OLOKUN

Who is Olokun?

It is the Orisha of the Ocean, represents the sea in his more frightful state, because the
full depth of secrets. He is androgynous, half man and half fish. It has violent, mysterious
and compulsive character. Its name comes from the Yorùbá Olókún (Oló: owner-Okún:
The ocean) but in fact is the Owner of all waters, because their daughters Olona and
Olosa (nymphs of the water) represent: springs, pools, cascades, lagoons, rivers, brooks,
marine extensions and the water of rain.

It represents the wealth of the bottom of the sea and the health. Husband of Elusú (of the
sand), Ajé Salugá (of the money and the marine shells), Olosá (of the lagoons), Ikokó (of
the aquatic plants), Dared (of the underground lakes), Boromú (of the sea currents),
Borosia (of marine tornados), Yembo (of the calm of the sea) and Agganá (of rain).

One says that Obbatalá chained it to the bottom of the Ocean, when it tried to kill to the
humanity with the deluge. He is Father Mother of Yemayá. One always imagines to him
with mask, because one says that that watches its face it dies immediately. Its cult is of
the city of Lakes, Benin and Ilé Ifé and arrives at Cuba at the end of Century XIX with
the Iyalosha Oni Yemayá, Ferminita Go'mez, who introduces the cult as at the moment
we know it.

In the rule of Ocha she is one of the main deities, because it is associated to the material
goods, the health and the stability. Its cult is also excellent within Ifá. It does not go at the
top of any initiate and their children crown Yemayá with Gold for Olokum, receiving to
so mysterious deity, in a ceremony that includes cleaning with awan (species of
consisting of offering diverse meals) arranged in several plates, which drain all within a
basket, in which already they are the bodies of the animals sacrificed in honor of the
Orisha, to be everything taken to the sea.

Two spirits coexist with Olokun: Somú Gagá and Akaró that represent the life and the
death respectively. Both spirits are represented by a lead wrist that takes in a hand a
serpent (Akaró) and in a other mask (Somú Gagá).

Legend of Olokum

It counts a legend that Olokum tapeworm 11 daughters; Osupa (the moon), 5 Olosa, 4
Olona and its favourite Agana Erí

The Olosa and the Olona were but the beautiful ones and were sirens, the nine could
become fish-woman or woman only, whereas his hermanastra Agana Erí, daughter of
Olokum with Yewá was deformed, it needed to a sine and tapeworm a high hip but that
the other. For this reason Agana Erí began to feel envies of its beautiful sisters and it
allied fishermen whom a long time ago they loved to find the sirens and to capture them.
The sirens had a defense that Orunmila had flattered to them to become whenever they
wanted.

Agana Erí a day of Full Moon, said to them to the fishermen where to capture them, to
what hour and how they had to snatch to him to all the defense that took in their neck so
that they could not never return and become fish more.

Thus it happened. With immense atarraya the fishermen seized of their sisters. Known
this by Olokum, this one attacked with an immense tidal wave and rescued its daughters,
drowning whom they had dared to capture them. As they lost their defenses were for
always turned fish. Olokum when knowing by means of Orunmila perfidia of Agana Erí,
called it and it said to him: - “By your badness you will be tied to the bottom of the
Oceans and single you will leave in form of foam, condition that granted Orunmila to
you, when Oggum and Osanyin fighting by you deformed to you. You are my favourite
daughter and I do not leave to you, but in your hands you will take like test of your
hipocresía a mask and in the other like test of your badness a serpent”. - symbols these
that iworo takes to the center of the foundation. Who it has the foundation of Agana Erí
or Yemayá Olokum will know to that pataki talks about this.

Foundations:

Olokum de Awó:

The foundation of Olokum de Awó is made up of following the Orishas:

1. - Olokum

2. - Elusu (the sand)

3. - Aje Shaluga 9conchas)

4. - Akoko (the leaf of malanga that represents his osun)

5. - Boromu (God of the sea currents)

6. - Borosia (God of the air flows)

7. - 5 Olosa

8. - 4 Olona

9. - Yembo

10. - Agana Erí

11. - Oki Olokum,

12. - Representing Somugaga of the life

13. - Akaro; it represents the death

14. - Efe. the balance of the forces.

15. - Nine masks that are:

a) bagba

b) abena

c) apana

d) iyagua

e) tgeteide

f) somugaga

g) akaro

h) efe

i) Ayoko

Su tinaja goes loaded and covered with marine shells to represent the bottom of the
Ocean. It speaks through Orunmila with ikines.

Olokum de Iworo:

Olokum of santeros, lives in a one tinaja great on mud or stoneware, of bluish or black
colors water plenty. Their attributes are the lead rudder, siren, wrist with a serpent in a
hand and in a other mask, barquitos, anchors, shells, seahorses, starfishes, it takes otás
dark, conchiferas and of reef, 2 hands of snails (one within the tinajita with the secret and
other release in tinaja), sun, moon, serpent, chains, a mask, all the relative one to the
ocean made in lead or silver. Its vibratory number is the 7 and its multiples. Its color of
vibration is blue, white or the black one. Their Elekes more traditional is of 7 accounts
blue deep, 7 crystal white, 1 red one, 1 yellow and 1 green one, others make them of
accounts of blue indigo that are combined with red accounts, opals and chorales. In
diloggún it speaks by Bear (9), Irosso (4), Eyeunle meyi (8 - and fundamentally by
Ochakuararibó (17). Him offering cooked worn out maize with garlic, onion and butter,
small balls of the Coco, fried, watercress, candy of sweet potato, mazorcas of maize, balls
of ñame sancochado, the Coco, black sugar, fruits, small balls of gofio canary, sweet
meat of pig, green bananas, oranges, sideburn or melon of water, yellow melon and also
any food that is of the predilection of Yemayá. White rooster, chickens, doves, gansos,
ducks, tortoises, Guineans and sheep immolate themselves to him. Their grass is cosmall
stick of the mount, guama hediondo, gold mouse, romerillo, coralillo, fine grass, bolt,
culantrillo, anón, alambrillo, willow, paragüita and normally it takes those of Yemayá. It
is greeted Maferefún Olokum!

The difference since they will have been able to observe between the foundation of
Olokum of awoses and the one of the iworos, is that in the one of awoses, OLOKUM it
goes like main figure, reason why their ceremonies are but complicated and in the one of
the Olorichas, Olokum it goes in conjunction with Agana Erí, that is that it is the main
one of the foundation, for that reason it is that YEMAYA-OLOKUM is denominated to
him commonly.

It is good for stressing then, that the struggle between the validity between one and
another one does not have to exist, because in both is Olokum and its power is
recognized. Writing is in Ifá the treason of Agana Erí and its power to be given by the
Olosha, therefore, the Awó recognizes the secret of iworo and it gives the importance him
that corresponds

Olokum de Awó: when it eats greater animals (of four legs), one occurs bull calf, cow,
pig, sheep and carnera him.

Olokum iworo: it can eat the same as long as in the ceremonies

complex a Awó de Orunmila participates.

In Ifá the cult of Olokum is made Oduduwa in its shore-to-ship conjunction along with.
For a long time it is not made in the diáspora (medical instructors of the inheritance
yoruba in Cuba). The last ceremonies made the deceased Oluwo Tata Gaitán, Ogunda
Fun on end of the Thirties. During these ceremony bull to Olokum occurred them and
they danced tinajas with the nine masks. Perhaps the fear avoided that it was continued
the tradition… Some awó died after the ceremony…

In Brazil and some zones of Nigeria, Agana Erí she is well-known as OTIN and is adored
equal to the Yemayá Olokum of the iworos of the Cuban diáspora.

The Olokum de Awó does not take water, whereas the Yemaya-Olokum of the iworos
yes takes it. It does not take it because between the mass of water of the Oceans and the
center of the boiling lava Earth there is a water steam space that it sustains “floating”, to
say it in the air all the weight of earth and waters. This space can consider a “emptiness”
in where solid mass does not exist and is indeed there in where Olokum lives, reason why
its secret in Ifá does not have to take water.

In the case of Yemayá Olokum, yes it takes water, because its center is Agana Erí. Agana
Erí in the natural state represents nitrates product of the bacterial decomposition of
originating proteins of animals and marine vegetables, that transfers ions of ammoniac
soon completing the call biological cycle of hydrogen, so important for the aquatic life.
The nitrate is consumed as well by the marine plants or turned partly to hydrogen and
raises from the marine depths and is transferred to beaches where the foam (Agana Erí)
surrounds it in the air bubbles and it passes them through sands towards the cliff. The
sand for of marine filter, like the reefs and has been then how the same nature purifies
and recycle waters.

So that it eats in the Earth and soon takes to the sea?

Olokum had two great soldiers who fought daily next to him. Whenever they overcame a
war, it called to his two servants and it invited to them to choose his you compensate.

If first of them, who were vain and bad he requested a thing, to the other that was humble
and reverencial they gave him twice the same. Seeing envious and proud the this
situation, a day after a victory, it requested to Olokum removed an eye to him.

Olokum understood that according to that request, it would have to leave blind person to
whom had demonstrated to kindness and resignation, then considered:

. - “From today to you I remove an eye to you, but you will live in the Earth, where there
will be wars, miseries and weeping. Your brother will at heart live on the Oceans with me
and although he will not see in the Earth by your fault, in the Ocean will have eyes to see
what your you will not be able to see. He will have peace and wealth and also so that I
approve what these doing in the Earth, you will have to take test from your actions to the
Sea and thus he will give his ashé you.”. - (This it is the the two secret of great and small
Tinajas, and of the two hands of snail, opened and a one closed that takes the Olokum of
iworo)

Ferminita Go'mez and the tradition of Olokum:

Ferminita was a dahomeyana princess. It was brought to Cuba at the end of Century XIX
to work like slave in the sugar cane plantations.

Ella iba a ser iniciada como hija de Oshun, pero en medio de la ceremonia Yemayá pidió
su cabeza y fue entonces consagrada a <ST1:PERSoNNAME ProductID="la Madre"
w:st="on">la Madre</ST1:PERSoNNAME> del Mundo, adoptando el nombre de
Oshabí. Cuenta la leyenda que poseía asombrosos poderes sobrenaturales, e incluso podía
hacerse invisible a los ojos de los demás.

Se dice que recibió de Obatero (sacerdotisa de origen Ebagdó) el secreto de Olokum,

hasta entonces potestad de los Babalawos. Ejerció de Oriaté, raspó cabezas e inició a
muchos en <ST1:PERSoNNAME ProductID="la Osha. Entregó" w:st="on">la Osha.
Entregó</ST1:PERSoNNAME> también los primeros fundamentos de Orishaoko y
Olokum de los cuales se tenga noticia alguna en América.

Su Olokum estaba en una habitación cerrada que ella cuidaba con mucho recelo. Estaba
cubierto con siete telas de distintas gamas de azul, rodeado de arena, caballitos de mar
disecados, estrellas, arrecifes, mangle e instrumentos de pesca. En 1944 ella instituye la
tradición de dar cerdo a la deidad, desde un bote “fondeado” en el mar, tradición que aún
conservan sus descendientes, integrantes de la actual rama de la “Pimienta”.

Una anécdota refiere a que ella “montó” un enorme secreto de Olokum para un político
de la época. La tinaja medía más de metro y medio de altura. A ese secreto, le fueron
sacrificados muchos animales, entre ellos gato y cerdo, aún en contra de la opinión de
algunos Babalawos. Se dice que aquel personaje del gobierno cubano contó con los
favores del orisha durante muchos años, gozando de buena salud, inmenso poder y bienes
materiales.

El “ashé” de Ferminita aún perdura en su descendecia. Su herencia en cuanto a

metodología e iniciaciones religosas se mantiene, constituyéndose en una de las
referencias obligatorias tanto para Iworos como Babalawos.

Fue tan inmenso el poder de su Olokum, que la misma sacerdotisa, poseía una salud
envidiable, tanta que consagró a su último ahijado de santo a la edad de 86 años. Falleció
cuando contaba más de cien y en sus honras participaron innumerables personalidades,
tanto de las clases privilegiadas como de la descendencia religiosa y esclava.

Rezo de Olokum

" Yemajá ataramawá sayabí Olokum

Babalodde Ofúnde Okokun

Sayabí Olokmn Yemajá Awoyómayé Lewó

Oní balé Yaloddé ataramawá

Oké nì Okún Akuayé

Sabia pabía Olokum achá Okotó

Orí Aiyé offé Iku