgàn Tó rè inú ọ̀gán rè bísí
The beautiful chosen one Who is wealthier than Oya in Ipo land? Who is bedecked like Oya in Ilana land? Oya the barren That chooses the anthill to populate
The translation wey dem publish translate the fourth line ràgàn as "bedecked," and the fifth line as "barren," from the same root word, wey show say the English wey dem print no dey consistent. Ràgàn na barrenness, so the rhetorical structure of line three and four na pair of question wey nobody fit answer: who rich reach Oya, who barren reach Oya, wey hold wealth and not-having-children together as two things wey she pass everybody for dem. That paradox na the main point of the passage and the English wey dem publish soften am. The anthill, ọ̀gán, na the termite mound, and e show again inside the buffalo story below as the place where she change form, so the line join the oríkì to the itan.
Another passage inside the same collection get the line "Pẹ̀lẹ́ obìnrin Ògún, ìyálóde obìnrin ọdẹ", gently, woman of Ògún, ìyálóde, woman of the hunter, wey provide text proof say she marry Ògún as e show inside the buffalo story .
One mistake wey dey to point out. For one line wey concern buffalo inside di same collection, "Ọya òrírì ẹgbẹ̀fà ìwo ẹgbẹ̀fà ẹfọ̀n...", di printed translation translate ẹfọ̀n as "elephant." Ẹfọ̀n na buffalo. Anybody wey dey quote di Elebuibon translation for this line suppose notice di mistake instead make dem dey copy am. This work no dey correct source secretly; dem state di correction here.
Na Johnson again, and this single sentence by itself establish four things :
"Two sword wey dem draw and buffalo horn na di image wey dey represent Oya. Her followers no get right to touch sheep meat, dem dey recognize dem by one special kind red bead wey dem always dey tie round dia neck."
Two sword. Buffalo horn. Di mutton èèwọ̀, di taboo on sheep and ram meat. Red beads for neck as di mark wey dem dey use know devotee. Elebuibon oríkì confirm di ram taboo as somtin wey dey repeat itself .
Add di ìrùkẹ̀rẹ̀ join this, di horsetail or buffalo-tail whisk, and copper as her metal.
Johnson still record say na Ọya dem dey attribute tornado and heavy thunderstorm wey dey break trees and bring down tall building to, and e talk say all these things dey show say her mind no sweet .
Di itan wey dem mostly connect to Ọya, and one wey person must talk true about di evidence wey dey ground: di story dey circulate well well, and di person wey compile this work no fit verify any scholarly primary citation for am. Na Gleason dem dey usually credit am to, but dat one never get confirmation.
Di main plot. Ọya come out from River Niger as buffalo wey get horn. For one termite mound, she remove her animal skin come turn to woman. One hunter, wey mostly na Ògún, see am, hide di skin, come marry her on top condition say dem go keep di secret. Di secret come leak out; inside some version na because di other wives discover am and dey yab her, or na because Ògún vex open mouth talk am while di wives dey eavesdrop. She turn back to buffalo shape comot, leave her horn behind, and di horn come turn to emblem for di cult.
Two separate evidence dey support some part of this story even though di whole story never get verified source. Di anthill matter appear inside Elebuibon oríkì (ọ̀gán) , and Johnson confirm say di horn na cult object . Di Ògún marriage get textual proof inside di Elebuibon line wey dem quote for up .
Johnson account, verified . Among all Ṣàngó's wives, na only Ọya follow am when e run comot Ọ̀yọ́ go towards Tapa (Nupe) land. For Ira, her own home town, her mind fail her and she stay back. As she hear say e don kill imself for Kòso, she pick courage do di same thing. Dem come deify her.
Di parallel couplet wey dem quote for up na di tradition own summary of this thing, and e put di two of dem inside di same grammatical frame.
Di claim say Ọya na di mother or patroness of Egúngún na somtin wey English-language and diaspora sources dey repeat well well, but di Yorùbá scholarship no support am for dat way.
Wetin Henry John Drewal actually publish narrow pass dat: say di cool "breeze of blessing" wey di cloth panels of Egúngún masquerade dey produce as e dey spin fit relate to Ọya as di whirlwind wey dey come before Ṣàngó's storm. Dat one na suggested connection, no be claim of patronage.
Di strong version of di claim carry diaspora influence, and di way e likely take come na through Brazilian Candomblé, where Ọya as Oyá Igbalé really be di only orixá wey dey move inside di world of egun and di only one wey di eguns dey obey. Dat one na real Brazilian doctrine. E no be di same thing as to say Ọya na mother of Egúngún inside Yorùbáland. Check di diaspora section for down, where di difference na di interesting part.
Di name Ọya Ìgbàlé really exist inside Yorùbá usage and e connect her to di grove, so di connection real. Na di content of di connection be wetin people dey argue about.
For here, di record small, and di honest answer na say plenty things wey dey circulate no get proof to back dem.
Ira as her home town depend totally on Johnson and other sources wey follow Johnson back. Dem no find any independent confirmation.
Dem dey often mention Irawo as Ọya town inside English sources. For Johnson, Irawo na Òrìṣà Oko town, no be Ọya's.
Dem dey sometimes give Òṣogbo as Ọya centre. Òṣogbo na Ọ̀ṣun's.
Dem no verify any Ọya festival date.
Na only di general òrìṣà-priest titles, bàbálòrìṣà, ìyálòrìṣà, olóòrìṣà, person fit reliably confirm for Ọya. Di person wey compile this work no see any verified Ọya-specific priestly title. Di form Olóyá na reasonable Yorùbá construction, but dem no fit find am for any source, and dem no assert am here.
Cuba, Lucumí: Oyá / Yansá. Di two main Catholic correspondence real and dem depend on region, and sources wey give only one no complete. Virgen de la Candelaria (2 February) na di one wey dem mostly cite; Santa Teresa de Jesús of Ávila (15 October) still be standard; Virgen del Carmen dey show for some areas. Her domain include di winds, di whirlwind, and specifically the gates of the cemetery.
Documented Cuban iconography include copper crown wey get nine tines wey dey carry nine small tools, wey dem describe say e dey show her power over lightning, death, and di cemetery, plus ritual cap of nine colours on a maroon ground for di mama of nine . Dem preserve di nine exactly.
Brazil, Candomblé: Iansã / Oyá. Dem syncretise am with Santa Bárbara, wey inside Salvador be patron of di fire brigade and of di markets. Note di clear inversion: for Cuba, Santa Bárbara na Changó, di husband; for Brazil she be Iansã, di wife. Di same saint attach to different members of di same couple inside two traditions, wey be good example of why fixed correspondence table no dey reliable .
Her greeting na "Eparrei!", her day na Wednesday, her colour na brown, red and pink, red for di Angola-Congo nation. Her emblems na di sword and di eruexim or iruquerê, di irukere wey dem make with buffalo tail. Her main ebo na acarajé, di akara wey dem dey use black-eyed pea make, wey women wey wear Candomblé dress dey still sell for Salvador street and wey be di single number one thing wey people dey see pass about Yorùbá religion for Brazilian public life. Di qualities wey dey documented include Oyá Igbalé, Oyá Onira, Oyá Egunita, and Oyá Bálé.
Di real difference, and na di most interesting thing dem find about Ọya for di diaspora. For Candomblé, Oyá Igbalé na di only orixá wey dey waka inside di world of egun and di only one wey di eguns dey obey. But di egun cult for Brazil dey separate as institution and dey for corner inside Candomblé, wey dey stay inside special societies for Itaparica island, especially Ilê Agboulá for Ponta de Areia and her branch Ilê Oyá. Umbanda, on di oda hand, dey give eguns active part inside liturgy.
So Brazil keep Ọya's relation with di dead and come separate di ancestor cult as institution, whereas for Yorùbáland Egúngún still dey inside lineage and town religion, and Ọya's connection to am loose pass wetin di diaspora story dey talk. Di two tradition waka go opposite direction on top di same relationship. 08-diaspora treat dis matter well.
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