AFRO-CUBAN MYTHS

Copyright @ 2006 by Mark us Wiener Publi shers

for the E nglish language edition

Copyr!ght © 2005 by Siegfried Kndcn for the illustrnt ions

Copynght © 2005 by Jorge Castellanos for the introd uctjon
Copyright © 1938 by R6mulo Lachatancre

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lachatafiere, R. (R6mulo)
[Oh, mio Yemaya!! English]
Afro-Cuban myths : Yemaya and other orishas I R6mulo
Lachatafiere ; translated from the Spanish by C hristine Ayorinde.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55876-317-3 (he. : alk. paper)
ISBN- IO: 1-55876-317- 1 (he.: alk. paper)
ISBN-13 : 978-1-55876-318-0 (pb.: alk . paper)
ISBN-10: 1-55876-318-X (pb. : a1k. paper)
J. Ayorinde, C hristine. II. Title.
PQ7389.I230513 2003
398.2'09729J-dc22
2003059619

M ark u s Wiener Publishers books are prin ted in. the~ United tates
of America on acid-free pap~r, and meet the.guadeh.nes .for permant)nce
and durability of tho Comm1tl.ee un ~roduct1un 1u1Jehnes for
Book Longevity of tht Coun~al on L1bra1y Resourl; s.
 Contents

Introduction by Jorge Castellanos

R6mulo Lachatanere:
Pioneer of Afro-Cuban Studies • vii
Reference Notes • xv ii

Asavu Sola .
The River • 3
Ache • 7
Punishment • 9
Destiny • 13

The Ekuele Divinins Trav • 11

The Revelation • 19
Forgetfulness • 24
Covetousness • 29

Chans6 • 35
Oya • 37
The Obeyes • 42
Incest • 60
Oba • 63

Ochun . 69
Echu and the Pumpkin • 71
Orumbila' Parrot • 77
The Sacrifice • 82
Ogun Arere 's Trap • 86
Deception • 91
 Yemaya . 99
Orisaoco • l 0 t

osun Arere . i 01
Cunning • 109

Ochosi de Mata . 11 3
Ochos i de Mata • 115

Orumbila • 123
Orombila's Moquenquen • 125
Orumbila and Icu • 130

Sonss or Prayers of the Guemilere · 133

Vocabulary · I 45

About the Contributors • 154

_ ..
......-
 INTRODUCTION
R6mulo Lachataftere:
Pioneer of Afro-Cuban Studies'

When speaking of tbe origi ns of Afro-Cuban studies in Cuba,

two famous names are always mentioned, and quite rightly: those
of Fernando Ortiz and Lydia Cabrera. But that of another pioneer.
whose work is seminal in the development of Creole ethnology, is
systematically forgotten: R6mulo Lachatafiere.
Lachatafiere, whose surname is a hispanicised form of the
French surname Lachataignerais, was born in Santiago de Cuba in
1909. He came from one of those distinguished Oriente mulatto
families who have made such an important contribution to the
political, economic, and cultural life of the country. (He was a
grandson of Flor Crombet.) He completed his early education in
his native city and then graduated in pharmacy from the University
of Havana. He lived for a time in Manzanillo and finally moved to
New York, where he worked in the laboratory of Columbia
University Hospital. He died in a plane crash in Puerto Rico in
1952.
His book Oh mio Yemaya! ,2 published in Manzanillo in 1938,
was the first attempt in Cuba to gather a sizeable sample of the
numerous patakfes or myths characteristic of the Reg la de Ocha or
Santerfa, the most widespread of the Afro-Cuban cult practiced
on the island. In the prologue, Fernando Ortiz refer to the erious
obstacles the author was obliged to overcome in order to perform
his task. In the first place, he had to battle against the prejudice
that considered the Afro-Cuban re ligion and it associated litera-

vii
 iii AFRO -C UBA N MYTHS

ture to be undeserving of intellectual attentio n. "In the same way

that the musicians who composed habaneras would deny the
negroid flow of their erotic sweetnes even when they carried .it in
their own blood ... the literati deemed it preferable to glorify and
romanticize the Jong extinct Indians, while despising the blacks
who lived alongside them. For them, that descent into the crypt of
African mysteries in order to capture the poetic content of their
liturgies and myths was despicable and socially and even reli-
giously sinful."3
But there was more: it was necessary to penetrate the secrecy in
which black believers cloaked their beliefs and their cults, fear-
ful-with good reason--of attracting all manner of disdain, dese-
cration and persecution. To the arrogance of the dominant culture
was added the understandable inferiority complex of the subjugat-
ed culture. Exorcising those demons was not a simple matter.
Added to all this was the oral nature of the mythological tradi-
tion, first in Africa and then in Cuba. The myths of Santeria, trans-
ported in the minds of the slaves, reached the island in the Yoruba
language. They underwent a process of transculturation parallel to
that of the language. The myths formed part of the divination sys-
tem and were recounted in such a way that they could be under-
stood by those believers who were gradually losing fluency in
their ancestral tongue. It is likely that they were orally tran lated
first into boza/ and then into the often incorrect and impli tic
Spanish in which they appear today in the libretas or holy bookS
· t tan-
of the santeros. In the end it was necessary to put them tn o
dard Spanish. .
The problem was not merely a lingui tic one. With the pa ~iog
d nd acquired
of the centuries those myths were eroded, telescope a
, · 0 f becom-
all manner of extraneous accretion , often to the point
 R6111ulo Lachatwiere
(Self-portrait ca. 1950s)
 \ H~ P C ti 1\ ·\ N i\ 1' I II S

nc hntnikt ~ gnth 'red n lm o~ t nil Lhc 11alfl~ft ·''

1
ing unincelhgihk.
from an fralnclw (or ~n nl ~rn) in R ·gll1. l lis work. wns not only to
"translnt~" them hut nl$O giv~ them n ~ui1uhl y litc:t MY form with-
ul ~etn\ying their hm1ic meaning or fee ling. th nt is without
..,, hltening" or "we.s1crni1ing" their fro- ubnnnc-.s to the poim
''here it is completcl 1 distorted. A huge problem ncotl y sol ved.
med only with his common svnsc ~ nd n love of Lruth and tradi -
tion, d1e uuthor mannges to lend his work complete authenticity.
facilitnting the interpretative work of Inter cthnologL Ls nnd folk-
lori ' ts. Oh. mio Yemaya! i ~ a Cuban cln, ic, found only w i th great
difficulty in a few N orth American librnrie and whi ch, let it be
... tres ed. demand a peedy reissue.
Thi book contain 2 1 legend or patakfes in the form of "sto-
rie ,. rea embled by Lachataiiere. In them we do not find the
metaphorical pyrotechnics and overflowing imagination of those
by Lydia Cabrera.4 But some attain a very considerable level of
artistry, as j t11e ca e of the lyrical story about Oba (wife of
Chang6) and the poignant loss of her beauty. Other , which teU of
d1e life and miracle of the major oricha , in particular Chang6,
Ochun, Yemaya, and Ogun, are extremely valuable source. for the
tudy of Lucumi mythology. For example, Onlmbila 's Porrots,
which tells of Ochun's adultery with Ogun Arere, i a fable com-
parable to tho e of Venus and Jupiter. The divine protagonists of
on1e of these pieces recall others from the Graeco-Roman pan-
theon uch as Mars, Vulcan, and Hercul es, though without losing
their Africanity and typicalJy Creole sense of mischief.
In an effort to remain true LO his oral sources, Lachutai1crfs
style is straightforward, simple and unadorned. Nicola~ Guillen
find in thi s work by his good friend "more than one wondcrfuJly
uccessful page" and even when he notes a certain faltering 111 oth
 I:\ TRODl.JC TJ O' xi

ers. according to him they are always saved by ..the charm, the
enchancment of the fable, the naive ty of the plo4 lacking in any lit-
erary artifice and which manages through its essential force to
make an impact..~ Perhaps il is for this very reason that these tales
are so mo' ing . They lead us directly. without detours, in to a mar-
velous and magical world-the numinous imagination of Afro-
Cubans, which represents lheir elemental and profound response
ro fundamenta1 questions of popular and universal theology and
philosophy.
In bis next publication, an essay entitled "The religious system
of the Lucumis and other African influences in Cub~·· Lacb-
ataiiere est.ablishes the methodological and semantic routes to be
followed by subsequent Cuban ethnology. He highlights the out-
standing merit of Fernando Ortiz's groundbreaking work. He
declares himself a disciple while not hesitating to point out his
reacher's mis takes and limitations. Ortiz, with the greatness char-
acteristic of truly wise men, accepts this serenely, publishing the
work of his critic in the pages of the journal Estudios Afrocubanos,
which he edjted. That generous creative collaboration-so rare in
Cuba-enabJed the rapid advance of Afro-Cuban studies at a cru-
cial point in their development. 6
Lacbatafiere gets to the bottom of the problem. He explains thac
the focus of the early work of Ortiz was trictly penological . Hi
tudy of blacks is a study of the black " underworld." Influenced by
Lombroso and Ferri, in Afro-Cuban c ulture he ee only cbe
suppo ed atavism of the " primitive people " brought to Cuba by
the slave trade. Lachatafiere propo es a trict1y anthropological
approach based on existing method of cientific ethnology.
Ontz's corrections (already begun of hi own accord) and the
research of Lydia Cabrera soon proved how fertile this new
approach would be.
,
 I NTROD UCTI ON x ii i

Na igating the dense jungle of the innumerable African ethnic-

iti fou nd in Cuba with a sure compass, he established clear
boundarie between the cultural complexes produced by transcul-
turation. As he explained, in Cuba there are three main ones: the
Lucumf, of Yoruba origin; the Congo, of Bantu provenance; and
the Carabali, from Calabar. Each has a distinct religious system
a sociated with it: the Regla de Ocha of the Lucumfs, Palomonte
or Mayombe (in all its varieties) of the Congos; the Abakua Secret
Society (iwiiigos) of the Carabalfes. Up until that point the Afro-
Cuban beliefs were generally regarded as an impenetrable tangle
of heterogeneous elements lumped together under the beading of
brujerla [witchcraft]. This streamlined classification made possi-
ble the systematic and "neutral" (that is, unprej udiced) study of
each culture and religion.7
Lachatafiere was opposed to the use of the term "witchcraft" to
describe the Afro-Cuban beliefs, quite rightly considering it dis-
criminatory. He noted that even in Africa during the period of the
slave trade, the "sorcerer" was always regarded as an anti-social
and subversive agent. '1n African societies the sorcerer is always
considered an unnatural being whose criminal acts deserve every
condemnation. They were severely punished with the death penal-
ty and in fact it was the priests who were given the task of judging
them."11 The African slaves brought that concept of the criminal
nature of witchcraft with them to Cuba.
Afflicted with an intense ethnocentri m, the colonial authorities
and also those of the early Republic confused trictly religiou
practice~ with those that were black magic or harmful and they
pen~cc.uted them alJ equally. This i. why labelling the reglas con-
xas or lhe reg/a lucumf "wiLchcraft" wa. profoundly racist. Tho e
who u:mf used them with criminality and with the underworld
 ·\ 1. lH ' l I ' 1ll \ N I\ 1' I " ~
"'
tllllll'd h\tnJn'd\ l'l' tlt\)\l'-:\lldS lll p1nl·tlthHWI\ 1111 0 l'Cl lTlllHlll huhll ..
u,\l "' t m11nnls nml tlu.'h de' <'lt \Hllll 1 ill'' 111HI m y~ r kn l h ·11·f~ into
""'""'l'pt:-. l)r "'rimin1\l lt\w.
.\ Isl' <l\:.:('dtnimlt"\)r) nnd \1nsl'11.:nti I l\ 11c<.·ordlng lo the nuthor of
thi~ "tmly, '' ~':-: thl' n~1..' l'f th(' tt:rm />r11jo or Jt•til'ht•m to dcqignnte
tht'~~ wh\1 \\ ct ' rn ' t ' 1 , pric~t s of perfec tl y 1 1.!~ ltimutc
religious
l' lllt"$. )nc mus t coll th ' tll by thdr nnmcs. insists L nchntancrct san-

1 n >s )f .wmtcra \or m on: ~ Pl.'C itl cn ll y 1md uccon.ling to their hier-
archies. l>ol>alaos. l)obalodws, or iva/oC"/ws in the Rt•Rla de Ocha,
nnd mayomhr ros or 11gw1~11/eros i11 polo. l] rujos or bmjas arc ' 1thc
priest ~ r prietles. t: . or tho~c out. idc of the priesthood who dis-
pla) u preforence for the t rnc t icc~ orblack mogic, using Lhe afore-
n1entioned c ncept os it is u ·ed in African sociclies." 9 In thi way,
the pr.ictices relati ng to n :.gntive or hnrmful magic and muddled
popular ·uperstitions are llt;Otly and permanently separated from
the uuthentic religions that are the Afro-Cuban reglas.
Lachatanere accept ' that, among the huge mass of humanity
ca ·t o nto the i ·land by the slave trader , ome brujos (in the
African sen e of the word) must surely have reached Cuba and
pmcticed their ance trnl rites there. He notes that "among the
aforementioned laves there were brujos and criminals who musr
for a time have continued their vi llainous way of li fe, especiaJly
on the ugar plantation where the isolation and oppression
offered plen1y of opportunity for tho e who had been outside the
Jaw in their own land to continue their exce es in that terrible et-
ting. But these are criminal ca e that should be clas ified outside
10
o f the tudy of religion."
Another eminal contribution of this work Is the distinction
drawn between two phases of the economic process and, there-
fore, of the slavery regime in Cuba, resulting from the upsurge m
 I NTROD UCTI ON xv

sugar plantations in the lale eighteenth century. As we have noted

el ewhere, Cuban slavery cannot be fuJly understood without
studying the differences between the pre-plantation and plantation
society insofar as they form two distinct, if interrelated, social and
servile systems. It is this f undamenta1 concept that allows a fuller
understanding of the historical background of Afro-Cuban culture
from colonial times up unti I the Republic. 11
Lacbatafiere studied the Afro-Cuban religions at both extremes
of the island. In his essay he notes that the Regla de Ocha pre-
dominates in Havana and Matanzas, while in Santiago de Cuba
and Guantanamo, although Santeria is found, it is eclipsed by the
reglas congas. Everything seems to indicate that interpenetration
or "crossing" between the two sects is more acute there than in the
capital. These religious differences between the wes t and the east
of Cuba have never been given the attention they merit. More than
half a century later, Lachatafiere's work js still suggesting virgin
themes for a new generation of researchers.
In 1942, Editorial Caribe published Manual de Santeria: el sis-
tema de Los cultos lucumis [Manual of santeria: the system of the
Lucum{ cults] in which our author attempts the first panoramic,
organic and systematic view of an Afro-Cuban religion. From the
preface onwards, a new orientation is evident, a new methodolo-
gy: to present the beliefs in keeping with the practitioners' own
views, without first making them pass through the filter of anthro-
pological theory. "Our intention," writes Lachatafiere, "is to
attempt to present the beliefs under discussion in accordance with
the interpretations of Afro-Cubans, discounting any judgment that
stems from our intellect, ... putting the Afro-Cubans them elves
on tage · .. allowing them to act." 12 This is precisely the method
that would be followed shortly afterwards by Lydia Cabrera, the
 A fR O - C'tlHAN MYTHS
"j

most prolific rel\ ·arch ·r Ill thi\ fi ·Id: r ·prm h•cin

what h r in for
manl \ told her almost verhat1m nnd with'' minim\lm o f or Hniz 1
t1on and thuc; making her boo k\ true primary ~murc ~ c1f cthn
graphic material.
T he Manual make a fruitful methodological contribu ion by
in i ting on treating the island' three Afro- uban rellgiouc: y •
tern separateJy, though Lachatanere makes the mistake o f givm
the term Santeria a generi c sense to include them all In fact, the
name Santerfa should be applied only to the Regla de Ocha.
However, the work does point out the main difference~ between it.
palo monte or mayombe, and naiiiguismo without omitnng to al ·o
note areas of convergence between the three reli gious complex ' ·
Here Lachataiiere offers the fir t ystematic tudy in Cubu 0
the orichas or santos [saints] who gi ve the Regla Ocha tts popul.lr
name of Santeria. He gives detailed de cription · of the worship of
Ochun, Yemaya, Chang6, Elegua, Ogun, Babalu Aye, etc., u~ well
as the different "paths" or advocation of each. He notes their yn-
cretic nature: the fu sion with saints of the Cathohc Church. Buth"
suggests that this system is not strictly polytheist, 11ince a pcrs m-
al supreme creator god--omnipotent and omnipresent if also d1 -
tanL and "i n retirement"-called Olorun, Olodumarc, Olnti or
01ofin rules over these deities.
Much Jess useful is the study of the liturgy offt=red by the
Manual. The author appears to have had very limice<l u ce to
Santeria ceremonies. He speak of the asienw or imu ta n b t
without going into detail. The ame appli to lhe nfo; ,
" peJJ s," possession, the tambor or gliemil re [drum
the ituto or funerary rite~ etc. But the schcm is m pl
ing the attention of researchers. Th pri slly hie lhl..-:
ti net ion between baba/ao!l , baba/oclun·, i ·alm:ht1._ ,
ly defined .
 INTRODU CT I ON xvii

Th .. ritual be t described is the oracle or divination system

kn wn a , Dilog1l11, which is performed using 16 shells called
cowrie~ .Lachatanere gives a detailed description of the system of
prediction, it odus, "letters" or "s igns," and the patakies or myths
associated with them. Nevertheless, there js very little jn the book
on the three other divination systems: coco (also called Obi or
Biaguf), the Jfa divining tray, and the Ekuele. The final chapter of
the book i , devoted to brujerta. Here he develops what he had out-
lined previou ly in the article published in £studios Afrocubanos.
Finally, he incJudes a very useful table of the Lucumi deities, an
equally important selection of salutations to the sai nts in Cuban
Yoruba and of the verses recited when each letter of the Dilogli.n
i thrown.
The Manual de santeria is undoubtedly a work of limited range,
but no other bad systematized, as it does, everything that was
known at the time about Afro-Cuban religions. Fernando Ortiz and
Lydia Cabrera continued to research and write until they were well
advanced in years; Lachatafiere died at the age of 42. He did not
have time to do all he would surely have been able to. But what he
did is enough to place his name among the great pioneers of eth-
nological research in his country. "He c leaned, fixed and put a
hine on" studies that, before his arrival, uffered from method-
ological and semantic confusion. He put thing in order, he clari-
fied. he classified, he compiled material , he blazed trail , he point-
ed out direction • he proposed themes. What more could one ask
of him?

Jorge Castellanos
 Notes to the Introduction

I. \ n L' pandt'd VL'~i \ln nf lhi. l11lt0duct(lry essay uppcars in Plonero~ de

lo ttm),t:n~/io 1{fllJt' 1thmw: f r 111w1do Ortiz. Ronmlo f.,rzrhataiiere, Lwlia
1

....,, rrm ( 1inmi: f<d icioncs U ni vcrc;ul. 2003).

2. Tiu: titk i: mwtht·r c~nn1p lc nf the prnhlcms that arise when attempttng
ll.' mm ·\.·rtbl' nn unl..no' n longuugc. T he author shnuld have written Om(
,, )'tw1<n·o! -nn om1g<S( the lnngungc o f the Cubnn Lucum f<>) ritual phrac;e
nwnnmg " You. wmcr. Ycmnyn!" that refers to that goddess's characteri-
1 !ltion n~ the queen of the en, .
~~ · rti1. in Lnchot:lflere. Oh. min Yemaya, p. xiv.
-t lthough hoth nuth0r are writing narrative, they have different inten-
tion:::. Lm:hn tnne~ i ~ 01tcmp1 ing to reproduce lhe pataki exac tl y ~ Cabrera
gh cs free rein to her crcntivc imagination and liberall y adapts material
of fro- uban or other origi n though she interprets it in keeping with the
spirit of thm culture. Lachataiiere' intention is basically ethnographic;
in h~r C11emo . that of Cabrera is mainly literary.
5. Ii ' Olas Guille n, Prosa de Prisa (Buenos Aires, 1968), p. 172.
6. R6mulo Lachata.iiere. 'El si tema religioso de los lucumfs y otras mflu-
en in africana en Cuba," £ studios Af rocubanos 3, nos. 1~ ( L939):
_ -90: 4 , no . l-4 ( 1940): 27-38; 5 ( 1945-46): 190-2 15.
7. Lydia Cabrera had already intuited these differences before the appear-
ance of Lachmaflere's works. In her early storie , published in Paris in
1936, even tho e chat are not patakfes but the product of her shimmering
imagination, he never confuse Lucumi with Congo or Abakua.
Fernando Ortiz in his early works also shows that he i aware of the spe-
cific role played by the de cendants of the Yoruba, the Congo. and the
CarabaH in Cuba. Lachatanere' achievement was mai nly in definin11c •
con eptualizi ng, and y tematizi ng the basic Afro-Cuban cultural com-
plexe .
8. Lachatanere, art. cit., Esr11dios Afrocubanos 3 ( l 939): 78.
9. Ibid., 77.
l 0. Ibid., 8 1- 82.
11. Cf. Jorge and Isabel Ca tellanos, Cultura Ajivcubana. vols. l and 2, e p.
hapter 2 of the fir t volume.
12. R6mulo La hataiiere, Manual de miteria: el si tema de cultos lucumi~
(Havana, 1942), p. 10.

Vlll
 Refere nee No·tes

The legends lhcit in<ipircd th ~ tori cs in thi ~ volume were col-

lect 'd 1n Havana here I c., penl m oc;t o f my time Vi<J1t mg the
1ty, \:
pince. where sanlero rituals were celebrated. r wac:: able Lo ec;tab-
h ~h clo e friend hip with ome profesc;ionalc; of the Yoruba cu ll
and to delve into the folkloric detail and meaning of this e ngag-
ing form of uper tition.
I cuJtivated the friend hip of a sweet young woman, a good per-
on who wa full of pontaneous fervor for the religion of her
ance tors, to the point where I became her close confidant. It was
he who told me most of these torie .
My brief stay in Manzanilla has had no influence on the publi-
cation of the e pages. Where there is a black per on there i bru-
jerfa.1 This is a sign that must be foJJowed, and in this area of
Manzanilla and Bayamo there are not many black people apart
from sporadic, not very significant traces. The e area are the cen-
ter of a type of popular spiritism that i deeply rooted in the pirit
of the people and which they call olile-some say thi word i a
corruption of the Yoruba term olele, meanjng a kind of maize pan-
cake-which I understand harks back to the miserere of the early
!.
Catholics.
I·
In Santi ago de Cuba and Guantanamo, important urban centre
wi th a significant number of black , the Yoruba religion i pra -
weed with slight variations-a mixture of Lucumi and Congo rites.
Brujerfa is practiced in the predominantly black area of Alto
·r Songo and San Luis, but I have not a certainecl what form it take .
Jn Matanzas there are numerous cabi ldo ' . In ome di tricts,
such as Alacranes and o16n, the ritual has retained all of it pun-

xix
 J\ P IH > (' tr I\ A N M Y ·1 fr '>

t and the rcli giouq fe rvor with which the pro<;clytc«t dev<Jtc them
selves to their practice~ makes me inclined to thin k they a re rt1
mo. t holy and sacred places o f the Yoruba c ult in C uba.
In Havana City, on nights when the feac;ts of important 'aint
are celebrated, from every rambling old house inhabited by black
people wiJJ come the me lancho ly lament of the drums <1eeping out
through its doors; restless rhythms of hope and charity for thc'ie
people's difficult li ves. The cult has left inde lible traces in Regla.
a suburb close to the great city that was for me rly a depo~itory of
freed slaves but now whitened, as out of necess ity, Afro-Cuban~
have mjgrated to the large urban centers. It has been preserved
with evident vitality, though it has to some extent lost its mystical
sense. The same thing occurs in Guanabacoa and the spreading
neighborhoods of Havana.
L astly, I would hope trus volume may serve to stimulate others.
with more discipline and a greater capacity for hard work than I,
to incorporate the black-very much a part of my flesh-into the
national culture.
~~,
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 The River

The hordes of men advanced deep into the impenetrable f'1te~l,

savageJy tearing down the dense tree.s, tramptiog the green gra~l'i
that grew on the paths and pulling up by the root\ tbe r,Jender bu~fl­
es that blocked the ir destructjve impuJse. They buHt road,, i arr<,-H
paths carpeted with faJJen Jeaves appeared that gave 11ay to wide
roads skirting the hjgh and inaccessible mounrafo~ that t()tJC to
meet their natural ceiling: the sky.
In this way man created his communication route'1 aod e'dcnd--
ed the boundaries of the vrn ages, establishing new Jinkc. an<l tak-
ing possessjon of more and more of the forest's jeaJow,Jy gWirckd
secrets. In the wildest and densest part of the forcljt where the
barshness of the terrain c urbed man's audacity, the river floww,
majestic and menacing. Prom the highest pJateautt it could be csccTa
meandering through the mountains like a <iiJ very mon\tcr lhul
moves forward sluggjshJy. But when Lhe distance was cover«! in a
determined effort, the ri ver, seen from nearby, revealed aJI its fury.
its choppy water, jLs raging eddies ri '>i ng, writhiHg Hkt a wounded
serpent r ippJing its back in the lhroes of death. The over roared
lugubriousJy, a thunder ous and menacing sound. vcn the brave l
hearts were filJ ed with awe, and no one danxJ risk. the c.buigcrou
undertaking of conc..iuering the currt;nl.
 T H E RIV ER 5

When all lhe others had le ft, convinced that any attempt to con-
quer lhe river would be fr uitless, Agayu Sola, a farmer who wa<i
elderl y but a trong and vigorous a a young warrior and irascible
and hardworking, stood beside it looki ng at it defiantly. After
thinking for a moment, he took his sharp axe and began to cut
down a huge tree. Its trunk was so wide that it could not comfort-
ably be encircled by the arms of fi ve people. Whe n he had finally
felled it, he stripped away the branches with his battle machete. He
n1ade a bonfire whose sputtering flames rose, illuminating the sky
with its bright sparks.
Then he let a slow fire bore through the resinous trunk of the
felled tree while he shaped the wood until he had fashioned a
crude boat. He made two powerful oars out of the same wood.
When he considered his work done, he put some provisions in his
boat and set out on his adventure. He rowed, cutting through the
current, beating it tirelessly wi th his oars. The river put up a resis-
._. tance equal to that of a thousand animals pulling in the same direc-
'> • '
tion . But Agayu Sola cut through the river in his small boat. All his
muscles flexed , and the vei ns on his neck stood out, his chest
expanding and contracting like an accordion. T he oars rut the
water, thwack, thwack, thwack. The river raged furi ously, rrr rrr.
Rocking w ildly, the boat moved forward. Agayu inched for ward.
Every inch gained was one less opportunity for the river to swal-
low him and his boat. The daring boatman rowed more wiftly
Lhough the current that gradually became le trong.
Once he had covered half th e dis tance, A gayu gathe red tre ngth
and, with odd movements, he broke thro ugh the current, making
I.he boat move forward rapidly until it reached the oppo ite bank
of the river. He leaped ashore and, rubbing hi ha nd togethe r,
said: " I have conquered you; now l will fini h you off.u
 rnn <' Hl\ fY nt

'' 1 h, nt I' nsin _ 101 hr nth. h ·lim d tt\fo th

" t1 th h ' r. thi~ 1it11 • ith mm h 1c f·ffnrr th ,u1 an th fi

'1' u Hi did this ten times until h turned rh · river inm 1

Im. quiet streum on which the hoat glided ~lo ly and m hly
Thanks to ga u ·~ effonc;, contact wa. e<\tahliqhcd hetwcen th
'tllages that had the river ac; their boundary. In return for hi'
ch1e ement, anyone who wanted to cros~ O\ler to the other it.I
had l o pay a fee to the farmer w ho had become a boatman He ,11<
became a wealthy man .
ne day a woman arrived on the ri verbank. Dre ~ed a volu- tn

m1nou coarse woolle n cloth, he had a beautiful face and gooo

manner . She cli mbed into the boat, indi cating to the hoatman rhal
he sho uld take her to the other ide. When he aw her c.li11tm-
g ui hed appearance, A gayu thought it prudent not to mention rhc
fee for hi s work. Settling her comfortably in hi. boat, he began to
row. Whe n they reached the bank, the woman jumped up and
began patiently arranging the fold of her skirt, scarcely looking al
the boatman . This gave Agayu an opportunity to claim his pay-
ment. " Omorde,5 pay me the fee."
The woman responded by taking off her dre s and lying down
on the gr ass. Agayu, seeing her thu , mounted her, and they haJ
~ex uaJ intercourse. Afterwards the woman said: "You have ha<l t11t
great honor of s leeping with Obatal a." And ~he di~appeared, lea~ -
ing the boatman bewi ldered.
And that was that.
 Ache

Witho ut knowi ng it. Agayu Sola had posse sed Obataht the
most powerful woman among those lares, who had the gift of
being able to transform her appearance. Sometimes she appeared
in the guise of a humble and gentle lover. sometimes in that of a
warrior full of fighting spirit. able to perform valiant deeds, giving
orders arrogantly. and treating her enemies ruthless ly. But this o ne
ad venture had not satisfied the ferryman. He felt his manhood
humiliated. He needed to find out who ObataJa was. He tho ught
that the most proper thing would have been for him to make the
first move as men usually do. That is why he changed hi manner
toward those who came to cross the river. To each o ne that came
he said: "Who are you and where do you come from ?"
And they had to answer: "I am so-and-so ."
"Well. pay me the fee."
"Here it is."
If this procedure was no t followed. Agayu So hi wo uld fold ni
arms and re main deaf to all reques ls. When anyo ne in ·i ted he
would say : "Find a name and a co in and you may cro ' the river;
otherwise you are just a mi serable Limewa ' te r."
Lo and behold o ne day a child appears be fore him and says:

7
It

' ~ " \ n) ' · I ' n l IC n n<I (' m

id\ ..
'"\\ 1rnt ' ) ' u1 n unc. m ••

" lchn°th ,, ontm ...

"\V~n . an th 11 \. 1c;; .. 1 n ' I h 1p f\U "
Th~ c-hild l ·tm to c ml r h rt "d: .. It'
I ":w. m~ '' "re:' perh P" tfl r thi~ 1 m. n r , h r r
m ~ :·

" H o" man) coins do you hu e ?"

" J am ' ry poor ..
Then the ferry man an\wered . \ l oquen u n. g 1 ,~ t "
ou came from I cann t violate m}' principl :·
..Then carry me on your ~houlder\ . You h l V ~ n 'vcr Uhl ·1
charge you \ O much for carrying you on my hnuld ·r~ ....
" You arc \mart; I wiJI carry you ," ~aid J\ tLyu. ltlttn 1 lh-.i 1,;ht
and entenng the river. But a\ oon a' he beg m to wulk h" n ill
that the chi Id grew heavier and hca 1cr unu l he was tn unt • rr
weight. ..What the hel.I 1· ma~ing you o hc ..1.vy "
lum, strUggli ng to keep him on h1 houhkr.
..Don ' t ask que tion • and keep your word."
"'Moquenquen, I can' t go on."
·"Then J ok at me!"
The ferryman turnl!d his f ce toward che child and
ting him fa)] into the water ·· du-dua ,..
The chiJd , floating on the wat~r, came up to him ttnd
your eff orls, I hand the n er O\ r to you."
Then t e di ~app an~d . And rhut was that
 n with gayu lh y

r n-quirinan• and clim d the pc

1lc.n Thes-c he de' ted herself to h r dutt~ . nr'l 1tt.t ·hm
rt} import n to her flc tine d cntur . .. Jn flt"r ' trd h. fi ·It
d di omfon t11at pre ·des m th )rh l. Rut th · orn m die.I n >t
won • nd I c ntinu d to • rheJ in h'"'r t 1-.k . lJnttl oo" J
h~ felt very inlen c pains. as if som ·thing w ts tryin • lo
trom I er inside .
b tal ~ 1d: ··1 ' ill pfilh unul it come out"
oon aflcr, hild emerged Th wom41n wh ' had JU t
b1~U1 took him in her arm~ and scrolcing hjm, saiJ: ·· ou i ll '-=
c lied hang6.''
··1 h thJt nan1e," ~aid the moqut:nqurn.
Afi..er this, bataJa rerurned co he1 attairs and lltd Ol. c ti c:: lllj

notice of Lhe moquenqu n. He got bored ar d tUl l rorn on end o t

Liu: ltuusc lo thl! uthc:r, UI h~ fcmaincd lying un th t1 , hb C es
fixed on lht dome of sky fur lung slrch:hcs of tim . \ h n he sa '
I ib 11 othtt coming, he dutch~d ,u hct , huggrng her I g~, and asked
wuh Leai b in h•~ eyes ...Obarnla, who i\ my talh 1'/"
• J dun' t I • ow, moquenquen , dun't pc'll ~ r me !"
palm tree and climbed it in a trice. He sta~ ed there. tre ~
fear.
Ochun re cued the moquenquen from the flaw-~ -
\\·omen returned to Olofi. Olofi said referring t0 Q . g0: -
make you lord of the fire! ..
To Oya he aid: ·'You are the mi tre of li ...__!!htruna .-
,;::- •

Turning to Ochun. he aid: '·It \vill be your tom ano the;-

ha,·e handed out a lot of ache today.~
And that was that_
 Destiny

Chang6 returned home happy. His wi h to see his father had

been granted. That was enough for him, despite the harsh recep-
tion. In hi innocence, he did not know how father were upposed
to behave toward their children, and therefore his own reception
had seemed right and proper. As soon as he arrived, he went to
Obatala and said: "My iyare, I have been with my father."
Obatala laughed her bead off, showing her white teeth. "You
won' t want to see him again."
"On the contrary, Baba: he gave me a very pleasant day."
..Really? Why didn 't you stay with hjm?"
"I wanted to come and give you the new . Beside , h taught me
many things: look." The boy went over to the oven and take out a
burning coal. He passed it over his body and then ch wed it, Ii k-
ing hi s lips as if it were a sweet.
Obatala said lo him: "l see that you can eat tire. Who gave you
this gi fl?"
..My father!"
''Moquenquen, you are lying!"
~id
''J' m leJling the truth; my father took me befor Olofi and
lo him : 'Give my soo a gift,' and God replied: 'He wi ll b the
lord of fi re."'

J3
 Ill fl llr

\ h 11l '1\lll f 11fh, 1 l111tt iflll)l hl f' ,,, '" HI• '"" ,,, I 1111 f

t ''' l 11 f\H\I 'ml ll11h' 111 v h11lt1 i

' '( h1hl, ''"' I ,,,,, I l1 l1 I HP ( 1 11 I J11 Ii , ,,
Utt' ,, ,,, iJ ,,,,0
JJ.1~
\, ll\\ h\ 'Ill\•~ llltll lllll d !Ill lh• 11111 ~ ll liJ 1 11,,fll )tt I f11t1'J f6 I/" j if
"'' I h1 I hl ld hill 1•11 d l•I ,,, ,, 111111 t II , ,,,,, ( ll 1.1t •JfJ I ·1 .,,,
t \\\ ,,\I h1I h't! l\lld 1111 11 1111 ••V• II llllll' 1Jt 11 lllHt l• di/;
t ht \ ~ :\\\ lh11i 'nll 111 \IJ I 1p 1 Ill• 111 111'1 q f /'1111 fHlbc I ;Ji!)llll
''\\ .,,11,, , 1\11h , , d < 'll1111w·,
11011 ,H • d 1 1
l h11l 1\l1\ h I hl11111n1 ll HIM 11,ll d nw111:•;.i, )11111 '' 1 1.iud' lJ,#r•1t.1, Yti4 ..

'"'''h'n11nd shnp<'h' 111\1 11l11111p 111rnj 111,

\ \ l\ I thr I\ \Ill ( ' h ll ll •t11 I l 1 pl tll lf fl l Ol11t1.tl fi' 'ii·•/ I 11 ~ tjf/IH If~
'" ' "'"" lh t <"'ir•111 1111 1ll , 11 nd 1l1c• l q1 Ill' rJ y 1r1 J.1w J1 1ly
1 1 1

t , 111\l( 1 hub l \.J l \lll ~, 11 l1111t1lt1 1{ ~ · 1r 11 f11t c whq cl1.111d,, / J

t•ndc\t ' I ('lh ' t' nl Ohtlltllf\ ' l ll<HllC. I I r~ 11111 11 11111 pJ.•, r .,, pt ~."'~
k . ~ l y d1 11.~8l l\A nn •lh.fc•t'ls lw l<>1111d ;!Jouµ, Ill« Y,t•1llil'l. •Hl~H~ ts
ritU \l h11 ndhr~ll s . Thul w11 s rit>lll(' nl 1l1c fltn<;, qflu...1 tt111e,., ru, ~x r
,., hud lw gc)t ,) ut l)I' h 'd 1111111 '"' h ·g11 1t l o -;JH M JJ iu ~•II th· ~lfrier ..
lintlill ~ Ohnrnl._'s sccrl'f ohjt·crs 1111d 1l11 ow11 iy llt ·111 ,mtn the f1ot' '
, ith 11 ~l'lH'1tf11I g 'slur ·. I lis moth ·r pu11i ';hcd t11rra cvc1cJy. Ni 1.
he hnd 111k ·n hi :-i ptrnishnw111 ho 111 11 over tile 111<JUut.aiu, and LUI •
up \I 1h~ 1 Homilcrc:. JI ~ luurncd llow tu dan<.:c al<J11g'iJ<lc the druffr
hk ' lhl' prof 'SSic)llal dancers, and he g1trncd lhc all~~ti(Jo of thrJM
pre~ ·nt.
When h ' arri ved they would ~ ay : " l l lS the (.;hild that Agayu lfl\:

10 burn :· And lhl! drumm ;rs I ;l hiin b~al the <.hum ust<l '1l lh~ part
wi th his rcs tl~ss lingers. C'haugo drank g las~l.!s ot liquor and in
drunken UIH.J ' Uphuric; Slate rel urned lo his habit of grabbing t:Ve •
thing
One day he fou nd a11 amulcl card ully wrapped m ~oft cottc
bJIJ ~. and, set!ing it was vc1y me-, he ~aid : .. Do you want to ha'
fun ,1t lh ' glicmilerc'l''
16 APRO -C V f\ AN MYTH S

The arnulel an~wered : "As long as you put me back in my pfacc

afterward."
They arrived at the party arm-in-arm, like two pa ls. As ~oon afJ
the gris-gris heard the music, it jumped up and down three time~
and danced to the beat. Chango danced with him, following hi,
steps.
Then they said: "Let's have a drink!"
"Well, Jet's then !"
They drank quickly until they had the ir fill , and they partied on
more wildly, letting the days go by, unmindful of Obatala and of
everyone else . On the sixth day, the gliemilere drew to a close with
a song to Elegua, and they went home together completely drunk.
When she saw them, Obatala said to C hango: "Damn ! Didn't
you know that Odu-dua must not see daylight?.,
" But he's had a good time," answered Chango.
Obatala, furious, seized him and, holding him up in the afr, let
him fall rapidly into space, saying: "You are trying to wreck my
house; but I'll bury you in the ground first."
Here began the heroic deeds of Chango de Ima.
 The RevelatIon

A i ll agcr called Ycmay& a~ bu irh h r ho u ' h 1hJ ch

when the heavens suddenly cloudc<l O\ r 1ml it I .-.. nn to thun r
loudl y as if the \ ky was lhrc~ tcning to h.1tr ·r rnfn 1l tho 1 nI
piece . The no 1\e or Lhc furi ous man ::h of th "' lhuncl ·r wus Ilk· ll
unrc twined gallop of an cnormou c~w lc.tCI"', Th· ldv~ 111 ·rn •
cloud c.:autiou-,ly unraveled their curly ncccc, r 110v111 lu • 1 hl y
and hiding the lal)t trace of a rcdd\!n\!d un.
uddcnly a Ha h Of hgtllning Ul through pct! C, hlll llfl ' the
eye of the omord~ . who looked up i n tinctivcly um! wa urpns ·u
LO ~ec a red dot falling rapid I} t0ward hc:r.

Not batLing an eyelid, Ye1na} a opened her ~ki rl OUl like Ml net
and waned l or the i ncandc~ce nc sphere to tall. IL hullc.:n.:d m a
thk k c.J ud of ~mo"'t! and thre\'. her to th ground, tartli11g hc1.
Aft.er :J mom nt, the \ oman \l. d~ v n mor~ ctlllazcd whtn hi.! uw
fore ht r a chtld ho a) galing at her and utilmg .
..M qut nqu n. \ho ar you'!'' askt:d the a~ tuni:\heJ cma &.

·1 aru hango; Jll)' morhc:r ha~ chw "'u m~ out ..it h\!aven.''
· A nd who is your i yaJl!'/"
"ObJtiJI ."
J 1l;n crnaya ~ ui tl happ1l y: "Oh, 'hco•g • you arc u gi rt th&.tt
 \ Ht l 1 I I I I ;\ N ~ I 'V I II'I

\ h\ti hH'\ ,,, )>\IWI\ Ill Sl'lld n ll ' 1 wlll 111111· y 1111 Wlllt 1 ll f • 11

1'lwn ~lw hwk him lU l\f\f h llll 11' , I •'It RI "lit W1V•1 ldrn 11 h untf,,j
}'.\h n1 ~h\ t'S ,
.• H ' t' I\ --h~)," Sl\ld ll\t' l'hl ltl, p111ll11i lfo 111 1111.

hen ~ he All\t"' hlm t• lnl l w ~ T l11' d1lld 1111 1 w ll1M111 11w11y,

11 tr I. 1,

t 'tht wnmnn: " \ llnn' t \ 11n1 lu11 , Hu• h~'it lh lll}I; y1 111 1•1r11 d11 I 1. 1 ~
me h tlw ~ikmllrtt',"
"l !\m here h) do ynur hl tltl l n ~. s l1~· 1t•pll{•d, And, I H~l flt{ Jilin Ir;
tht: hnn t. she pr ·scnk'd him I ~) tht drntn~ . 11nd lht1y tl1111,,,.d ieu111tuf
them until lht: p \fl dn•w tn n clust'.
They went hnck to th~ house, wllr1·0 nq HOflth!r did ( '11.iriyft
arrive than he h"gnn to scr•r11l1: "(live n1u my 111H11l(i ,• 1wn1•r,t1 le
'"-'Oman!"
Yemayn immvclin tcly propurod u meal for hi m, n11d C'ha11y6 ·•Ct
umptuously. W hen he wns fu ll hu dcn1n11tll!d: 0 Now I ~Nlmt «,
leep on a mat that Is not al\ dirty a8 your's."
'·Very well, my iya," answered Yern ayA, givi11g hirn a r1~hly
woven one.
As soon as the boy lay down he fell fusl a~lc~p. The "'"''' •
slept beside hi m. But soon afterward Cha11g6 opened hi~ tye" Jn&!
began to kick Yemaya on the behind. " Lazyhones, 'lcrvc youf '°n~..
he said to her.
Yemaya patiently asked him: "What do you want, my iya'!"
"Find me some dru ms at once to enterlain m<.!," ht! anw,trtJ.
Yemaya brought hi m dru ms decorated with bright red rib nt
Chango took them and spent the w hole night ph1ying lhcm
singing:

Oh, baricos6
Baricos6,
Baricos6,
 TH :; RBVl!LA ff ON 21

Ala rdemf oooh I

A1ardos6, cabo !
Alardo 6, cabo!
Alardemf, oooh !

Roused by the music, Yemaya got up from he r seat and began

to dance, singing in accompaniment to the child who, seeing her
enthusia m, angrily pushed aside the drums, saying: " M y ma.id,
you may not dance, the best thing is for you to take care of me. Go
to the forest and bring me some oguede."
The omorde had to go a long way to indul ge him. Taking a sack,
she set off and went deep into the forest.
After a while Chango Ht a fire and made the ile go up in flames.
Then he went inside and settled down on his mat as if no thing had
happened.
From afar, Yemaya saw the sudden blaze and, witho ut having
got the bananas, ran to her son's aid. Unable to extinguish the fire,
she put her hands on her head and cried: " Olofi , do n' t let the
moquenquen be burned to a cinder."
And as the flames crackle more furiously, C hango appeared
from among them and, standing before the wo man, said : "I want-
ed to test you. Where are the oguede? Coward !"
HHow was I to bring them if I thought yo u were burningT'
"Oh, I can see you're comple te ly usele s. I'm leaving ," aid
Chang6.
"No, don' t do that. Why don' t you a k me to do the most diffi-
cult thing I can for you, moque nquen," Ye maya said Lo him
humbl y.
"The n find me the e kuele divining tray thal Obata la llides
j o her ile.''
T he woman, even Lhough she knew how difficult her task was,
 22 FRO - \ln /\N M Y i ll ~

told the child that he \: ould perform it. he ~et off on n11 nrduo\1s
journey. walking without resting, climbing steep ridges and pca kll
of sharp rock that covered her hands and feet in wound<:. turning
them into a misshapen ma s. But Yemaya gathered together all her
strength and continued her trek. With a huge effort. . he reached
Obatala' door and fell down weakly before her, bleed ing nil over
and hat f dead.
She remai ned unconscious for a long time. When she came
around she was very ashamed when she saw before her Chang6,
holding the di vining tray in his hands and with not a scratch on his
body.
He said to her: "See how lazy you are and as low as an ele-
phant? You took so Jong to carry out the errand that l decided to
come myself. Now I'm leaving."
Yemaya djd not even have the heart to answer, nor Lo plead with
him; she was so exhausted that she stayed in Obatahf doorway,
watching Chango fly swiftly over the sharp, prominent peaks of
the path of Osan-quirifian, the only one leading to the house
perched on the inaccessible plateau. Then, worn out, he bowed
her head and remained there. She stayed like that for a long time
untiJ dusk, when Obatal a arrived, wearing all Olofi ·s attributes.
When she saw Yemaya, she rebuked her: "Yalocha, what are you
doing in my doorway?"
The woman said to her: "I came to steal the ekuele divining lray
for Chang6, but he has beaten me to it, and after he tole it he left
me lying here helpless and without the comfort of having him by
my side."
"AJJ right, well, now you will remain in my hou e for forty days
and be my servant. That is your puni sh~m ent for trying to hdp
Chango."

..
 l HF ~ PV :. L i rrc

I rnm that <lu on Obatal r. wo e Yem y"

l,\'-h und mud .. her perform the m t gruelim?
rem1ndrng h r that: ..Th.., iC\ so that you won't meddle i
another day r·
n the fortie th day he let her go and put lictle ~c d e
her hands, ayi ng: 'Thi is the ekuele chain. Find Chan.=6 d '21-e
il to him in my name. You wiU be doing him a great f:
Thi ti me he descended without mishap. When -he reac ed r:..
hou e he f ound Chango waiting for her with the divill.'rg miy
hi leg . He demanded that she hand over che cbam. . 2f:

took it in his bands, be threw it onto tbe mooth surf e ~:

divining tray and, according to the differenc posittons L!l
neckJace fell, described to Yemaya the thing chat had ppened ·
her and gave her rituals for solving her problems.
Ye maya, amaze~ said: " Oh, now I underscan by I ouJ
raise you: you are the thrower of the ekuele:'
And that was that.
 Forsetfulness

\Vhe n Chango had grown tired of hi hurried and itinerant

life"ty le. he in talled him .. elf peacefull y in a hou e near to where
Yemaya Ii ed. He pa ed the ti me giving consultations to the vil-
lagers ,,~ith hi divining chain. So ucce ful wa he at finding out
and getting to the bottom of their problems that he was continual-
ly con ulted by people who e live depended on the changing
po ition of his little chain. He acquired the reputation of a great
and pre tigiou diviner and had so much work that he scarcely had
time to develop his other faculties.
The day came when, tired of his profession and eager to return
to the li fe of the gi.iemilere, where the drums awaited the touch of
hi killf ul hands, he decided to abandon the ekuele. He called
Orombi la, a m eticulous and contrary old man, and, handing c.he
divining tray and chain over to him, said: "As I'm bored with my
job, I have dec ided to nominate you my replacement."
··Tha nk you very muc h," aid Orumbila. " I will honor you a i·
ri a ht and proper."
b··sut wait,', said Chango. "I hou ld give you ome advice. You
mu c u e your earnings to look after my friend Elegua."
" How hall I do that?"

24
ohl1gat1 tn.
'" le ua complained: 'C J ha com l< c 11 ·~t
rumbiJa an wered: " e ·11 cule counts h1mnrr 1w •·
EJc ua went away ith ut ying
r civ d a simHar an~v..er· " It 'll h"' tom 1rrow: l h l V ·n't h1ct
to settle with you l day...
Elc ua wan .ad until on. d·1y. Wtthotll .,, 111 r n -
impass i v~ly

thin ' 10 Orumbll a, h \a l down b •sic.I · hi · door al tht: U1rt or th·

dJy and walled unul tho'c who wunlt:d achw ·r~ f1ooa the "kU ·I""
came ru hmg l ec tJ1e di 1nl!r o cm:h oo · thal c,un · h · .tt l:
.. ( rumbila i nor st:eing anyone today. Ht! 1s rircd ." nd to nth ·r
he ~ai d : "The old man h~ taken the day otf lo vi it his wile."
However. at rnght he turned up as usual lo clairu hi tuuc. ··~ ill
you kt me ha' c ~ methingT' he plt!aded.
rumbil mpl tel} bankrupt, an~wt:red hi l augiil : ··[
J a cn ' t arn d a p nny t day [ on' t both 1 m ·!"
A1 d on Lt e days 1hc.1 c foll "' d: ·· ou \l h "llt!r gt•Ll st~ ou lazy
0
dog!
Hut Elcguu ignored ht\) in,uh~ and Wt.."Hl away. Each rnorntng h
went bu · to ~t!p people away 11 • ' u paltcnll m 0 umbila'
'100J way, J • Jng cv 1 yunt! go uw,ty, c ll ·1ndy dp~1 llusi n ·d. nd
gra<.JuaJJy JI c Jr n1i st ust of thl: old mau gt ~w i.t word of h• ~ uurdt~
 FORGETF ULNESS 27

ability began to spread. "Chango did the wrong thing when be

handed the ekuele over to that dreadful old man.''
And Eleg\Ja, realizing that Orumbila could not survive much
longer, appeared before him one morning. He found him lying
downcast and feeble on his mat. He had lost all his nerve. and ms
jaw was drooping.
"Oh, Orumbila, what a state you 're in! Have you lost the gift of
throwing the ekue le?"
" No, it's not that; it's that the aleyos are not coming."
"And why don' t you consult for yourself?"
"I've done that and I didn't get anything ."
"Oh, then you have lost the ability! Call Chango."
When he heard this, Orumbila recovered what strength be had
and said to him uneasily : ' What does Chango know about this!
I'm the only one who knows how to divine with the ekuele ~"
" Very well," said Elegua, and he went away. He went back a few
days later and found him weak, listless, and unkempt, lying mis-
erab1y on the floor.
" Orumbila, shall I call Chango?" he asked slyly.
"Call him," the old man answered in a weak voice.
Chango soon appeared . He e ntered like a warrior, hitting the
ground with Ills steel sword, wearing a bril}jant red jackeL He
looked haughtily at the old man. Taking the chain, he toyed with it
for a moment, the n. giving it a swing, threw it uninterestedly onto
the djvining tray that was lying on the table covered in po' der.
"Cheer up, old man, and tell me what the divining chain has to
say," he admonished Orumbila, who attempted to oblige him.
"I lost the ability a few days ago," Orula confessed.
"Oh, then pay my friend what you owe hi~ and don ' t bother
me with such a trifling matter:· said Chang6, and be went away.
I
2~ /\FRO - U RAN MYTH S

Orumbi la murmured: "The master know<; bec;t." And he did ,

duty by Elegua.
That i. why, before performing any magical work. 1l j~ nec~­
ary to give an initial share to E legua .
And that was that.
'I

Covetousness

Orumbila continued to throw the ckuele. He managed to amass

a huge fortune. He need only con ider that hi daily taki ngs
amounted to that of a hundred well-paid workers and that, even if
he quandered the money and honored his agreement with E legua
'ery gene rou ly, he had ca h enough to rivaJ the mo t affluent men
of hi · time. But the old man was thrifty and had imple habits. He
loo~ greater pleasure in pil ing up hi earning , fore eeing some
tum of fortune beyond the range of hi facultie a a diviner.
Elegua. who vi ited him regularly to collect hi fee , never imag-
ined that the old man, imply by looking at a di vining chain and
ortrng out the daily difficultie of hi fellow men, could have
ama sed so much profil. In order to fund hi ambition , he began
to dev1 ea way of going into partner hip with Orumbi la and h ar-
ing his earning .
.. How hall I approach this mi erly old man and uggest he
hould hare hi:, profit ?" he aid to him elf each day, , rarching
h1~ b d. But no honorable idea came to mind. One day, he found
an e3.)} ol ucion LO his problems. Snapping hi · finger e ubenuu-
ly, he appeared unexpectedly before hi benefa tor.
·· rumblla." be aid, emptying a hundred oin onto the divm-
 AFRO-CUBAN MYTHS

i ng tray, ''I have decided to become your partner. From on ~

n0"11

will c;hare the earnings. I will save you the trouble of reducmg y r

aving by giving me part of them, simply because Chang6

advi ed it.'.
On.lmbila replied : "That is a paltry sum . Besi de~. I had 11(

l11ought of haring my earnings, much le s with a beggar like yva"'

"That' all right." replied Elegua, and he left, disappearing into
the forest. After walking aimle sly for a .long time, he stopped io
the middle of a va t plain. Uttering some inaudible words, he
turned him, elf into three different beings. Begi nning thus his mag-
ical work.. he . aid to the fir. t Elegua: "You will remain in tte
a annah. Your task i to defame Orula."
And he went away, accompanied by the econd Eleglla. HE
topped in front of the old man' door, saying: '·You will station
ourself here and end the aleyo to the house across the road"'
nd he in talled him elf in the aid house with the djvining tray
and chain , and waited.
hen the new day dawned, the aleyo took to the road as usuaJ
in a long line that led to the djviner's ile. But when they reached
the ' a t plain they came upon the solitary inhabitant of the sa~'all­
nah. He inquired: ·Where are you off to o early Ln the morning?'"
·· e are going to consult Orumbila," they replied .
..\Veil, chen cum back becau e the old man has topped being
mt erly. He i frittering away the money that he teals from }OU on
~ men ac the guemilere."
The al yo!> reply : ·we don' L doubt your word, but we \\ill ~

f r our el"e ."

And the convoy continued marching aero~ the plain. When ~
fir t one arrived, the Elegua in the doorway wenl to meet chem.
He say : ·-rbe babalawo ha had to go out unexpeccedly, and ~
 A T !{ CJ < tJ HJ\N M Y'f ff S

ha' t1 d 1c;cd m e to ~e nd you to his ~ l a nd in }If th hflll e acre

r nd."
"T 1l true," they a<\k, "that Orumbi la i ~ squandering the mo
Lhal w e pay b1m ?''
''Oh no! Don't believe the rumorc; c;pread hy a slanderer.- an~
wered the second Elegua.
And the aleyos, completely trusting, vi<;ited in tum the other o~
who was waiting inside the ile . He attended them carefully and
used the answers of his divining chain to wisely sectle their quar~
rels wi th false destiny. Each person gladly payed the fee for hi
visit.
In the days that followed, things happened rn the same way: the
Elegtia in the doorway always contradicting the one in the a\-an-
nab. " Don' t take any notice of the rumors spread by that jeaJous
person who is trying to hide Orumbila's merit . He hru gone on d
long journey: consult his stand-in."
The people eagerly consulted the usurper. With Lime Orumbila\
reputation gradually declined, and Elegua's pre tige grew. When
his magical work had the desired effect, he turned up, prosperou
and arrogant, before the real and only thrower of the ekuele. When
he saw bjm dejected and depressed, he said in an affected manner:
"Oh, obinf, what is happerung to you?"
Orumbila weakly answered: " M y friend, I have had bad luc
since you went away. Do you thjnk Chang6 could resolve thh
matter?,,
" I don't think so," Elegua answered coldly.
"CalJ Chango, and I will do what he tell m co;· b gge<l the old
man .
"No, I would rather see you die."
"At Jeast give me a plate of food as J> vc alreu<ly eaten ttll m
savings."
 < <l r r on sNr s 11

..Die~ rrnu I d tg: o mnn of your cla~s cihrnrl<fn ' f h g

1 ·!

n1mhil ~a.ill tc~ign dly, •·1f T mu~t die lhen let m lhC. R1tr
h ill thro' the c u le'>"
·•\ 'ho bcuer than I, who have managed to t; ft;ll your d 1 nr ,"
repli~ Elcgua. nd. taking him hy th shoulders. he pres~ •d him
~ain t the wall, then threw him to the ground and hurled a ~ack of
coins at hi feet, saying: "This is so that you can recover. To-
morrow }OU wiH throw the ekuele according to the deaf with your
nev. partner:·
The old man bowed his head and whispered: "You Jte e'.\treme-
ly hrewd. I accept your proposal:· And the deaJ was clo~ed .
Hereby end the incidents relating to the ekuele

...-·
Chan!l6
 Being fond of hazardous exploits and the heroic deeds that
enhanced his prestige and added to his fame as a brave and res-
olute man, Chango de Ima decided to take on Ogun, a renowned
warrior and one of the most expert and powerful fighters in the
region. Once they began fighting, they battled fiercely again and
again. Like the last word, the outcome always hung on the
weapons of the two possible victors. The exhausting battles and
undecided victories continued for so long that Ogun impatiently
suggested to Chango that they settle the affair once and for all in
the shade of a ceiba tree, deep in the forest, close to the steep hill
where Olofi dwelled. The victor was to appear before him to claim
the reward for his efforts in the form of powerful ache.
Al dawn on the agreed day, Chango saddled rus spirited white
colc and mounted it at a leap. Patti ng its neck, he pulled on the
reins until it reared and began to trot j au ntily. Exuberant and with
a happy heart, he sang the song that recalled hi powerful
demeanor when faced with his enemy:

A la motile
Chang6 ta mole
A la mofile
hang6 ta mol e 37
38
AFRO - C BAN M YT ll S

But as he was riding across a vasl plain t·he horse wa~ ~tarllc<l
by its own shadow and stopped suddenly. K icking ncr vou~ l y, it
refused to move another inch. C hango pulled on the reins impa~
tiently and dug in his spurs, which were as pointed as Lhc tip of a
sharp tiletto. M addened, the a nimal p ulled so hard on the rc in<i
that they almost broke and, bucking like a fragil e boat battered by
a violent whirlwind, it managed to throw its rider. Escaping <1wi ft-
ly, it disappeared into the distance of the unending plain .
Left in this awkward situation, when he had recovered from his
fall, the unfortunate warrior gazed for some moments at the cloud
of dust raised by the horse's mad gallop. Then, walking with diffi-
culty, he took shelter under a leafy tree. Lost in deep thought, he
noticed his spirits suddenly beginning to sink. He was seized by
fear, and he began to tremble, his courage leaking away with every
shudder of his unsteady and weakened body.
Meanwhile, Ogun waited by the cejba tree, not suspecting his
brave enemy 's courage was failing him. Leaning on the handle of
his enormous machete, he coldly planned the damage he would
inflict on Chango.
Time passed slowly and its endless minutes ate away at Chango,
the unfortunate warrior, who lay on the ground Like vermin,
motionless, having lost his courage. Oya, the mistress of the ceme-
tery, appeared and found him in thi s state.
Oya poke to him: "Chango, what are you doing in uch an
unseemJ y attitude for a warrior?"
'Nothing, omorde, the colt has run away taking my courage on
its back. Now I cannot face Ogun ."
" I will le nd yo u my bra ids and my tunic. Thus will your courage
return to your body," suggested Oya.
" I accept. If I return I will repay you with interest."
 en

J\mJ H\ngo. hi. head udomcd -. ith the brntd:-. . put th \ hilc
,·ackdoth \.1n O\ rCr hi. clothing along \ ith hi!\ . \ Ord anu heudccJ for
the c-ctha tree.
Hi: couruge..... returned normal nnd hi. manl y gesture' u'-
tai n d it. s he neared the ceibu tree ' here hig en my was impa-
tient! ) " aiting, he gathe red up his .., kirt delicately .md gracefully
and pa .. ed in fron t fit like a re fined slender womc.ln. Ogiin. bow-
ing hi, head. greeted him courteously a~ if he were Oya: ''Jecun
Jey! ..
At thi . Chang6 re umed hi manly demeanor. hedding the
braid and the dre , w ith lhe word at hi waL t. he marched
toward Olofi . He bowed do\J n before him. placing hi word at
hi feet, and wai ted, prostrated on a mat.
'
.~

Olofi ordered him to rise and said: "You are the lord of light-
rung.
The warrior unaffectedly accepted tti gift and went in earcb of
Oya to repay the extreme thoughtfulne he had hown him. He
said to her: "Oya, I want to s how you my gratitude. How hal l l do
thatT'
" By sharing my bed,,, replied Oya.
And they began to live together.

Oya was jealou of Chang6's influence over women and ' ht!
wanted to have him for her pleasure alone. One day, after ' he
had entertained him for a while w ith the gift of her ' lcn<ler
though mature body, she left him dozing on the mut and quic k.ly
went to meet with Death. ·'Icu," he said, · ~you mu t keep watc h
over my house."
"'As long as you feed me well," an wered Death.
"Chango i inside; he i a fine mor e l for you."
40 A l ' l( o f 0 I\ AN ~Y r 11 q

lcu agreed nnt1 stutinnccl hc1<.icl r in the dnor nf the de Sr I

hang6 decided to go out /\4' h , reached the door he h 1r

Denth 's pie rc ing w h istl e. "Whcce ... I"
Frightened, the warrior went back inc;ide. pop eyed and WC':tf
ing profusely. His leg<; were tremhlin g <\O violently that ht! could
barely stand. He could no longer go out as he would alw
encounter the cold gaze of Death , swinging her long, coiled t,1il.
And Oya satisfi ed herself, embracing her lover's body that wa"
now free of the marks left by the passionate embrace of her rivals.
Until on one occasion, Ochun, a beautiful, elegant and re'iolutc
woman, decided to end the young prisoner's martyrdom. Know1n1t
that Oya had taken Chango prisoner, using Death as the Jailer. 10
order to fulfil her selfish desires, she decided to corrupt Oya'~
morals, outwit her vigilance, and snatch him away. She went to
visit her, armjng herself with a bottle of liquor, a packet of cn~car ·
illa, and a jar of honey. When she reached the door of the tie, ,h~
showed Death the bottle and said: "Icu, shall we have a binge?"
Death agreed and they sat down, amicably embraced. They
begin to drink the liquor that Ochun had laced with oni, 11eiLmg lm
opportunity when her companion wa off guard. lcu gulped it
down wrule the omorde held back.
Icu finally got drunk and made an indecent sugge~uon.
"Omorde, let's have sex ."
Ochun answered by giving her a kick and throwing her m the
ground. Then she went into the ile and anointed Cbang6' boJy
with the cascaril1 a until he was white all over. Tak.ing hun by th.:
arm she led him outside.
Seeing Death lying on the ground and emboldened by th "tf~ t
of the cascarHla, the warrior ki ked her three times am.I tollu~(J
his companion.
 OYA 41

Far away from that place, Ochun hoped the obinf would gi ve her
a ni ght of plea ' Ure to repay her deed, but hang6 said waril y:
0
0morde, if you ee me at the gtiemilere someti me, r w ill repay
the debt I have incurred. For now, let me rest in Oya's armc;_,,
A nd Ochun resigned herself to waiti ng.
T he End.

!•

)c

•r

..
 The Obeyes

The Obeyes were twins, the children of Ochun 's love for
Chang6. As he did not have time to raise them himself, he aban-
doned them to life' s vagaries. The Obeyes possessed the farruly
traits th at immediately revealed their ancestry. One was arrogant
and reckless, fond of adventure and with a happy disposition like
ttis father; the other had gentle manners and acted on the whims
that constantly came over him. Like his mother, he did things on
the spot without stopping to think them over.
These two lads spent their time wandering in the forest and
through the vmages. Wherever they went they left signs of their
good fortune. T hey were received enthusiastically in the country~
side, where men and women farmed the land, and at the gUemiJere
where they surrendered themselves to the caJI of the drum . When
they tired of their nomadic Jjfe they stopped off at Yemaya
Saramagua's ile where they speeded up the pace of the omorde\
life. For, despHe her affluence she was often dying of boredom m
the sleepless, hot, and heavy afternoons.
Chang6 the drummer often visited Yemaya aramagu1 unan-
nounced . Sometimes she would be with his two on . He wouJd
then lavi sh stored-up paternal affeccion on lhem. He wouh.l ,tt

42
 I Il l\ O l \ HYI' .~

th''"'''" IH' t..11 r1·~ tmd h.•ttd 1 th · 111 1H1 11~1 s 111111 lold of' hi s tri11mphanr
hh• .md ,. '' >l'111t<•d thl' " ' , frn h1111• ol 0 111 · r-i 11<• ,1'\lo11ncl ·cl lh m.
,' '' "' :\ tlwm lhl' \H111l1h l) f his rx pc1i •nc. •. Wlwn 11 w,1 ~ trrnc 10
k.\\ ' thn \\t'nt In nppn~ lk• d11 T t lo1 1~1: C'lw ng6 lo !he gllemilere.
th1' b1 \ ' M di~ \Plh'nl 111\10 11 1-t th ~ wi ld flnni of t·hc i1n111en<ic forest.
\)" '""' \'h'1'111don, the 1 fuu11d C1hu11g6 perched in a palm tree
I\\ 1\1 l lh.' '""\Hd ~·~ il"\ consu111 ·l1 with rugc. The palm tree was so
ll\'\.'\l~h O\t' d " ' tht' dn1111111 ·1·'s ·xccsscN that its pJumes heat the air
f l:\ 't' fn ll.• rnd Imp 'ri<)U ~ l y, us if sl ashi ng lhc air wi th 8 sword . The
m\)\_\\lt' t\l)ll ' t ra n lo th · ilc to lino out the reason for their falher'c;
m, ''"I. The. fou11 d a choru ' of silent, grievi ng women, w ho were
wt'l'pin,' 1hout the obinf's behavior. Yernaya Saramagua was m the
midst )f them, a cigar stuck in the corner of her mouth, her head
lrnng111g. d\"iwncnst. With her were Nana Bacuru, lyi ng down, a
h1.:artl rok<:ll chun, H downcast Oya, and Oba, whose eye were
llll)bl~ ned by two ~hinin g, gli stening tears. The twins burst into
th~ ilc, hol ling hands, and immedi ately poured oul their happi-
nes~ . The silcn c, lipped away.
.. h, the Obeyes,11 they excJajmed when they saw them come in,
and th 'Y told them how they had attempted to make Chango happy
agui n, which had not had the desiretJ effect.
"J have recalled our nights of love and danced tirelessly at the
fool of the palm tree, but lo no avail ," said Ochun .
..
''J look off my clothes, reveal ing my firm breasts and my per-
fect belly, bu1 he got even more angry," w hispered Oba.
''1 1>crved him plenty of food , amala, his favorite di ~ h. oguede,
ecru-ar6, ol~-J e and all 1he titbits, hut h • ha<l so lillle appetite that
in hi ~ anger he has scarcely moved," suid Nana Bacunl .
i~ And finaJl y, coming in through the door, 'Jeguc\ said: " I bave
)~ tried to do wilhout my liquor so us to give it to him but he prefer
lo 1cmain sober."
I<
 I tt

m b th h m J
h"' 01h~1 orm

tr rhn ""

p •Im tr· ·•
11 ·lJ n 1
th
..bunmun •
n
 T h\! song 1nM· . wl ft ly 11p tlw 1111nk 11l 1IH1 t1t•t'. wlt lrli wu~ lllPV <I
and In lined it ~ plttrnt''-· <' l11111 g 11, wl11 1 w••~ ·l11111 111i1 IClii wlfh i. 1 ~
, i1 vcr . p 111 s 11 ntl st1npplnA. 1111 1y 111111N, 11111111do11<« I Iii" lri11t 41 hr ti nf
atTogan n11d slowly ti sc· ·nch«I.
[le low lhc wotm·n d11 m<1n•d: *'( 'H h l o~ ll·1 tTl' I'' 1

'" mhracccl by the Ob ~yes 11 11cl h ·wlldt•1t•d 11s if lw ltud c1l1•rx d

from a deep ~ t11 poi . Ch11ng(1 w1dkt·d 1tl<111g, l<1llowt<I hy rhP
women. When he urrivc,;cl ul llu;. l 16 Ill' <l<.·111111 Hll'<I ll H· d ru m~ fr11m
Elcgun and the gUcmi ler · was i mp rovi ~c<I.
They spent the whole night p 11rty ing . A t d i1y h1'l!a k, the Oheyeit
and hang6 snid goodhy~ Hnd wenI off i 11 { 1ppo~ it <.' <l ircctiontt
Worn out from overwork, his fin gers cold and 11t1111h as the tlrtJtt1~
had drawn blood, young hang6 decided IO rest ,11 Sani 1nugu(t\ ile
for ix day . On hi s way there he m 1;.L Lhc;. Obcyc~ and they accn111
panied him.
Six day in the company of the lw in~ li vened up the omorcM'~
ile. The ea y nature and happy temperament of the moquenqucr6
made it seem filled with bright lights ~in d a th ou ~a nd fountain
fl owing with j oy. N evertheless, Chang6 orgHnizcd his time. ln the
cool of the morning he lrotted through the forest mounLcd 0 11 his
white horse, slashing at the th ick tree-trun ks so <ts not to lose hi~
ski ll a a warri or. He would relUrn a l midday and dcmun<l hug\!
plates of amala. T hen he would rest, lying on his mat while the
Obeyes tirred the afr over hi s strong, muscular body wi th round
fan . A t unset, he sang mournful song, ti lled with nostulRtJ.
B y hi s side, the twins tuned up the dru m~ in the fi re and waHcd
for the blood to come flooding into his tingcni p,. Wh1Jn thr
happened, sounds like the nutteri ng of bird '\ c~capcd from tlll!
drums. Sometime the e were cul off abruptly, ot h~ r ti me~ 'ottl\
drawn out. T he Obeyes sang the pray~rs of the gucm1kn: in

plaintive voice~ .
 "' t'lt ( f

•c hnndf ul of 1
Ult d thr 0 11nd, drtt in from I
lclHin '"' r:nnnc1ury ~cmg·

<>chun ccrequcte
Mi ngu6 0<>00h ...
Ochun c hercque
Mi pu6

On 0 1hc1 night the omorcJ lcpl Jlh 1h

J 1vt• d;1 ys of thi s happy v1s1l cnl b On ch ah

ucuc6 thJI ang 1he U.J\\ ning ot Jr "Y m 1rmn

in !i , cnnu h
It-good at JUdg1ng dhlafl c ;and orui

twin~ '> LJ}'ed to htlp Lht! um rd • ly r:

 THE O B r!Yf:..'

bl · de a ~oolly as if he were te ting it by cutting~ hatr. Then he

bled Lhem rnto a ba in lhat held nee faces wjth red bead
The Obeyec; acrificed dove\. cocks and hens. They brrund them
b Lhe leg and. standing firmly on their head . ~cvered them witi..
a ift traction mmiement as cleanly a~ with a knife. The-1 JY".IJred
the blood into a bowl contaj ning necldace~ with blue bead~.
ome om ordes stoked up the fire and prepared the vegetable1.
Yemaya Saramagua saw to the sacrifice of the ~heep. TV10 omm'-
des brought them , feet bound together, mouths tie<l wtth c-,trong
cord to avoid unnecessary cries and their foreheads marked with a
chalk cross. Then they laid them on the floor and Yemay~ crouch-
ing over the victim, pulled out a handful of hafr and slowly began
the execution. A chorus of omordes ~ang:

Lube lube yembaJa

El ube Chan g6 oooh,
EJube amala eh,
EJube oguede eh,
El ube acuc6 ch,
Eluhe acara eh,
Elube obi eh.

Yemaya flexed her ham.I!>, g•a .p ·d the ~ 111 It and ~ l owly began
the opuatmn RaJ J>iug and l ow1;111 11~ lh · k111h: uuti l il pc nt ll ated
the flesh, she dr<1ve tt Ill fu Lhr d1w 11 11 d rn ll CJvc 1(;.0111 • by u ·ep
emotr<>fl, excited and p'1 nt1111 he ilCl c1111J M lll ·~I lh • onv Wllh a
1,

drawn.c,ut, halting Jarrtf nl that b111 I lollli l1tf 11lly ,1 it cnugll i1g up
W<,rds lhltl ru~Jwd it1 lt1 J1r-J tli ll>cll JU the 11 li ;1 h· lo 4-Ul l t • uuJ 'l he
knife w Il l in, HHl~llJP, <I ., JJ ww1vt• lH 1J11· i l 1111~ O<HIC\ ' tic
cmi<nd~\ V< 1J( c died d<1w11 uirt1I 11 Wi1 tlu lll I 111l \. IH' " f u pl utn -
ll vc llluny:
:o AFRO-CUBAN MYTHS

Lube lube yembalaaaa . ..

Elube Chango ...

Finall) the head of the animal was cut off and rolled onto the
t1 r. eized by an impulse, Yemaya Saramagua, picked it up and,
rai ing it high. drank the blood that was fl owing abundantly. Then
he ran deliriously all aro und the farm holding her booty in her
hartds. purred on by the cries of the chorus who shouted wi ldly:
·'Cabio ile Chango!''
ome omorde bled the sheep into a large dish while others look
bold of Yemaya and carried her in their arms, covering her face
,,;ch a white handkerchief and quietly muttering some words in
her ear. bringing her back to normal.
he performed the same operation five times and just as many
Ibey had to murmur the mysterious words in her ears: "By Olofi.
b} Olodumare. cofiadeno."
The imple food was cooked in the huge bonfire and the Obeyes
put chem in large dishes and lined them up on the table along wilh
buncnes of bananas, coconuts and all the other delicacies.
The hustle and bustle reached its climax. The women ran to and
fro. carrying the food. Some were in charge of decorating the ile
and putting things in order, sprinkling sweet-smelling water every-
where.
In lhe midst of this bustle, Chango returned, worn our by his
exercise and with an empty stomach. "I am very hungry," he said
and he calmly began to eat the food that was on the table, carce-
ly bothered by the astonished look of cho e pre ent. Di ociating
cbemseh e~ from his behavior, the Obeye went to Yemaya and
complained: ··chang6 has started already," they said.
The omorde ran to him and tried to ~top him but he took no
 HE o- ES. -.
n cice of her and calml_- c
ed him. urging him to wait and eai • ·
MOmorde. le me eat in peare_- replied ...,
his head from the pl.ate.
When he bad eaten his fiJJ. he ood up and ...-m .-..·- .-..1

together in atisfaction. Yemaya looked at

on the ground.. she said: '"'Brn-e man! Thai is , . )OD .:ue so ~atl
of rcu:·
When she mentioned lro. Chango reilleD:.hered ms i~ccrl
departures from the beds of the omordes and the ~ uf ill5
warrior virtues o n accounc of Dearh. v.1io had besieged u.i:m c a
comical fashion. Unable to restrain himself. he hit lhe ~OIIl2.il in
the face.
·'Take thaL and see if Icu favors you!··
Yemaya protected her face as best she could iolding he: ms.
hiding ber head and patiently enduring che blows. The c±er
omordes ran away. The giiemilere was ruined The dnJ.nE lay silen1
in a corner, and even the Obeyes became sad.
At midnight the obinf ran off with Yemaya 's fortune-.
When she heard of the disaster, one omorde aid chat it had all
Jit happened because five sheep was too much blood for Chango.
Swi ft as an arrow. the young celebrant of r.he guemilere cro- ed
Ogun Arere's domain. Clurctung the ~ eaty ne k of his colt. he
waded aero s the fast-flowing river and CO\ ered great di ~ ranees.
When the sun was setting hke a huge red rnmbounne folio\~ ing
tum in his tlighL, the drummer copped and ettled in the nearb~
village.
And so Chang6's spendthrift life began.
Wearing fine red jackets worked in gold, hi finge~ co, ·ered
with ring , he went back to astound the g liemile re. dra' ing con-
52 AFRO - UBAN MYTH S

vuL\v rhythm from the drums. He mocked hi s ri val ~ with hi~

frank and sarcastic laugh and once again the women began to
praise h\n1 ecstatically: "Cabiosile cabo I"
"Hall to the greatest drummer!"
They filled their pockets with handfuls of the coins he squan-
dered as if he were reaching into a bottomless sack. He changed
hor e whenever he noticed the slightest irregularity in their trot,
the harness had to be of the finest quality and the spurs had to
prick like sharp arrows. If not, the youth raged and beat his ser-
vants. However, these tantrums made further holes in h js bottom-
les bag which, caught up in his giddy life, he had not foreseen.
He loved women without bragging. He was so good in bed that
the omordes would wait a long time hoping that he would grant
them a few moments of pleasure. When the time came, it was
enough that, embracing his body, they could pour out the reserves
of love accumulated in the antechamber of the caresses that the
youth's promi scuity had delayed.
With men he was generous and a good confidant. He filled wich
coins the pockets of those who came to seek help from his ack,
with no f urther obligation. To those who sought advice on love, he
offered the fruits of his experience. And for the unfortunate and
fa inthearted, he predicted happy events if they emulated certain
gestures and behavior. His arrogance subdued and restrained the
untrustworthy until they became harmless creatures.
A s he was reckless, he brought the wild cour e o f the gUenulere
to a st.andsliJJ on many ni ghts, exchanging the drums for rhe okude
necklace. H e threw il on the sand and predicted inevitable d~aths
and in.estimable forlunes, gi v ing and taking away hope from peo-
ple's hearts. Then he would randomly erase these pre<lictions,
·
return i ng to his drums and playing them at bre,1. k ne , k ,spe~d ' b al-
~··
 A PHO ClJ BA N M YT H S

in :> tlw·m hntd. The· unh1cky I cmonned their adversity whi le th~e
favor ~d by fortune cmpti d thci1 pocket<; of happine~~ deep in he
h an or th ' d ru m s~ where the of'1 ciant recall ed the hold fight of
\Vn11·iors and the remark able deeds of men. Amid the cori fusion.
men and women would cry out urgently as they kept havmg to pay
their solemn respects to the important visitors who arri ved.
•'Jc ·ua Jey !"
"Jecua Baba jecua!"
"'Yeyeo!"
Chang6 was swept along by his life of ease and grandeur until
one morning when adversity must call, greeting him with its tcy
hands.
The gourd where he kept the coins had become shriveled and
depleted. Jn hi s pockets remained only traces of his constant with-
drawals the night before. The youth realized that his senseJe life
had come to an end, but he was not disheartened.
He waited for ni ghtfall and, like a brave-hearted gambler, head-
ed for the gtiemilere to turn over the final cards of hi winning
streak. But luck escaped him on a turn in the road. Men turned
their backs on him and, for the first time, the omordes noticed that
a man without property was unattracti ve.
WHhout his white horse and having lo t his self-pos 'e sion,
Chang6 returned to Yemaya Saramagua's ile. Alone and di pirited.
he walked aJo ng the roads where he had unk the hooves ot· his
spirited coJt on tdumphant runs and raised huge loud of Ju ·t.
The harsh rain lashed his gaunt and sun ken face and th pounding
of the wi nd carried away his str<;;ngth , pushing hin1 to and fro like
a puppet. Slowly but surely the weather wore away hi.. la.. t crim-
80n jacke t unc,jJ it was completdy ragg d.
D ibhearlened. hi s hand8 in au a ttitud~ of entre'1ty, the nrrog~uit
 THE OREYES 55

~ ut rea hed the d r of aramagua·s He on a dulJ afternoon.

Ele~ui
.._ c ualh. dt mt.. . .ed hun " Be o ff. thief!u
The "ret hed one accepted the in ult uncomplainingly. He
drowned hL orrow b) drinking from the la t bottle of Iiquor that
(ate had placed in hi hands to make 1t easier to bear the hame or
at leas _en·e ru a reminder of hi former grandeur. But on tltis
ton. Elegua _natched it from him and emptied it down his
chroat in one gulp. Once more Chango swallowed the hurruliation.
C Uy and calmly he ''latched the man who was so crueUy driving
home his mi fortune.
Elegua · gaze became fierce his body swayed and he fell flat on
hi back in front of the door he was guarding. Chango seized the
opportunity and a flash of the boldness that had been crushed by
the weight of hi poverty passed through his mind. ot losing a
momenL he ilently entered the ile and took with him the Obeyes.
who v.'ere leeping at the foot ofYemaya's mat Dragging them to
a remote place, be lifted them onto his knees as before and aid: ··1
am depressed, I need your help to gain Saramagua's confidence."
··we must help you with everything," replied the Obeye .
.. 'Then when you go back to the ile ing thi ong," he recorted,
breaking into ong:

Yemaya-n corona
Yemaya-n corona
Camagua erfo
Chango lori a
Yemaya-n corona
Yemaya-n corona
v• he moquenquere ~ang along wich him in oft voi ' until th y
learned the mu~ic, They announ ed that they could now ·ing it to
,I
56 A PRO -CU BAN MYTll S

the omorde, and promi sing to let him know what would happen,
they returned to the ile.
The followin g morning, standing proudly before Yemaya, the
children began to sing, holding hands and dancing rhythmically.
The omorde listened to them, frowning and nodding her head
wise1y but then she sudden1y stopped them, saying: "You are wast-
ing your time. Chango will not come back to thls house!"
She began to hit them and told them not to go back to see the
drummer. But once they had recovered from the punishment, the
Obeyes decided to disobey Yemaya's order. Chango had only to
announce his arrival at midnight, singing it to the savannah, for
them to e cape traight away and go to his side.
Thi was the ong:

Zacuta mio,
Agua ce si,
Egdo midee.
Dale yaluma!
Agua ce si,
Egdo migdeee ... !

"Yemaya beat us," said the Obeyes, clinging to llis leg .

Confronted with Yemaya's rejection, Chango decided to undo
the knot joining together so tightly that pair who, in the day of
their happy childhood u ed to wander tllrough the fore t and vil-
lage preading good fortune. And he spoke to them thu : "One of
you will run away with me when Yemaya is oribule."
And thu it happened. At midnight, one of the twin , certain the
omorde wa ound asleep, lipped from the mat and, crawling
along th floor, left the ile. Braving the darkne , he ran toward ·
 THE BEYES

the ~•ba "here lhe -had.ow:-· figure of hang6 Vt ~moving impa-

·e ti~ . Pu Hing him along b~' the hand. he "'al ·ed '" ith huge. echo-
1 g :re : towards the undergrowth. C uched down and ..quashed

t £"ether. they pent what remained of the mght. In the morning.

le.anng the moquenquen in hi hidmg-place. Chango ~em into lhe
bu.s in search of nouri hment " 1hen afternoon came. he can-
ti usly headed for Saramagua· ile. He arrived at the moment
when the drums and handhells of the old yibonas were sounding.
A general meeting had been called when the moquenquen ·- lo
was noticed. Concealed amon£ the crowd of villagers.
"- ... he heard
Yemaya: plaintive voice asking for everyone ·s help in finding me
other half of the Obeyes~ who had ,.ani bed mysteriously and
\\ho e di appearance h ad plunged her into deep orrow. A large
and scrapping wo~ her ample flesh was growing slack. She
taggered. barely able to stand on her plump leg . Wben she had
made her speec~ the crow~ angered and moved. eparated into
groups that disappeared along the thousand pathways of the forest
in search of the missing moquenquen. Yemayci. bathed in tears.
and rhe proud and arrogant Chango were left alone.
""Saramagua, your sorrow is mine, I will give you reliable new
of the mcxiuenquen."
" o, no ... Go and look for your on!,, the omorde ex laimed
and collapsed at his feet.
With astounding cruelty, rhe yourh kicked her un onsciou ~
body. He retraced ru tep , headi ng for the gtiemilere tbac were
silent as the whole village wa " andering through che fore t in
search of the twin. Later he went to keep the beye ompany
in his hiding-place concealed by the rail gras in a e rec comer of
the wood.
Thal night the villager re ted after their fr uitles ear h. The
 FRO - C BAN MYTH 'i

following morning, accompanied by drums and bells, they ru, hc<l

into the wood once more, dete rmined to get the moqucnq uen tmc .
Chango "eized the opportuni ty to meet with Yemaya on his owrt
He :d: HI have taken the long way : I climbed the high peak • J
have gone into the darkest cave and I have searched the whole
earth from the top of a talJ palm tree without managjng to find t.he
moquenquen. Could Icu have taken him?"
'"Oh no! The moquenquen is alive. Bring him to me," Yemay~rs
pi.cit wa broken.
''"\\'ell, Icu ha swallowed him and now I will take the the
moquenquen who is left. Without the other one there are no
Obeyes,'· s aid Chango coldl y. Entering the ile he took the child in
his arms and went away.
Yemaya ran after him, shrieking loudly. As quickly as he could,
the drummer went deep into the wood until he ran into the
searchers. When they saw him with the twin, they exclaimed:
"'Chango has found him!"
" How happy Yemaya will be! "
But he was followed by the omorde, who was seized with hy -
terical laughter. Her eyes had dried and her weeping had turned
into laughter. Behind those who followed Chango, she broke off
her incessant constant laughter to implore: 'Stop rum, be is going
to kill him!"
Chango, followed by the crowd of people, retorted: ·"Don't tclke
any notice of her, she is so happy that she has lo t her mind.''
The moquenquen smiled brightly, amused at hi father' ' run-
rung.
The drummer led the whole village through the unu rgrowth.
StilJ laughing, Yemaya was caught up in the crowd of men anJ
women and moved forward until he was at th front. Letting out
 T H B O B EYF" 59

a ha1 p whistle, hnng6 made the other moquenquen appear out of

the grn's nnd cmhrnce the omordc who c; topp d laughing. They
were r "'u11itcd in the presence o f the v ii lager,, who were touched.
Here ends the legend o f the Obeycs.
The nd.

an ~
I~..
 ·\ F R <. · C l H \ '\ ~I'\ T ll ~

Incest

In the gloriou da_ of hi lavL h and opule n1 life. oung

Chango would re t lying on hL mat and pa in rhi way the hot
hours that dull the mind and confu e the pirit. Hi rnolher Yemay,
often kept him company, c urling up tenderly at hi ide until they
both feU a leep. But one day it happened that the mother \ '
atrracted by her non. Moving clo er to him, he gently bru hed her
body again t hi . This m ade her tremble lightl y. Her fle h gradu-
ally weakened until , eized by a leepy somnole nt en ation, she
hugged the yo uth more tightly. To calm the de ire that uddenl
came over her, he bega n to cares him gentl y and very ubtly. Her
overflowing exuality proved tronger than the re ·tmined care · \
so that, quivering and wi th a faraway look, he embraced her ~· n
passionately while she was trembling and throbbing. The attempt
woke the you th and, recognizing hi mother, he cried out. h rn-
fied : "Saramagua !"
Yemaya replied: "My iya, I want you .. . "
U ing hi arms as a lever, C hango pushed her away. llinging her
aero s the room. He quickly took hi purple jac ~et and his
trou er~. got dre ed and ru hed out of the ile.
The youth ran off hi di tre and confu ·ion in the:! 'avannah . He

60
62 AFRO - C RA N MYTH S

topped in front of the tall palm tree that welcomed him ·"'
momen of difficulty. H e climbed it and attempted to o eroo,
hi anger there. But Yemaya, who had recovered from the hu i-
ation cau ed by her body, pursued him, running wildly. Her ample
breasts rang out in an unending peal the lust of the omorde iAiJG
allowed her elf to be carried away by her powerful sex dnve.
High up, Chango tried to recover from his anger. He held on to
the bending trunk that swayed its plumes in the wind. There belm
him stood Yemaya Saramagua, crying out to him with her arms
outstretched: ' Obini, finish satisfying me! "
From high Chango answered: "Omorde, find an animal like
yourself!"
Sighing deeply, Yemaya lost patience and threw herself to the
ground, digging her sharp nails into the earth. She stretched out
her body wildly and rubbed her private parts on the hard, impro-
vjsed bed, c aJling out longingly to the youth who was trying to
overcome his anger at the top of the palm tree. "Obini, I will give
you unheard-of pleasure."
And the youth, convinced that Yemaya was shaming herself
more by this impropriety than the embarrassment already caused
by her desire for his body, climbed down and embraced her.
Their bodies rolled over in confused movement . Going against
nature, they possessed each other for a long time.
Since then the mother has loved her on.
The End.
 Oba

Oba was a girl of firm and ol id proportion . who4'e tigurc

flowed in a sle nder line that crowded into the rounded forms below
her waist, and w hose thigh s were so lim they appeared to g lide
down towards her extremely narrow feet, hinting at lhe s light
roundness of her knees. On the nig hts w hen people were woken by
the frenzied sound of the drums, Oba liked to have handbell ru ng
insistently in her ears until her body ro lled to the floor, trembling
and shaki ng. Seized by a profound ec tasy, he tre tc hed her 'elf
like a cat in the sultry noonday heat.
Oba was a yalocha of ancient lineage. She wa~ des tined to
marry a man who was a warrior by profession, a hig h-rankmg
occupation that indicated the di tingui hed statu of tho ·e w ho
practised it. And o it was that, on one occasion, hang6 de lma
appeared, the victor of bloody combat and a handsome and
seductive youth. Taking her sle nder hand and conficl nt of his high
rank, he said: "Oba, I take you as my wife."
And they began the ir married Ii fe.
The warrior Chango wa a good lover and a lso an unrnp ntant
gourmet who e njoyed good food. Hi favorite dish wa · amala,
which he had e rved to him in large quantities. F r thi ' reason, he

63
64 A P I~ 0 < ' l 11\ A N M V l H '1

told hi s wifr~ tlrn t sh shn11ld lake 11 ~ llHI ( h c me"" 1 f11 111 m

f her w n vi rtue. Ohn p1omi sed a 11cJ did 1101 ft·I hun drwm
Soon after they were ma11 led, C ha1116 hml ''' fl<' '" 'it Jr. J
adorned h is chest w ith wa1riot like puq1l(' Hnd :. Y''"''W t It fr,
w hic h hung hi s enormou s solid steel sword. M ounting fti iJ,
oughbrcd w h i te colt, he set o ff i n search of the hrnrel o v1c.:1J
Oba followed behind him w ith two sack'! of prov1ftmn t)r h ,
back, humb l y going on f oo t, w hich made her husband ' .1uthv111y
appear greater.
C hango de Ima was going to challenge the warri or Oguo owtr
an ache that Olofi had offered him.
T he first encounter Look pl ace at a crossroad41 where th .. two
warrior found them sel ves by chance. Chang6 drew his word tmJ
hurled himself at his opponent, w ho was approaching with h1
chest bared, showing the scars that fame had gi ven hjm. I le wai
armed w ith a double-edged machete, so huge that it had to be han-
dled with both hands. But Ogun dodged the blow. Taking two ~teps
back and steady ing himself on his stron g legs, he offered lo tight
him. They v icousl y clanked steel and the forebl echoed. ( hun~'
made his hor se rear up and swooped down on Ogun once more. H(;
dodged the assault and attacks, ri pping hi s enemy\ purple hat
w ith a single thru st. He sliced the air three times without 1ncc1in
h i s target. Then Ogun spun hi s machcle round and. rn 1ving tr11
paces from hi s opponent, quick l y ru shed at him, stubbwg I() tht
ri ght and left until he broke hang6's sword in two. It tell lo lh\::

gr ound preceded by a shower or

spark fol.
Thus d isarmed, C hang6 de Ima dic.J not Jose hb head Diggin,
hi ~ golden . purs into his horse h~ mud "' it r~ai up on twu 1 ~':
using i t lo block his outwitted cnl;my, who wu~ alroi.tdy 1illl1w111

signs o f farigue.
66 AFRO -CU BA M Y'J H S

However, the fi ght continued unti l they b<,th Jeft lhe ~·""""'cK~­
completely exhausted and with the victory undec.1dPA.
Chango returned to his wife and impatiently demanded
"Oba, I've had a difficult day today, give me plenty to ear..~
His wife liberally obliged him . But when Chango tad fJ~ ~
he asked: ''Wife, I am not full , bring me more amaJa:'
Oba went and brought him more.
Chango was satisfi ed and he Jay down to sleep until the fofknf....
ing day. In the morning he got up and, taking a brand new s -:
went out once more to test his weapon.
The arduous and fierce battle commenced, but chis ume Chau;.-0
had to return home with his thigh pierced by Warrior Ogt1n'- --i'
machete. He vented all his anger on his unfortunate wife. -u-....
wife of the devil ," he said, "bring me three plates of amara.-
Resigned and humble, his wife did her duty without look.mg i.1!).
Chango treated his wound and on the third day be went off once
again to thrash Ogtln the Warrior. But once again Jud. chd no1
favor him and he returned with the wounded colt. Entering the tlc,
he shouted irritably at his wife : "Slut! Fix me five plate of
amala!"
Silently Oba did her duty.
The terrible fight between the two mo t famou opponenu ot
the warri or epics continued f or ten day . Capriciou victory \ OIDC-
times settled on Ogun 's head and other ti mes on Chango de Im
During these ten day Oba 's provi i on ~ were gradua1l} depleccd.
When that happened, the woman lay on the ground and be'' JJled
her diffic ult ~ ilu aU on , for she had gone thro ugh the whole fo~l
without find ing the mutton that wa the main i ngr~di~nt of l.h~
amaJa. But the desire to meet her obligation wa~ trongcr in b.t
lhan the de f eat1 ~t act of weepi ng. Thinking chac her hu, b..rnJ nau~t
 on A r,7

nr 11 c nl nn mi nute, she took a knife, cut <>fr hnth her ear~ . ,1nd
ndd ' d them to th flour w hich huhhlecl ~ ncl popp cl "q ir holler!
Then the woman went into the hcdroom, ~ud clcnl y convinced rha
~h wn"- no longer beautiful. She wept w ith her head buried in her
thigh ~.

, on afterwards her hu band came in, o<;tentaliouc;ly cleaning

his blo d- pattered sword. His manner suggested that he has come
off best in the contest.
"Wife, bring me the amala and come and share in your victori-
ou hu band' laurels."
But Oba did not answer.
Chango repeated the call : "Oba, come into my pre ence:·
Once more silence was the reply. The hu band changed h1 ~
tone: "Idle woman, come and attend to your hu band!"
The husband became impatient and went into the bedroom,
finding her lying on the floor hiding her head in both hand .
Chang6 pulled her furiou sly by the hair: "Oba ... !"
When he saw her head without its ears, he tepped back sever-
al paces, filled with horror, and finally aid: HOh wife, I do not
Jove you without ears!"
His victory turned to disappointment, Chango van ished int the
forest.
Oba, who on hot nights had little be lls rung rep aLedly tn her
ear~ to then fa ll down, trembling, to th ~ound of th drum that
recounted the adventures of ruthl es~ men and haughly women,
wenl into the forest when sh rea lii: d how futile h r \'1Cri fice had
been. She began LO run along the pachs that were 'trewn wlth t1ow-
erb, 6>trick ~ n with heartrending grief, lt~aving b"'hin ! h r Just r of
lr t!e~ that l i ~ tened , perpJexed, to her angui sh~d ·ry: " l am Obu, sh
who ib no longer beautiful !''
68 AFRO-Cl!BA . f YTHS

And she burst out crying, shedding copious tears that soaked
her body, which was undamaged by the tragedy of her mutilated
face. he continued on her journey. going sometimes across the
shimmering plain. sometimes along steep and arduous paths that
cllt through the fores~ always crying pathetically: "I am the
woman without ears; now I can no longer have a husband!,-,
Lost in the depths of the jungle, her sobs were so mournful that
they filled tbe radiance of the noonday wood with sadness. Her
tears were so copious that they filled the empty basins of a small
slream: Oba turned into a river.
And no Olle has ever heard again of the omorde with the slender
figure and the rounded buttocks. All that remains i s the gentle mur-
mur of the stream where lies hidden the legend of the woman who
sacrificed her beauty on the altar of duty.
The End.
 EchU and the Pumpkin

Ochun had a vegetable garden sown with such lovely big pump-
kins that there was scarcely room to walk in it comfortably. With
Ochun 's care and skilJ, the pumpkins grew fine and abundant. She
put a great deal of effort into cultivating them and gave them the
best part of her free time. Moreover, she treated them all equally,
and the pumpkins were happy to have such a good, hardworking
mistre s.
On one occasion, a pumpkin began to grow and became so
unusually beautiful that it stood out from aJI the rest. Ochun, see-
ing it so fine, was captivated by it and began to treat it differently
from the others. She paid them less attention. Realizing that their
new neighbor had captured the affection of their mistre , they
began to be filled with jealousy and agreed to plot against the
upstart.
One night they stealthily approached the pumpkin who enjoyed
such advantages and began to hit her m rcile Jy. They aid:
"'Intruder; you have stolen Ochun' affe ti n aw, y from u . We
wilJ ki ll you. Ochun will have no hoi e but t I ve u '.Take that
and that." And they beat her violently.
"Ouch, ouch," cried the defen ele pumpkin. Th pumpkin

71
 Echu and the PumPkin

Ochun had a vegetable garden sown with such lovely big pump-
kins that there was scarcely room to walk in it comfortably. With
Ochun's care and skill, the pumpkins grew fine and abundant. She
put a great deal of effort into cultivating them and gave them the
best part of her free time. Moreover, she treated them all equally,
and the pumpkins were happy to have such a good, hard working
mistress.
On one occasion, a pumpkin began to grow and became "O

unusually beautiful that it stood out from all the re t. Ochun, ee-
ing il so fine, was captivated by it and began to treat it differently
from the others. She paid them le attention. Realizing that their
new neighbor had captured the affection of their mi tre • the~
began to be fi lled with jeaJou y and agreed to plot again t the
upstart.
One night they stealthily approached the pumpkin who e njoyed
such advantages and began to hit her mercile ly. Th y aid :
"Intruder ~ you have tolen O ' hun's affection a\i ay from us. \Ve
wilJ kill you. Ochun will have no hoi e but co love us. Take th t
and that." And they beal her violently.
"Ouch, ouch," cried the defen sdes~ pumpkin. Th pumpkin

71
,
A FRO - C BAN MYTH S

m:maged to c~cape. She ran away and

·r h d Ochun·c;
c:;w1 t 1Y reac e
1H.1U \C. he hamme red des pe rate ly on the door.
'"\J hat is that banging?" asked Orumhi la, O ch6n 'q huc;b nd .
" et' c;ee who it is," said hi s wife. and ~he went to open the
d or.
The pumpkin said, " Let me take re fu ge in your hou~e. for they
' ant to kill me."
"Oh, you have escaped from the garden? Come in.'·
The pumpkin told her mjstress of the others' e nvy and jealou -
ly. She begged her to allow her to live in her hou5e as 4; he feared
the violence of the others would kill her. It was no t fa ir ince ~he
was the finest of them all. The most natural thing sho uld be th
he would live so as to excel and be able to enjoy the good thi ng
of life.
Ochun said, "Sleep peacefull y ; they won ' t bother you an -
more.,,
The pumpkin settled down in the bed between the huc;band and
wife. But halfway through the night On.lmbila wo ke up a nd , id t
the pumpkin, "S leep on the fl oor, becau e I'm not com fortab lt!_·
The pumpkin said nothing and settled down under the J . ln
the morning s he got up and aid to Ochun, ·'Yo ur husband J n t
like me."
·'Don' t worry; I will help you with everything," ·aid he-r tni~­
tre . And then she headed for her bedro m, too~ a !oiharp, ~hj n •
sickle, and set out for the pumpkin garden. he ul aw« alt the
reed~, stabbing at the m viole ntly while aying: "'Take th41c fo r mi -
treating my fa vorite. ake that for mcurnng my anger ..
When Ochun fini shed, h returned ho me. nd che pum p Jn
said LO hl!r, ''Thank you for honoring me in thi · w 1y. \,) \\- l \\ ttl be
th~ onl y one who deserves your auencion:·
"l•rom now on l will b .. your prote ·mr," said ·hun .
74 AFRO - f'U Rl\N MY rH S

And the pumpkin said, "I will pay you hack with intere~l."
At that time, Orumbi la was earning a lot of money throwing the
Ifa. When he finished his work, he put the coins in a ~ack ft 1 cl
placed it in a secret hiding place. Then he went out. The pumpkin
watched him do this and began to covet Orumbi la's money Thu~,
each afternoon when the old man had gone out, she went lo the
hiding place and stole a handful of coins, wh ich she concealed in
her bosom . The pumpkin grew extremely fat.
One day, Ochun, wishing to caress her, clasped her passionate··
ly to her chest. "Pumpkin, how fat you are!"
And the pumpkin made a jingling noise.
"What's that noise?" asked Ochun.
The pumpkin replied, 'Tm robbing Orumbila for you."
"You are clever, pumpkin. From now on you wiJI be my mon-
eybox." And the pumpkin was pleased to have her mi tres as an
accomplice.
Another day Echu turned up at the house and aid, 'T m going
to move in here until I see this couple ruined."
When the pumpkin heard this, she retorted, "Don't think lbat
things will go so well for you."
"Who are you?" asked Echu .
"Me? Ochun's moneybox."
Echu began to hit her, and the pumpkin aid, "I will give you,\
bottle of liquor if you stop hitting me."
"Done deal," sajd Echu.
The pumpkin brought him a bottle and a.id, "I will give you aU
the liquor you want if you don' t get in Orumbila" way. Tr~nc the
old man mercilessJy."
"Very well."
From then on, Echu prinkled the four corner· of Onimbila'
 E H tJ AND T HE P MPK JN 75

hon ~ wi th u oncoctinn of his inventi on, and the old man's busi-
ncs. hegan to decline. Alarmed, Orurnbi la consulted lfa, but when
h~ threw th " chain it fe1l f orrni ng intricate patterns that the wi5e
di iner ould not deci pher. Orumbila resigned himself to bad luck.
The day c ame w hen he did not even earn enough to eat.
T he pu mpki n said to Ochun, " Now the oJd m an doesn' t even
earn enough to be able to steal a coin from him."
\
"The poor man I Bad luck, he's having a spell of bad luck. Shall
we help him?"
"Don ' t count on me."
"M i er! " said Ochun angrily.
Echu and the pumpkin were discussing Orumbila's fate. The
pumpkin a ked, "How far are you going to take the poor old
man?"
"As far as I please."
"You should leave; you've already done him enough harm."
''Don' t poke your nose into other people's affairs!"
"Hee, hee, hee," laughed the pumpkin, sure that Echu would not
leave Orumbila alone until he had destroyed him.
And she gave him more liquor. She was lavi h with her gen-
erosity. One time Echu drank too much and fell down in the mid-
dJe of the road. He did not realize that Ochun wa approaching.
Seeing him lying on the ground, Ochun prodded him gently with
her foot, saying: "What are you doing here?"
Elegua did not answer, and he prodded him more forcefu lly.
"What are you doing here?"
legua slowly opened his eye and answered: ··A k the pump-
kin ."
T he pumpkin, when questjoned, aid: "I had no idea he was
around, J haven' t seen him hereabouts."
76 FRO - CL"BA . I YTH S

chun aid: .. You have been plotting with Echu."' She slapped
her twice and lefL
\Vhen OnJmbi1a returned at nightfall ""1th a wild expre ion on
hi" face and , un en cheek • like a gho. t. he fell into a seat and
aid: ''l'm d ing!"
chun ked him: " Ha en 't you eaten?"
rtimhila did not an. wer. chun thought that Icu had taken him
U\ a . De"perately he picked up a \ eapon and went to take her
re cnge n the pumpkin. The pumpkin ran and houted: "You have
fott ned me up '' ith nimbi la ' money and now you want to kill
nie!''
hun final1 caught her and"' 1th a ,ingle '\tab of the knife, cut
h er in two. All the gold pilled out at nimbil ' feet.
The Id man, eeing the gold, ried: ''Yalorde, you were the
tni tN~ · of the oguo!"
.'\
Orumbil'a's Parrot
'
I

·~.

Old Orumbi la, the Ifa diviner. wa respected for hj" pre'\tige · nd
wh;dom . As the re ult of a special favor from Olofi. he marrtcd
O chun, a woman of warrior tock. She wu ' a b ·aut1 ful girl who
men found irre i tibl y attractive. She tempted them u\ing the ~ub­
tl e power of oiif, the charm she u ed to captivate Olo t1 himself.
For the convenience of hi profession, Orumbtla tnShtllcd hi
wife in a m ansion situated on a vast plain . rt wa. eas ily acccs. i blc
to the aleyos who came to di cu s their misfortune"> and to 1eccivc
the ernb6 th at would improve their luck. Tht alcyo" came from
afar in a long caravan that traver ed the most ard uou mute~.
Orumbila' presti ge wa such that everyone mdde \ 4\Crthi.:c' in

order to hear him peak comforting word~ and tu hve rn uClUr-

dance with that which destiny had ordamed.
Orumbila made plenty of money. He had t!nough to kt!cp tht!
gr edy Ochun in s umptu ou~ ~ty le . By nature ~hl! wa fi dJt: and
given to deceit. They lived happily. The had a nice home, u g J
income, and enjoyablt! pabtimes, but 011e thtng worn cll 1rnmbtl ~1 .
:=.very day his bCX dn ve wai, uec1.. al\iug, anll chun, who wa~
young and proud or her !lexuiility, dcma11dcd from tum wh at h
could not give hef. "L ·1 ·~ go lo b .. d," Ckhun would <lt::m<tn<l. And

77
78 A PRO - ' BAN MY nJ S

he obliged her with his flagging viri lity. "What a man Olofi h<t
given me," his wife compl ained, and her eye~ filled with teao
Orumbila understood that Ochun was a young woman. One d y
she would look to a you nger man to provide her with what he
could only offer her in a hazy memory of his younger days. He
expected that the time would come when hls spouse would spend
in the arms of another the reserves of pleasure that he had cau~ed
her to accumulate.
That day came. Deep in the forest, his domain from one end to
the other, lived the warrior Ogun Arere, the uncouth J<l ng of met-
alworkers. He intimidated his neighbors simply by tramping heav-
ily through the land over which he reigned. Ogun Arere would
only enjoy a woman once. He would use them violently and then
push them away cruelly. But Ogun did not dare to be so impetuous
with Ochun, as one day she had given rum deljcious pleasure.
Ogun said to her: ''Woman, visit me always, I will give you
expensive presents."
Ochun 's various love affairs made her forget the incidentl and
they did not m.eet again . Her marital disaster with On.Jmbila re-
freshed Ochun 's memory, and she thought about the warrior
and his powerful exuberance and wild energy when enjoying a
woman.
One morning, Ochun, elegantly attired with five scarve ue<l
round her waist, seven necklaces jingling at her neck, and "meareJ
all over with honey, took the road to the forest to look for lh\! met-
alworking king. At the foot of a leafy ceiba tree she found him
lying on the grass in a deep slumber. Ochun ~ gno to un<ln!)~
swiftly. Naked, her body smeared and gleaming as it reilec1~<l the
sun ' rays, she began to dance while she ang a song lJf d_'.!>in:.
 0 IH I 1H I J /\ ' ~ I' A IHH > I 1;
79

() lo otlf nnoh
Y • ~ niH nh
Oilf nh "Cece I

Ogun suddenly woke up. When he saw her he exclaimed:

\ "Yulord ~ r' He tried to embrace her, but Ochun "Jipped nimbly
away and danced dizzily until she fells exhausted into Ogun's
~ armio;.
"Ochun, you haven't changed."
"We wi ll ee each other every day."
Filled with foreboding, Orumbila di vined for him elf. The chain
gave him ome indication of the betrayal. Orumbila waited cau-
tiously.
One afternoon when Ochun returned, he heard bird fluttering
in ide her house. She advanced swiftly and ilently and aw that
the house was fu ll of parrots. Holding her breath, she listened to
the cacophonous chatter of the parrots . The parrots were ~aying :
''When will the adulteress return?"
"She' ll be here sometime. We wjJl tell him everything."
Ochun did not act fooli shly. She went into the living room, pre-
tending to be very happy. "Oh, how kind Orumbila i . He' filled
my house with parrots," she said.
The parrots watched her. "My parrot , would you like to eac ?"
.. Ye~."
.. Ye~!'
Ochun gave them otf mixed with ofif and a1u to ch m ofcly:
"Omoyu Jepe-Jepe."
On lhal occasion not mu h happ ncd. When On1mbila arrived,
the parrots baid: "Ochun did not go out. 0 ·hun h more virtuou
1han you think ."
80 l\P l~O - U B l\N MY T ll S

rumbila wn, not renssurcd by the parrols' dccluration. He WHq

aware of his wife's cunning. Orumbiln wa it'cd.
Ochun sa id to him: "How happy I am with my parrots! They
amu e me in your absence."
"That i why I brought the m."
But Orumbi la waited.
One day the master of the house arrived home and notjced that
the parrots were immobi1e, in a deep sleep. He made a lot of noise
to wake them up, but to no avai l. The parrots kept on sleeping.
Nothing could waken them. In a moment of absent-mindednes1.i
Ochun had added too much otf, more than she should, to the bird-
seed. The man said nothing; he remained silent.
His wife said: ''What's wrong with my little parrots; why are
they so fast asleep?"
"Because they 've had too much to eat."
Orumbila did not say anything more. At night they went to bed.
Orumbila could not do anything, nor could Ochun. They were
worried.
The following morning, Orumbila said: "Wi fe, go to the fore t
and bring me oguede. I have a craving for them."
Ochun went without saying anything. As oon a her husband
was sure that he wouldn ' t be surpri ed by hi wife, h went over
to the parrots and daubed their beak with ep6, say ing: " w you
wiJ I have no choice but to tell the truth."
Orumbi la devoted himself to his work. He divi ned fo r the aleyos
wi th his usual impassiveness. When 0 hun came bn ~. the old
man took the bananas and began t peel them ·aJmly. s he ate lw
said: ~~oo n ' t give the parrots anything to at. I have alrea ly don
&o. You 'd better ee to the hous work."
" Very weJJ."
 ORUMB IL A 'S PAR ROTS 81
~, J
·~ I
;
When onimbila went off. Ochun very discreetly gave the par-
rots the bird.. eed n1ixed with oft ( or otf, mutterin g the words:
f'Omoyu Jepe-lepe." And he went to rneet the warrior Ogun-
Arere, whom he told of Orumbila's suspicions. The metal work-
ing king re ponded by piling go1d into her hands. O chun set off for
her large house, expecting that every thing would be resolved to her
advantage because she had a lot of faith in the power of her ofH.
Orun1bila was calmly waiting for her. As soon as she entered the
boase, the parrots begin to chatter with a deafening racket. They
were saying:
"The adulteress has arrived."
"She has come from seeing Ogun Arere."
"Onimbila, your wife is cheating on you!"
"Kill her!"
Ochun began to hit them furiously, crying: "Traitors, toadie . !"
Parrots always tell the truth.
 The acrifice

They say that when Ochun was in her prime she used to enjoy
her elf at giiemilere whenever she chose, boldly confronting the
gaze of the lads who looked admiringly at her swaying body. HCJ
wai t was narrower than that of a woman of more noble birth. Her
finger tapered like the blade of a sharp dagger. But even with
expert wooing, no man managed to have the pleasure of lighrly
bru hing against the skirt of that omorde, more cunning Chan ~en~
sible. Sometimes on hot nights Ochun would allow herself to be
pursued by handsome, well-built lads whom he brought into her
ile and granted brief nights of pleasure.
The omorde's waist was so slim that it could be encircled by a
child's tiny arms. Her hips were so narrow that, when her arm
were folded, she could pass through a lender hoop from hea<l
to toe.
One day she turned up at the gtiemilere pre ·ided over b
Chang6, the handsome drununer, who e fam wa~ rccoumed in
tales that pas ed from vill age to vi llag . chun t\\ led p rmi,~1on
to peak a few ad1niring words l th "' 1110 ·t d t ·rou~ of lhe lhum-
mers. She went over lo the drums and, bowi ng her h 'ild, ccrew
njou&Iy said to him: " En1f, you ar > th great ..;t f th J.rtutuu~r ·
Pl ea~e deign to visit 1ne:'

H2
 T H E SAC R I FI CE 83

Chango interrogated her: " Who ho uld I ask for?"

" ou hould a k for Yalorde , yo ur humble servant."
"Oh, Yalorde T' said Chan go, and he thought for a few seconds.
uddenly he replied : ' 'Yo u are no t worthy of my attention," and he
conti nued to play his drums.
From that moment on, Ocbun, wearing the most o utrageous
clothe , did not miss a single day of the g iiemi]ere that was
pre ided over by the indolent youth who dared to humiliate her in
front of all her admirers. On one occasion she took off her tunic
and danced right beside the drums. Her whoJe body was smeared
with oru that dripped from her narrow fingers and feJI to the
ground like drops of gold. Everyone watched fascinated as the
nimblest dancer at the gtiemilere moved restlessly.
Chango calmly dripped some oiii onto his face and said grave-
ly: "Cofi adeno, omorde."
Ochun ran away with her head bowed and two tears filling her
deep black eyes.
The following day Ochun went back to Chango. " Please deign
to share the bed of the most desired woman ever born," she said.
"Ochun, leave me alone," he answered and went on presiding
over the celebrations.
De pite this, Ochun persevered. On one occa ion, choo ing the
moment when the drummer was resting from th e hau tio n of the
night, she slid sile ntl y onto hi. mat and. using deli ate flattery,
prepared the youth who could not re i t her e rremely killful
caresse .
When they fini hed, C hango aid : "Omorde, you 're not good at
handling men ." And he turned his back on her.
This partial victory of Ochun broke the ice, and they continued
Lo see each other on the nights that favo r love ma king under the full
moon, which revealed the access ible paths of the fo rest, or they
 T fl H <.; /\ <' I ~ II I ( I.

C'h:llll o intc11 ng11tcd Ii ·1: Who '4 hould I ask

11
for '/"
.., ou "'hn11 ld H'-lk frn Yn lotdc, your hurnnlc servant .''
" ( h, :1ln1dl''l" snid Cha11g6, nn<l he thou_Fht fnr a few c-.econd~.

e Suddcnl hl' 1 "pli ·d: " You nrc nol worthy of my attention·· and he
ont1nucd to pi ny hi s cJrum".
Frnrn that moment on, Ochun , wearing the mo<tt outrageous
clothes, did not miss a si ngle day of the gUemilere that was
presided over by the indolent youlh who dared to humiliate her in
fron t of all her admirers. On one occasion she took off her tunic
and danced right beside the drums. Her whole body was smear ed
with oiif th at dripped from her narrow finger and fell to the
ground l ike drops of gold. Everyone watched fascinated as the
nimble t dancer at the gi.iemi lere moved restl es ly.
Chang6 cal ml y dripped some ofif onto his face and atd grave-
ly: "Cofiadeno, omorde."
Ochun ran away with her head bowed and two tear filling her
deep black eyes.
The foJJowing day Ochun went back to C hango. HPlea.\e deign
to share the bed of the most desired woman ever born," he ·aid.
" Ochun , Jeave me alone," he an wered and went on pre iding
over the celebrations.
Despite thb , O chun persevered . On one o a~ion, cho ~ing the
moment when the drummer wa resting from th exhau rion of the
,, night, she slid silently onto hi
mat and. u mg delicate flanery,
prepared the youth who could not re~ i t her e tremd killful
c.arc~~es.

When they finii,hed, hang6 ~a id :" mord , you're n c go d uc

h~ndli 11g mt!n ." A nd hi! Lurned his back on her.
Thu-. partial victory of O chun brok th ' ic , und chey c ntinued
to"'~ cat:h oLher on Lht; ni ghl ~ thal favor lovemaking und r thd fulJ
I 111 ocm , which r "" vcaleo the accessible paths of th for ~st, or they
84 AFRO UHAN MY'fll ')

coupk"d on th ' damp gnt\~ r the open spaces, hecauqe, in spite of

cv'ry thing, hong6 d1d not give Ochun an inch.
Jl • humiliated her frequentl y : " Ochun , you are nol worthy of
ll1) h d ; y u don' t know how to make love Lo men.''
•• ou arc clumsy and as sluggi sh as an elephant. You stay stuck
to me like a f\lug at the mo ment when any prudent woman moves
away."
chun bore thi s stoicall y li ke som eone betti ng o n a hunch. But
the moment arrived when fortune turned i ts back on C hango, and
he became Jess popular at the gUemil ere. He regarded his downfal l
1mpas\1vcly. His pride made him abandon his job rather than suf-
fer Lhc ridi cule of passing unnoticed in the pl ace o f his greatest
~ uccc:-,~c., , and he settl ed in an i le far from the raucous sound of the
drum\.
O chun went there and comforted hi m . She gave up all her pos-
ttcsswns and LOok wi th her just o ne dress that she fastidiously
Wn\h1.,d tvcry day in a bend in the river. Ochun took her tonk to

ll
th · ri ver ~o 0ften thal, once white , il became yellow and washed
(JUI J·roo1 Llit n on, Chang6 began Lo feel love for Yalorde.
...

I\
,,
 aun Arere'

h1 hahalochn t JI of how gun rcrc. h 1 ruled over lh"

Utlttu•n lfi hi . anlcd t cep for him elf ttl th, prof·
1t h< in th hmmtif ul han: cot~ nd inc lculuble nch • the: fore t
hH1 an 1t mt<•t ioa 'Jlw n c nc \\ s allowed tn trnvcrse its puth ·.
u to "°'" th< h<~lh 1 of h.1si ng art~r th ·m. h • conccukd ltllPI\ tn
tmy men of un dvcnturou
n.•hnt• h. fj 11ttt•11c<.I thc:ir foolhardinl·~s in i1llcmptin, to d ·fy th"'
111 t)1 tht n11ght f .trn er.
, .. . 1 h nMrnm~ gun rere in pccted aJI hi trap . Barc-ch1.:slcd
rnd \\llh. m. c.hc:tt" .l ung Lhruugh hi belt, he walkeJ tlh h ·u'J •
"". gc1 ng ~•cp , u'Jn~ long ti k to push \id the d g ~s.
I , hi' bloodch1rsry narurc wa.s sall fied
•n M;c: h~'" m~ 11 OH: n I. there p· ed togeth~r. truggling 11nst
d and n ha ang had hunce to

ll erl\urcd 1h.1l

eh ·onhd nt
d old mJ
-
H?

tioncd. ord T cl 01 u1nhi lH, his mn~ l lru ~ f·d scrva111, to,,,, rn to 1t11!
fnrc~t to cnl l ' c: t ~om · o f Oguo /\1<'r 's ohf On'imhJIH tr rnhled
from head to tor . Bul he had 11 0 nit ·rrrntivc hut to oh y A.., hr wa ~
ktnn '· he thought h would h ' ahl to \ lip c.;afely r a!it th . ht<lden
trap~ . The foll ow111g mornin g he ~ct off with <• sack o f prnvi ~ions
' 'er hi. (ih uldcr to trust hi life to fate. I rebecame hope le~"IY ln~ t
and egan . hooting in the forest. But his cri es echoed feebly
around its cavernous depth and could not be heard out ~ 1de the for-
e t. Old Orumbila understood that his agony had begun. He low-
ered hi head onto hi chest and was resigned to die. The earth
began to eat away his flesh, which was already wa ted Little by
little only the sorry remai ns of a human were left; flies were
buzzing around it, and worms lay in wait.
All that remai ned of Orumbil a was the spiri t of a man when,
one morning, three cheerful and talkative women were gomg
through the fi eld picking flowers along the pathways. They
stepped unwittingly on Ogu n Arere' graveyard . The traps, many
now Laid bare, were lined with loo e bones. The women waJked
lightly over the grassy surface, revealing the long line of graves
with their harvest of skulJs and entwined bone .
One of the women was ObataJa, a gentle, erene girl; the "iccond
was Yemaya, plump and lissome; and the third wa~ hun, 01m-
bJe, frivolous, and alluring. She went in front. Either to 'how that
she was unmoved by the gri ly ~pectacle or becau~e 'ht! ~n w o
no other way to subdue her emo tion~ than with a ong, 'he b gan
to sing ~oftl y, waving her hand1) in the alr:

Yey o onf oh .. .
ofif C:JbeJJ
bocur a la yum6! . ..
 I
~,

\
'1
.,'
'I

I
·,
\

·~
~~11

I Al~f
.~~r 1r
J\')IC

u?ll''
~tr·
 OG(JN J\ IHHH!' S TRAPS

Oflf abc.
"cure, a ·1a 1.d61• • ••

iii abe.
ecure, 1' bucol e' ..
' ..
Oiif abeee ...

Meanwhile the others stifled cries of horror, and their bod1e~

trembled when they aw the new traps. The three women we re
tartled to hear a loud snore coming from one of the holes. It was
Onimbila's death rattle. At that moment the three women leaned
over and aw him, tall, thin, and bent, with his nails clawing the
earth a if he was grasping at his last hope.
"My abure, it's Orumbila!" Yemaya said to her i ter Ochun.
"Let's save him !" said Obatala.
Ochun, untying the five handkerchiefs she normally wore at her
belt, made a strong cord and a lasso, and between the three of them
they lifted out the old man, who was half dead.
They carried him before Olofi . He received hi m without mu h
surprise and did not seem to be very intere ted in Orumbila · m1 -
hap. He said to Ochun: "Go and deal with Ogun Arere."
To Yemaya he said: "Liven him up !" And she made him Jnnk
bottle of liquor.
At Olofi ' s request, Obatala al o took him in her arm ~ . lur-
muring some words in his ear, she calm d and rev1veJ him. for ~ he

lb the mistress of human understanding.

Halfway through the afL m oon, c hun e ntered tho for~~r dnJ
ran from one end to the olher shouting anti ult mpting to attru~c lh
farmer'1> atlention. When he heard her. Ogun r~r~ m itabl) pullt"J
out hi b m achete and wenl in pursuit of her. Bur wh n ht" founJ her
he changed his mind and abkecJ hl!r in a pe1 f ctly normal vott:
"Omordt. what are yo u looking Jor?"
 0 FRO · ll B t YTH<;

chtin. \\ho had greeted him 1 ing na ed on ttie ground. fer him
n ' ' her int nl ion \\1th a ~a laci us ge<;ture. and she replied: "1 ( r
thing. I have come to cnjo my<;elf with you:· And they had exu-
aJ i nt "re uf'e
J 1ng nut a hott]e of Jiquor that she had concealed. the woman

tlhen said: •• rm thi s liquor:·

gun Arerc. f\tun ned by the ruthlesc;ne s of what had JU t taken
pl" . ohedicntl l1pped up the bottle and became completely
dtunk.
ran 10 hi~ hiding place. tole all h1 money. and
ran :t\ a_.
Ogun A1crc. filled with ~hame, found he no longer neeckd to
ta ~ precautH)ll" and aJlo\\ed free acce Lo hi domain.
..
't Ol ~ fTIUlled :impk obm• ·3.Jted gun Arere. "ht ' .l ' mr-
'1

d\ CJ.II. emus.. the bun r of ~In£ th" .·urremc h. N of th"

ur. ..
~ relations and only had -ontncl \\rith hL· folio" m "n "hen he
·shed to ei - 1 hi· · 1rength and impose his au th nt) H~ .;u.u\.i "d
·m an un ommon zeal the area ben,een ht. d m.11n .ind th~
neigh ring ,;uage-. ~o lhing creature ~ould .mempt l\.) cro . 1t
\\i ch m n lmg bemg cruell} affromed.
Aldtough Ogt1n Arere was able to conqu~r ' men .lflJ g1' e
t.bem mwmum ari fa tion. he al · rumed h1 un~eemt tern~r
on diem. He embraced them po\\ erfull and \lg rou'I) .llld then.
after per e.s~ing rbem. '' ould beat them 'tokntl . '-) \\ m..1.n
could bo t of ha\ in2 ..... 'i ited him m re than t10('e. L' ' nhd~'"·
on <L.irk mghts the omorcte · lipped thn.. ugh th fore c .mJ l.i_ tn
"'d.lt for tum on the gr3.!)S, ''here th fJim r '' uld t.ik • th m l;\ru-
t.all) and ~a\ gel)
On count of the legend~ ~1bout th rJth r un..'.11l.uu h,1b1b of
d

tin~ pov.erful farmer, on the night of a nwon th.\l . ·"· m~J t) thn.)\\
torrem., of light in Lo Lhe dark fore t , Y~m.1 ~1 SJr.un.1guJ, .i ll\ d)
and '1gorou~ girl umnuiated in th m t ri ~ '->f loH\ ' l\lert'"I th~

91
t
--~-~--------,._,.-------..~---------------- ....------------
D ECEPTIO N 93

wood. She went down paths with hazardous intersections breaking

the iJence all the while with a song that lame nted the sadness of
her body in the first flower of womanhood :

Acolona oooh!
Aeee!
Dale yaluma oh!
Dale ayaba mio,
Orn abeee!
Si Yemaya ta secu secu.
Si Yemaya ta cuele cuele
Epooooo!
U ci neba oooh !
Aeeee!

Ogun Arere, armed with a machete of gigantic proportions, half

naked and displaying a mop of rough, curly hair, was wandering
about when the echo of her voice made him stop suddenly. He
headed in the direction of the bold young woman's song.
Yemaya Saramagua saw him coming. H er whole body trembled
slightly, and she cried in a trembling voice: "Hey Aguanilli!"
He settled down to wait for her in a turn of the path. The girl
went along the track, and Ogun Arere threw him elf on her. He
raped her in jerky spasms until Yem aya, tre mbling all over, rubbed
her exhausted body against the man' tro ng mu cle . He pu hed
her away, but the girl wa inflamed with desire. She catne back and
embraced him, murmuring: "Aguanillf, keep on filling me up. I' m
not atisfied !,,
Ogun Arere di sengaged him elf. Holding her by her de licate
waist, he Lhrew her to the ground . But the maiden, whose desire
94 APRO - C' HAN MYTH S

wa nol dimini ~ hed by physical pain, stood up swiftly and went

~ tubb ml toward the farm r. He look a step back and, brandish-
ing hi . machete and chopping the air, threatened her angrily: "[
will have lo k.ill you, in ati able bitch!''
The girl gave up in the face of such opposition. Filled with ter-
ror, he tarted running to the edge of the forest and went to her
ile. emaya wa de o1ate and had a heavy heart. She stiJJ carried
the marks of Ogun Arere 's powerful virility on her thighs. She ran
to look for her experienced ister, Ochun. In between sobs she told
of her mi fortune and asked her to use her cunning to punish the
farmer"c; brazen deed . "My abure," she said, "a man has hurnilfat-
ed me. After he possessed me, Ogun Arere left without satisfying r.
my de~ ire .''

" Don ' t worry, I wiJI bring him to you at night so that you may
have your pleasure."
Armed with a plate brimming with ofif, Ochun went aJong the
'
long path leading to the forest that was crossed by little treams.
She went as far as the place where the mighty river flow , heaving
..
warily like a gigantic boa. Ochun, who is called YaJorde in gtie-
ntilere songs, passed through the dense jungle, clearing a path wi th
her armf) and fillrng the forest with her song:

Secure a 1a yum6 oh!

Secure a Ja id6 oh
Y.:.ye oooh
<>iii abcee !
~ccure a la yu1116 oh,
'>ccurc a lc.t J<.16 oh,
Ye fC unf ouoh !
 DECEPT I O 95

n the) met. Ogun rere, fi ercely eager, tried to eize her

l the woman ~wi ftly evaded him and placed her plate of
'"'T"""~' n the ground to av ait hi next move. T he farmer, who was
mg dagger al her, \! a overcome with rage, and he repeated
ction The girl lipped away ea ily and danced before him
). d l)mg h1 attempts to embrace her. The farmer clumsily
clutched at air. attempting to grasp the gtiernilere dancer's beauti-
ful bod~.
She stole away, swaying like a stalk of maize in the wind. In the
frcnz) of the dance, Ochun took one end of her skirt and spun
quickl) until it came off. She held it in her hands like a sail with
the wind in it and let Ogtln Arere see her curvaceous, sweaty, glis-
tening body. The farmer stayed there, enraptured by that outra-
ou woman. Pausing in her dance, she took the plate of oiii and
ured it over her body that now cried out for moments of love.
The farmer ~eized the moment and got on top of her, holding
her by the waist. Ocbun moved her hlps restlessly like a trapped
II h Once more she mocked him, laughing loudly enough to fill
the entjre wood. Ogun Arere, panting, his hands smeared with the
chMm, was clumsy and bewildered. The omorde, eeing she had
won, cunningly entered the deep forest. She went ahead, 1ngmg
1e1 6ong:

Ytye oni ob.

Oni ubcc!

A u&aml lf ffJlluwccJ her as meekly '1\ a lamb. 'V hen the re. ch d
"' • 1;cJJ•c CJI lhl! f orc:,t, !)he lay tJown and artfully re\ ealed her
a1111,Jta b ' om «lid m ou \i:d body
'>J!Oll Arc1c took her 1101\il y Jn<.J a\ g1ccdily Js a mi er.
96 AFR - CU BAN MYTH S

"Omorde, you have not left me entirely satisfied," he said, half

exhau .. ted.
Ochun replied : ''Let's do it indoors," and she dragged him to
Yen1aya Saramagua' ile, where she was lyi ng on her mat, waiting
patiently.
It wa a dark night, and the farmer didn' t notice the other wo-
man. He settled down with Ochun in the bed. She got up from his
arms and left him with her sister, wbo silently replaced her aJI
night long. "Will you come back, obini?" Yemaya asked the next
morning.
Realizing he had been tricked, Ogun Arere hit her furiou sly and
went away.
Here ends the story in which Ochun, the most beautiful girl at
the gtiemilere, violated the strict principles of the formidable Ogun
Arere.
)

~
~I
\
Yem aYa
 Orisaoco

They tell how. anxiou to find a farmhand who would be able to

take charge of owing her yams, wrule at the arne time revealing
ab olutely nothing about the procedure to be followed in order to
obtain the prized crop, Obatala asked young Ori aoco to help her.
Hi chastity was the topic of conversation everywhere. On account
of thi virtue he was a hard worker and there was no danger of rhc::
ecret being revealed because of some woman meddling in his Ii fc.
Wi hing to discover how well the youth could 1-..eep the ecrel
that he would, after all, have to reveal to him o he could carry
ouLhi duties, and knowing that some men were weak when faced
with women's desires, Obatala called him aside. cting like a
loo e woman, she showed him the part of her b dy de~en y
requires should remain hidden, leading him to understanc..l that her
desires were those that would be a puzzle ea ily dec1pherec..l by any
brighl youth. But Orisaoco, ignoring her edu tive p e, turned ht \
back on her and went away.
Ple~ed wilh lhe result of her e perim nt, batalti l'illl~d him

the foJJowing day and entrusted him wuh her ddil'ac~ l'harge.
"On~aoco, I am going to give you a job that v. ill tnl:rca c: )Our
prel->tige and wealth but the price i~ compl tl! 1len • ,\bout cht>
~ecret Lhat J will confide to yo u.

10 1
 102 /\FRO -CU BA N M YT ff S

Ji
And Lhe youth agreed and promi sed to be discreet. ~i.
ilh his hard-working nature and the shrewd and clever way he 1 1
concealed his labor, Orisaoco sowed Obatala's fi eld from one end
to the other. On fine nights, a traveler passing by would not fajJ to
hear the murmuring of the ta1katjve yams. They would poke their
headc:; to the surface of those mounds of earth that resembled long 11

rowc:; of graves and served as their shelter and recount their trou-
~
ble~ in order to use the faculty that Olofi had granted them of
bemg able to talk like people.
Obatala was always com1nenting in a complimentary way about
her farmer's abilities. This reached the ears ofYemaya Saramagua,
a woman who enjoyed her patronage. Obatala did not wish to
grant Yemaya's obvious wish that she favor her adoptive son,
Chang6, the fruit of one of Obatala's indiscretions, with the gift of
the drums. Yemaya thought that by corrupting Orisaoco's morals
she would set a trap for her benefactress. By snatching the secret
from Orisaoco, if all else failed, she could return it to Obatala in
exchange for her granting Chango the gift of becoming master of
Lhe drums.
ln lhe meantime, at lhe first sounds of morning, young Orisaoco
went to his plantations, hoe across his shoulder and walking with
a jaunty ~tep. Using his tool, he dug into the earth, piled it up and
shpped in the seeds he carried. Yemaya was shrewdly spying on
him ~he carefully tolJowed alJ his movements, but he dropped the
yam !)p1 out~ into the earth so deftl y that the omorde remained baf-
fluJ e:tnd did not di&cover hi s method. This made her decide to sim-
pJy appr()a(;h Orbaoco and obtain the secret using her caresses.
Om. rn<Jrning, \ he I urned up unex pectedly, wearing a sheer tunic
lhdt <JUtlincd lier Jovdy, ample breas t~ which were quivering in
thtir fliw ~y <.:onfHH!h and hinting slightly at escape. Bending her

L
 OR JS /\OC'O
103

bod. bnckwards, she ffcr d herself like a ripe frui t, lu<)h and
fl ~h . )n, ao o di. couragcd her with hi s nai ve incompre henc;ion
t f what thi. meant and he carried on with his job. Yemaya bit her
lip~ and icldcd to the youth 's cold manner. But the next day, man-
aging to catch him .at break time, she gently caressed him , exam-
ining the youth's thin flanks inch by inch until the Jast remaj ns o f
hi cha tity were in her hand. When he sensed himself mounted by
the woman, Orisaoco felt as if he were entering a new life . And he
could not imagine his long period of inactivity.
Yemaya knew how to push her advantage home .
The man in Ori saoco was awakened by her impatient compli-
ments. On their sleepless nights, the yams raised their smooth
heads to the surface and discussed the deflowering of the farmer~
who, eager to make up for the lost days of his passio n as quickly
as possib1e, was allowing himself to be posse ed by Yemaya
Saramag ua in those planted fields, entrusted to him because of hi
chastity.
He was so stunned by his recent transformati on that during hi
working hours, stooping tiredly, he placed the eed clum ily in
those mounds that were gradually becoming uneven a the o m rde
who was the mistress of the youth's movement went with him.
spi JJing fi stfuls of aguard6 into the furrow he mad .
Time passed. When the moment came t harv ' t th fn1it, ne
dawn that saw night retreating with th curly, diaphan u · loud ,
o pening their curtains to a still- leepy sun, 1 isaoco, h o n hi
~ houJ der and followed by th om rd ;, w nt to dig up th fruit of
hif> labors. But to hi s amazement, he saw that all his work had b n
undon . Astonished, he allowed su pi i ns ab ul Yemaya t pa ~
th ro ugh his mind. He co nfronted her: "Omord ,, you have ruined
me . How can I face Obatula?"
 ---·
104 AF R O - CU B A N MYTH S

Yemaya replied coldl y: "You have eriou ly insulted me b ·

y ffiJ l)-
tru. ting me o I am leaving you. Sort your elf out with your mic;-
tre a best you can!"
And he went away.
Ori aoco, deepl y depressed, went into the forest, bearing on his
back the exce sively high price that the omorde had placed on the
di covery of his manhood . And nothing more was ever heard of
the chaste youth, who used to go jauntily, hoe on his shoulder, to
cultivate gentle Obatala's fields.
In Chang6 's fields the yams told of poor suitor Orisaoco's mis- ~l
fortune, while in her domain Obatala contempJated her ruin with J\

stoic indifference, realising that Yemaya was the reason her farmer
had disappeared into the forest shedding impotent tears. She did
not reproach her for her behavior but waited for events to reveal
how she should be punished. Emboldened, and at that difficult
time, Yemaya demanded from her the drums for Chango. She got
a negative answer. She then urged Chango to give ObataJa a pre-
sent from his sown fields.
Chang6 loaded his horse with yams and went through the fore t
singing about his triumphal presentation to the mistress of the
drums:

IJe mi , ile mas6

Sacuata ile,
India acuc6 .. .

When he reached her, he threw the yams al her feet. He declared

he wa\ very g lad Lo serve her at such a difficul t lime and offered
her h1 ~ humble a b~i ~tan <.:e .
ObaLC:t la ani,wcrcd: " You have done me a grcul fovor; takt the
 105
OR ISAOCO

drums and enjoy yourself at the gtiemilere for sjx days, then return
them lo me!"
And , he handed him the drums. When the time was up, Yemaya
. aid to Chang6: "Give me the drums to take to their mi stress who
will keep them for a few m.inutes, for they shall be yours for ever."
Chango agreed and gave them to her. They were immediately
returned to Obatala but when she took them in her hands, she
t11rew them to the ground with a gesture of disgust and said: "I
don 't want them; take them away !"
ll o happened that Yemaya had smeared them with ori and
Obatala wa o fastidious that, ignoring the strategems they had set
in place to counter Yemaya's scheme, she allowed herself to be
defeated by that omorde's shrewdness.
Thus Chang6 became the master of the drums.
The End.
OeUn A ere
 Cunnins

Og\ln Arere, the lord of iron and a warrior by profession, ap-

peared before his sworn enemy, Chango de Ima. He suggested
calling a truce in one of the long drawn-out battles that they fre-
quently fought, sometimes for completely trivial reasons, some-
times to win the honors Olofi bestowed on the victor. But these
proud and majestic warriors mainly fought to indulge their warlike
natures.
On this occasion Ogiln Arere said: "Chango, I am tired of fight-
ing; let's rest unti l the next moon."
"Very well, I accept," repHed Chango, using his sharp, sruning
machete to cut the slender stem of a bush with an affected aban-
don.
Ogun Arere, making an effort to be polite, bowed hi heroic
head and said in~i ncerely : "Your good sense greatly pie, e me.
Had it not been so, your death would soon have been a tangible
fact."
"J see that you are a braggart," replied hang6 almly, utting a
hair with hib bhining machete.
··Well , hang6, I have nol come I ok ing for a fi ghl. In ' t ad v e
t.hould take ad vantage of I his truce by passing th ' time omchow.''
··what game Jo you suggest?"
I ()IJ
110 AFRO - UBAN MYTH S

"WeJI, let' go to the beach and we' ll ee w ho ' best at collect-

ing sheJI ."
" Oh, I'IJ beat you! I'm a hundred time quicker than you."
"T hen le t' bet something on it. T he wi nner will talce the loser,s
fortune. Do you accept?"
'Wi th the greatest of pleasure."
"Then we'll meet tomorrow on the shore."
Ogun Arere le ft him and set off for the house of Oya, the keep-
er of the cemetery. He proposed the following : "I want you to rent
me lcu early tomorrow mornin g."
"That depends on whether you pay me a decent amount."
Ogun Arere handed her six bags of gold , and the deal was
clo ed. The following morning Icu would simpJy tum op on the
beach.
The wager began, and the rivals industriously gathered the
shells that were scattered on the sand. From time to time they
watched each other suspiciously out of the com er of their eyes.
They put the shells in the bags that hung from their arms, moving
in opposite directions, bent over, engrossed in their not altogether
honorable task.
C hango gathered the shells unhurriedly. every so often hum-
mi ng softly and taun tin gly:

Ogun Arere,
Meyi meyi me l1izo
Ogun Arereeee.

A nd just when he was at hi mo c tunefu l, Icu came and kicked

hun on the backside. Chango turned angrily and bump mto De:uh.
who wai, ~erene and e oigmauc .
.. JJ e~. ht-e, hee," laughed Death.
~·

' CUNN rNO II J

Chang6 dropped his sack, performed three cartwheels, and ran

off fa ter than a buck to hide.
That night he got a visjt from Ogun Arere, who provocatively
threw two ack full of shells at his feet. Chang6, the loser, bowed
hi head in hame and handed over all his wealth .

..
 Ochosi de Mata

Olofi, the father of heaven and earth, called hi assistant, Orum-

b1la. and spoke to him thus: "Orurnbil a, it would please me if you
fetch me a quail."
..A quail?" replied Orumbila, astonished. "No human being has
ever managed to trap one."
" I command you to find me a quail."
" I t is difficult, Ol ofi ~ set me another task."
..Fetch me lhe quail from within the world' boundaries."
.. Very well, you shall have it," replied Orumbi la, realizing that
any attempt to dissuade his master would be futi le.
The next morning, Onimbila went into the forest with hi quiver
full of arrows and his gleaming bow. He began walking along a
long path that went deep into the dense forest. Then he c.ro~\ed
mountains that were arduous to climb. A thou~an<l ume\ he con-
fronted the quai l, a thousand time he shot hi bow rn vain, and Js
many timei, i,aw his attempt fail. H e went along every path and
u~ed up all hi s arrowi,, and the quaiI m ked h i~ ~ki ll a' a hunter.
Orumbi la became di scouraged. When Lhe sun began w go down
and night wa~ fo iling, dark and full of a thou~a nc.J omen • Orum-
bda, ti1ed and downcast, LOok the path that led lo the vi ll ag~!) .

11 5
f Y rH

ard
 ~
\

·~
~
Ir
I
I
'
I
~.
I

~'
•I

\l
~.I
I
l t
'
-~
qt
J

~\
Pi~
~
t \

j~

I(~~

nL

..
t
II'
 ·-----··
11R AFRO · B/\N MYlH S

body vibrated and his feet pulled him along as he were gl idi ng
effortlc 1 to the beat of that mu ~ ic . Hi ~ spirits lifted. Orumbi la
became a ne man )o';c hy, he heard the song very clearly:

chosi aqui -1-odara

A la mata de.
cho~ide Mata,
que oque
Yambere iJoraaaaaa
Y de mataaaaa!
Oque oque

He reached the place where the drums were reverberating. It

wa.\ the gllem1Jere with drums decked with red ribbons to greet
Cru:tngf>. blue one~ to pay tribute to Yemaya, yellow to greet 'ter
Ochun. and whjtc for Obautla. The great party o f the aint . Every-
one ore fe\tivc white 6>ackcJoth and beaded neckl aces that glint-
ed ir1 the sunhght. .fJJt by bH, the drums I ifted the spirits of those
pre~~ Tht.-y g<,t fa'>tt.r and fast.er, pl~yin g a thousand no te .
E.ver1 rme fell t.<' Ute grou nd 1~yra1i n g voluptuously and then rose
up bet:ttinu th~ 41.H w11t1 thcu hip., '11ld ~i n g ing:

{ "rnf>'AC JJf Jfl1'1;.,~11

/, fa m~t~ d' :cc.

"l'(~''n". .111 ' ' rfw d11J11 1K , I h~ .,,, 1 ·m lc1cd to Lhc tn'ib~tcnc
'rt:rot,1J11
mu 1c. tin<1, fw1wlm1·~ ht l,r,1J; 1 1~1 · 11 Nll ttk, >, lw HilVl. hi111s ·If ~1p lo
tt VM•y.
·n . lt}l!Sl ' " 11JJI JIC<1j1' . 11.,.,•. w1·H 11 Wt JllHllJ , i i 1lml WOlltUll
1
ho ~Yed t1i d d HH £t 111 · 11• I I 1trn l ,1 d~ lh Hti·ly il 11 pal in tn.:c,
I[
'•
 OC HOS l lJ MJ\TA 119

, ming her arms majeslicaJ ly in the ai r. It wa Ochun , queen of the

~dcmikrc . And also a stout, manl y lad who danced with the girl ,
f~igni ng an amo1 u devotion that wa di persed with the sound-
rnp. of 'a h n te. Thi wa Ocha i de Mata.
\ h ' n th pnrty had quieted down a little, Orumbila asked:
"'What L the reason for such merrime nt?"
"We are honoring Ochosi de Mata, the greatest hunter," they
n •pli "d.
Then rumbila aid: "I am Orumbila, Olo fi 's assistant. I would
Ii\... l ~ peak to him."
Tho pre ent bowed down until their foreheads touched the
ground, making moforibale, and they hastened to call Oc hosi .
He appeared.
" cho. i," aid Orumbila, "Olofi has deigned to appoint you the
hunter of the quail."
"An honor that I deserve, you shall have it tomorrow."
"Good."
T h gtiemilere went on until the sun hawed it glowing face. In
the late mo111ing, Ochosi went to the country ' ide nnd caught the
quatJ . He went back Lo hi house and left it in the are o f hi moth-
er. And he informed Orumbiln, who ask.ed him: "Have you per-
formed ) our errand?"
·ot cour \! ...
1 lh:\ hoth hl!a<led for · ho~ i •$ h u~ . Wh "'n the / arrived. he
niadl" 01 umb1lu ~ ait in rhe doorwny w hil ' h went inside. few
Hl< Hll~l\l s I, let h~ -.:ame buL·I-.. w 11h l Ji ' tr night cx.pr "'s ~ i n and
u~mhlinr, \\ 1lh 1agc . " TlPy h uv~ ~ ll. )kn it!•' he~ chim d, tarting
t o ~ ,i\1' lo .llld ft l>, ~ hou t iug: ··r--1 i lll l', ' OU "'nnw what happ ned
l\ ) lhl." qua al !..
knu\~ , ~ hl'.' rl·plkd.
0
.. l <.kHl ' t nm do 1 L' ll\.',
120 /\ Pno - U IJ A N MYT HS

·• ou hove deceived me,'' Orumbil a said calml y.

" No," ri d chosi, dcspcrafcly.
'' ~ hos i ;' Orumbil a said in the same tonei "l wi ll give you ano-
tlPr cl~an '. Jf you bring it to me you wilJ receive ache from Olofi·
'
if not , you will pay dearly."
"l will bring it to you, Orumbil a!"
"Good, l will be waiting."
T hey parted company.
Ochosi, raging and taking powerful strides, broke through the
fore t in earch of the quail. Eventually he found it and caught it
once more. "This time you will definitely not trick me," he said,
and put it in hi s bag.
At once he looked for Orumbila. "I have it now ; let's take it to
Olofi,>' he said.
They fol lowed a mountainous path and, heading toward the top
of the hill where Olofi 's white dwelling lay, climbed until they dis-
appeared from view. They arrived and stopped in the doorway.
Orumhila knocked three times and waited. Olofi appeared with
maj esty and pomp, and they both prostrated themselves on the
floor.
"Here is the quail , father," said Orumbila humbly.
Olofi took it in his hands and stroked it gently while watching
Ochosi de Mata out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly he adopted
a serious pose and, stretchjng out his right arm, said: HOchosi de
Mata, I name you king of the hunters!"
HThank you ~ you have given me a rank that I deserve," aid
Ochosi, prostrating himself. Then he got up nimbly and, taking hi ~
bow, fired an arrow at random. And he said: "Olofi , may the arrow
slick in the heart of the person who stole the quai l.''
"So be il," they answered.
I~

OC ll OS r DH MATA r1 1
r~
)
~. I
~ hosi de M atn w nt down to CH rth . W he n he e ntere d hj ~ home
· he ga e a cry of horror and ra n o ul , handq on hi s head, sayi ng:
" Jofi, you have killed my mothe r. My iyare! It wa ') you!"
Hi mother was stre tched o ut with the arrow in her chest.
cho i de Mata topped in front of a tree and let himself falJ
down heavily. He wa deeply distressed . I-le lowered hi s head and
threw the qui ver of arrows to the gro und . He gave himself up to
weeping. He hed fl oods of tears. A s he was a man of determina-
x
ti on, he resolved not to use the p ower Olofi had granted him if it
would discredit it.
One day when O Jofi had ordered him not to go in to the forest to
, hunt, Ocbosi went into the woods. He began to shoo t arrows to th e
right and to the left. Suddenly he saw a fine specime n approaching
and took better aim. But as he fired, the animal turne d into Odu-
d ua. The hunter was so afraid that he remained the re pe trified,
holding out hi s bow in the action of shooting. Thus O c hosj de
Mata became a legend.
Here it ends.
.,,

Orumbila's Mo<1uenquen

There was a time when there wa no more deliciou mor eJ for

Olofi than the teaming, grilled fie h of a lad or a nubile and well-
bred mrude n , carerully elected from the mo t di tingui hed fami -
lies. On one occa ion, hi faithful ervant Onlmbila wa on his
' ay to the village where the ' ere waiti ng to band over the pec-
irnen intended for hi master' lunch when he met a fine- looking
boy wandering round the outsk.ir . To ave him elf a long walk,
he caught him and pre e nted him to O lofi on a shining di h. When
Olofi ta ted the first mouthful, he liked its fine ta te and he a ked:
··orumbila, w hat kind of meat i thi ?"
" lt' moquenquen meat," he aid.
·· ell , it' de liciou . From now on give it to me in tead of the
other."
Plea ed with the happy outcome of his lazine s, the old man
went down to the villages. Gathering everyone together, he ex-
plained Olofi • changed ta te . He exaggeratedly p~ai ed hi_s re-
alate and uroed everyone prel:.em to bear in aund the gift of
fi n ed p e . . .
which he would deliver to hi de tmauon.
cbe moquenquen, .
aid in uni!>on: ··Of cour e ; we will be hon-
Tho e as emble d
te in order to su cain Olofi."
ored to procr

125
 A FRn - · uHA , . 1vTHs
~al
~ ,•
,.,,.
I

Thu~ . •n 1h tfav thal fn11o ed. Otumhilft httd only to ~my : " f '

h1t\'C: com r lofi ~ ~ to c1; · and rh mild hand over th boy. ~11
i
th family"s fin ~l offcopring:· -~~
o 1
hctted Olofl' s ( ppetile thut when h ~ 'P
~[ii
~v
Th' o ld m rm nbliued him h btineing him nnother oy. nd he
a
fttcn up ro fi ve at ne ~ itting . This annoyed the vil-
)11
found them chc~ in th humiliatin predic, -
n impl lo feed the lppetite of the un"cru-
d to ether to di cu ~ hnw to prevent ",
I

u h a t nibJc fat .
rive birth io orclcr

nI

u tune me for the moqu~m~uen then

 RUMB l LA' S MOQUENQ EN 127

and. after waJking to and fro in search of a soluti on , he headed for

ltgu:i\ ii . "I need you to get me a moquenquen," he said.
"Y u wiJI have to pay me dearly."
" l will give u a bottle of liquor."
··o ne deal," an wered E legua. And he went into the forest and
urpri, ed the crowd of children who were playing happily in the
bu~he, , having completely forgotten their former destiny. They
had gotten fa tter and become stronger and more lively in that
peaceful ~ afe place.
Elegua, pretending to be good, mixed with them, but the mo-
quenquere greeted him warily: ''What are you doing here, old dod-
derer?''
·' othing; I have come to teach you an amusing game."
The boys, seeing him so good-natured and vague, begin to trust
him. and they said innocently: "Well, let's see this game."
"'Let 's make a bet on who is the best runner in the savannah,"
afl.\\vered Elegua. "I will race against one of you."
..Come on, decrepit old man, you can't even crawl,'' answered
the boys, laughing in bis face.
Elegua. without turning a hair, insisted, and one of them finally
41greed Lo te~t his stamina against him. At the signal they tarted to
run. Halfway the old man pretended to be lame; he fell down, and
tJj~ opponent overtook him .
' J he other boy~ went up to him and ~aid teasing ly : "See how
. ou vt worn yourl>elf o ut?" And they started laughing at him again .
blegua Mood up w1lh difii cully and he ru,ked them to g iv him
anolher chance, c l(jimrng lh'1t he trippt!d over an unl>een ob\la le.
H 16 o pponent agrt:.e<l. But thi ~ time he ran \Wihly. leaving the
moquenquen behind.
1 ic oLh~r~ who v.ere anx 1uu~ly watching rhe \ pcctacle wtre
 ArRO - CU BA N MYTH S
128

amazed. The old man surprised them by running as wif ly a a

gazelle. and the boy, out of breath , lo<;t qpeed, little by Ht Je. Then
the compl ained: ''You have won un fai rly. The moquenquen wa
tired," they all cried.
The old man replied: " Very well , al] of you race again~t me
then."
"We' ll do that," said the protesters. And, lining up aJongsade
him, they started running.
Elegua cunningly ometimes let them get in front and some-
time ran aJong ide them , spurring them on as he graduaJJy gained
their confidence and led them imperceptibly down a path that
ended in an enclosure. At thi s point he ran faster than they. The
moquenquere, eager to beat him, ran blindly until their little bod-
ie era hed into the barriers and they fell down in a confused heap.
Then the old man hurried to block the entrance, saying: .. ow I
will hand you all over to Orumbila." And he ran to find him.
When Orumbila saw the moquenquere squirming in fear and
confusion, he handed the liquor to Elegua and aid: " I ee that you
are crafty. I will give you all the liquor you want."
"We' ll discuss that another time, for now, take what i your
due."
ln the enclosure, the boys wept and moaned, letting out pier -
ing crie that sometimes turned into a ingle deafenjng and piuful
shriek. Only one boy remained calm and instead of complaining.
walking lo and fro quietly, a if all this were quite normal. ud-
denly he began to sing softl y and mel diously:

Orumbila tularcl
Baba moforibale
Oru1nbih\ Lulard
Baba n1oforibul ece
 ORUM BIL A' S M OQUENQUEN 129

The per, on referred to in the song was startled . Quickly open-

ing the ~ ~n ee, he took the boy in his arms and asked him : "Who
ta ught you lo sing like that?"
" My iyare."
"What i her name?" Orumbila asked.
The boy replied : "I don' t know who my father i , nor my moth-
er. I wa born with the song and I sing it because it is nice."
Orumbila said nothing. He took him before Olofi and urged him
to cease hi cannibalistic yearnings, saying: "This moquenquen is
my son whom Ochun abandoned. I looked for him everywhere
without finding him . Now by chance your excesses have placed
him in my hands. This is why I want aJI the moquenquere to be
free from being devoured by your cravings."
Olofi answered him coldly: "Since you have obliged me to fast,
I wilJ eat this boy. From now on, I will seek other forms of su te-
nance. Your wish is granted."
And Orumbila served him his son on a colorful dish.
 Orumbila and lcu

A very thin and unheaJthy-looking omorde, vi ibly disturbed by

some great affliction, arrived one day at Onimbila · door. Her face
wa oaked in tears, and she wa ighing deeply. Falling to her
knee , unable to contain her weeping, he poke the e faltering
words: "Orum bi la, Icu is prowling around my hou e. Don't let him
take my good, tender boy away."
Seeing her . o downca t, Orumbila aid: ''Go into the fore t and
gather four baskets of okra. I will wnit for you at your hou ,e:·
The okJ man immediately set out for the ile. He goe into cbe
bedroom and Jeans over the bed w here U1e boy. rn" king every
effort to lighl off death, was lying. With a small pie e of balk he
markl!tl a <.:ross on hi. forehead thnt burned " irh fe\'er. Then he
w:11t >d for th{; wom ~rn to come back. prea iing the okrn on the
giou11d. he <.:ov •red it er unti l it look.ed like ·1 green ' u-pet. He
oHJ ·1cd th · onwtek lo IL-av • uu.L pnsi 1ioning himself in u corner.
aw:ittl•d kl1 on ival.
1
:-.

n~a tli t' flll.'H'd i11 11 1n:1r1i.1I f'Hshioll Ilut rh) s1. oner h1d !\he tJ..ken
n fl'w ~h· pl\ than l'llW h ):-;t lwr hat 111L' l' \nd beg m tL' ft)Uer, slippin-=-
011 tl w f' l l ' l ' I ) 11 00 1 ) h.·r root slt•ps t'X(11\)tkd the' o ~ rn pl Is\\ ith a dt>

n 11 r ~li1J1 M>lllld . Fi11dmg h1.' f:\l' lt' in ,1 pl)Sitinn qttite tllb cmh lt)f

1.\0
 A f'I' " c l lH AN M Y'l 11 I

lc1•hl1: t• lf o 1f 1t ' '' gnJ \ fJ invhihlc

t-tn 11 w1 11H· 111 lw1 111 11k , " ' "' 11111d1•
~lll'P'" ' 111 llh' d111k11 H 1111111, fh1 nw11 u H11pf<lcl y <Jff ht=r c ·nter of
1111vi1y. Hh • I ll 10 1lw 1 10 1111d 1101 dy, IJke :1 ,.a<.. k ,,f pchhle~. 'th
ll·t 011 f of indt1 11u1low "Wl wc<I"
:1 ,., y
011i11 1hd :1 in11111~dla 1 t• l y , :i nw " "' of fl it. J1idin g phtcc and, cr:1cr
i n1 u pnpl:11 Nwll II. liit lu;r vi14'" " " {ly, flaccd with th1'i punj c;h-
111 ·1H, fctl n1r111M1ud tn H l ~111<I 11 p, hopring lo Hild 1ro 1rnd <; well ing to
·nu1111rn1s pr{' por1iorn1. Bui Ilic old rn11n cont inued hittin g her with
his whip unti l h • rcduc;ccl her fo H li ny dm .
ku hud no choi ce but 10 look for a way out. Jumpi ng up, she
clinih<;d 111to <Hl empty boffl c 1tm1 waH lyi ng in a corner o f the
how~c. Or6mhi la put a cork on Lhc hiding place and chaqli<;cd her
more v i go rnu ~ l y, sayi ng: " k o, 11ow you ~re in my pow er !"
She replied : " Rclca'ic n w lro m this humi liation, and f wil l read-
ily accept your terms."
The old man took her to the moqucnqucn, w ho~c clo<\ed cyeJid<>
avoided the prisoner 's dead ly ga1,c. Showing her the cro<,s, he said:
" D o you see that sign? Well, that mcanH that whoever ha'> H b
under my care, and therefore you must respect him. Do you ag ree
to m y terms?"
"J w jJJ gl adly accept them," s'1i d fcu.
A nd Orum bHa let her go.
The moquenqucn wa<; completely cured. Si nce then , the , upcr·
~ti t.i on remain& that on her jaunts, Death Lend' to l od~~ in bo ttles.
That i ~ w hy it i s dangcroutt to lc CJ VC them u n ~ loppcrc<.J .
Her~ J have &aid it all.
 son2s or Prayers of the GUemilere

lt ~gin~ with Elegu6.

He 1~ rn,· ked with the following words:

Echubf, Echu, laroyo, Echu barag6,

Echu de baranquefio. Con el permiso
De Olofi, de O lodumare.

The per on who is invoki ng him the n stands before th e sai nt. H e
pours water on the floor three times, twists his body slightly, lean-
ing backward , and tamps hi s left foot on the ground three ti me s .
The first ong or prayer, which is obligatory at all ceremonie , is
this one:

Echu, oh, oh, oh .

E legua a la eeeeeh
Elegua moforibale,
legua a la eeeeeh
·chu, oh, oh, oh ...

A11otJ1c1:
bchu barag6
I~huba.rag6
Edw ba1ag6
Mufonbulc b kgua coron
khonch6u abe,
h.honc..,h6n ube.
134 AFRO - CU BAN MYT H S

Odara coroniie y6.

Odara coronile y6.

And the last one:

Ag6 Elegua buquenquen
Ag6 moyuba buquenquen
Let us go to the feet of my Elegua.
Ag6 Elegua buquenquen
Ag6 Elegua buquenquen.
Let us go to the feet of my Elegua

One may then begin invoking the other saints.

OgunArere.
He is invoked by saying : Jey Aguarullf jey !
Moforibale is performed, that is, he is greeted by standing
before him, raising the arms with clenched fists and making a
hitting gesture.

Prayers or songs:

First:
Aguanillf ooooh
Ogun Arere
Ogun fomale
Ogun ague ari b6
Ori barn barn

Another:
Oglin Arere
 ON 1S OR PRAY ERS OP THE G0EM1LERB 135

. . elle ile aguanillf.

13am bam ...
gun Arere
ellecile aguanillf
Barn bam!
gun Arere
ellecile aguanillf
Barn barn !

Another:
Ogdn de Arere oh,
lrebombo locua.
Aguanillf oooooh!
lrebombo locua eeeh !
Ogun arona.
lrebombo locua eeeh !
Ace, ace ... Ogun de.
Ogl]n de Mata quilonche.

And finaJly :

·1hey ~ay . Ogun Aguanillf free me from Icu.

Quita aro,
Sarei yeye bacur6
Sara ycye bacur6
Sara yeye bacur6 ...

( f hi ~ pruye1 i b ,.,aid wht:n :o,olllt!O ll l! i'i lh1 l!utencd wi th phy ·ical

h,u 111, h11fowuumll> 1>tabblllg l!t l: )
 136 AFRO - CU BAN MYTH S

Ochosi.
Moforiba1e is performed by lifting the Jeft leg, bending it s lightly
and imitating the action of shooting an arrow with the hands.
Prayers or songs:

Ocbosi de Mata
Ilanda, oque, oque.
Ochosi de Mata
Ilanda, oque, oque.

Or:
Ochosi aqui-Jo-dara
A Ia mata de.
Ochosi y de Mata;
Oque, oque.
Yambere ilora.
Y de Mata;
Oque, oque.

Osay, a camino of Obatala.

There is only one prayer or song:

Osay ile ote-te

O say ile ote-re
Osay ile ote-te
Maribosay
Maribosay
Niqui, iliqui bete
Maribosay be te.
 S0 N 0 , 0 I~ I' R AYERS O F T H B G 0 M I E R B 13 7

Ohotaln.
lk j, rnvok 'cl wi th th " followi ng phrase: Jecua Baba j ecua !
Mnforihal ' i ~ p rformcd lying face down on the fl oor and placing
Lhe lrnn<l~ on the hips.
. o n g~ 0 1 prayer!\:

Bu h~ f urulo ere ooooh I

Baba caficn ye-le erib6.
~y' I borcrc bati bao,
bru oye yagua ooooh !
bh. B aha-loro, leseca.
Eh. Baba-loro. Jcseca.

Anolhcr:
bru ayace mimocheo.
Eru aye ochc Baba!
S1 Ohata lu ta chcre c.:hcre.
C 0111 0 la ifhJ clieyct6.
Como lu j11<J chcyct6.
Uah6 oil ... bu.
Huhu olJ . h6.
<Jl1 . IHI ' IH. ycl6.
<>11 , • had 1cy ·t6

I 1d J41 ~ 1 ly:
Ayuu l111w1111.J1 fo

A y11u I UJJlll111 (1
A 111111 111u.11.1 11w rl)
A 1111 ii ',, IJil JWll.

,,. ' "'' t' llfl Js.1bt1 J111 (J ""'

 138 AFRO -CU BA N MYTHS

Agua tunagua
A mi ach6.

Chango.
IThe first <Cniiio de la Simpatia "')2
He is invoked by bowing ceremoniously before his altar, saying:
Cabiosile Chango!
Songs or prayers:

Moforibo-le-le
Mofori bo-le-le
Chango topamolaye
M ofori bo le-le, oooh !
Moforibo le-le, oooh !
Chango topamolaye.

Another:
O h, barico o, barico ooo ...
AJardemf oooooh ...
AJard6 Cabo,
AJardem f oooooh !

Another:
ibiri 6 biriy6,
ibiriy6 biriy6.
ibiri 6 biraJaguaaa,
abio iJe Chango!

Another:
Lube. lube yomb la
EJube Chango eeeh
 SONG . OR PRAY "' R OP TH E 0 HM I LER 139

.. lube am al 6 ecch
lube acuc6 eeeh
.. Jub ~ ogu de cech
.. lube acara eeeh
luh obi ceeh

Another one:
Yemaya corona
Yema a coron a.
Chang6 I ri a,
Yemaya-n corona ...

And lastly:
AJard6 Chang6 eh,
Eeeh. moJele.
Alard6 Chang6 eh,
Eeeh. molel e

Ochun.
(1 he ~ecund "nifia de la simpatfa.")
Sh is invoked w1 Lh the foJlowing words: Yalorde or f yeyeo, alber-
1llf 111ur6; iya mfo!
And when ~he "come~ down,'' everyone cries: Yeyeo l
One 01 her !>ong~ or pray~r~:

'I ulu1 d~ ycyeu,

'Jala1 d6 1110 16

V<:y wl111de
Bah{1 talus d
Moro tul,11 dl
And 1>0 wi.
 FRO (' I RA "1 11YTH S
l 0

" nother:
Bi hun o~ u o

B1 hun osuo.
Tanima gua
lb rere o oh
Tanima gua
Iborere oooh
Eeeh, tanima gua
i borereeeeee
Talubo pitf yeyeo
Tanima gua
i borereeeeee
Talubo piti yeyeo,
U mbo aquf yeyeo.

Another:
Yeye,yeyeo
Aclide yu.
Yeye,yeyeo
Adide yu.
Arifiale gua-gua-sf,
Aqui vo yo.
Ote lera fa
Adide yu
Ariiiale gua-gua- i ...

Another one:
Tembe lere iya
Tembelere iya
A bendere Ochun
 ~n ns nl~ P1U\YP l~S OF r11 E OOEM IL ERE 141

Orhun chcqu ·chc

A 1cmh' Ochun
chun panchagara .

nd ln. tl :
chun yeyeo
Apetebf nombale
Ochun yeyeo
Apetebf nombale.
Yeyeo!
Dale coyu!
Yeyeo!

Yemaya.
(Third "niiia de la simpatia.")
At the gilemilere she is invoked by calling out: Oh, mio Yemaya!
To ask her to confer a power, one says: Yemaya Saramagua, ayabf
o locun .. .lya mio.
Here are some of her prayers or songs:

The first one:

Zacuta ofif oh,
Agua cesf
Eglif migdeeeeee
Dale YaJuma oooh
Yemaya aboyo, oooh
gti i' macedeeeee
gdo mi deeeee

A no ther :
Yemaya umbo
142 A JI PO < l lH/\ fJ M Y 'I rl't

/\ lo nguu
~ ·n1ay(I 11mho
A In i:•guu.
Socum, socum, t-iOC!Ull1
Yemay(t 111r1hn
/\ lo agut1
Oh, mfo Ye1t1ay~ I

Another:
Yemaya fumi logu6
Yemaya aaaaah
Yemaya fumil ogu6.
Onf Ochun.
Oiif lori sa.

Another:
Yemaya, Yemaya
Yemaya alard6.
Alard6 a lo rnio
A Saramagua.
Iya mfol
Zacuta, iya mfo.
Yemaya, Yemaya
Yemaya alard6.
Oh, lo mfol
Oh, Jo mfo!
Zacuta, iya mfo
Yemaya Saramagua
Sayab.f Olocun
Chiquiti , iya mfo
 \0 C'i\ OR PR Y R~ <H· THI' G(JE H f ER .

Ill tlH' I ('Ill''

' ('lll11\'ll tlli\\\<l

tll' nqul're
\ hn t\ 1111\'l'-'~
Quenq ucr~.
'\ cnrn t\ ma. s6
Qu --nquere ...
(thi" ., r"'pcatcd)

a tJy:
Uci neba oooh!
Aeeeeeee!
Dale yaluma oooh
Aboy6.
Dale oiii abe
Ayaba rnio
Ecoooooooo !
Si Yemaya ta cuele-cueJe
Si Yemaya ta secu-secu.
Aeeeeeeee !
Dale yaluma oh,
Dale ayaba mfo, ofii abe
Oh, mio Yemaya !

H is e~&entia l to end the ceremony with Elegua.

The final , obhgatory song:

oin1a coimani yacoima
oima coimani yacoima
oima coimani ya oima.
 SO , , OR PRAY RS OF T ll ,, Q (J M ILER 143

Another one:
Yemaya mas 6
Quenquere.
Aboy6 ma~. 6
Quenqucre.
Yemaya ma 6
Quenquere . ..
(tlu i repeated)

Lastly:
U cineba oooh !
Aeeeeeee!
D ale yaJ uma oooh
Aboy6.
Dale oiii abe
Ayaba m fo
Ecoooooooo !
Si Yemaya ta cuele-cue1e
Si Yemaya ta secu-secu.
Aeeeeeeee!
Dale yaJuma oh,
Dale ayaba mio, ofi f abe
Oh, mfo Yemaya!

It is essential to end the ceremony wilh Elegua.

The final, obligatory ong:

oi ma coimani yacoi ma
Coifna coimani yacoima
o ima coimani yacoima.
 FRO - CU OAN MYT H S

'""'h.'gut nita lnroy socuo eeeh l

t-\ g'- lcgu11 eh l
lcgua eh!
b6 l gua eh !

The glien1ilere ends.

 Vocabulary

Abure. L ter.
Ach(. Power granted to the "saints" in order that they may exercise
a particular power or possess someone.
4cho. Dre , clothing.
Acuc6. Roo ter.
Agayu Sola. Orisha corresponding to St Christopher of the
Chri tian religio n.
Aguanillf. The orisba Ogun is given this title in the prayers or
ongs of the Yoruba rites.
Aguard6. Grain of maize.
AlaJno (Ficus religiosia, L.). Ornamental plant of the moraceae
family. Very common in Cuba and frequently used in santeria
rituals. It originates from India.
A l eyo. Someone not initiated into santerfa. Trans.
A mala. One of the dishes used in Yoruba rituals, made from maize
meal and mutton.
A rd[-die. Hen.
A rdie-Le. Dove.

Baba. The orisha Obatala i given this title in the prayer· and
so ngs of the gtiemilere.
B aba locha . Level of priesthood for m n who have re eived the
.. coll ares" or necklaces of the "sain t>' at a ceremony in whi ch
they are granted the dispensation f o ffi inting a true prie ' t of
the Yoruba cult.
B abala o . Rank conferred on the sons of St rancis, or, those who

145
 A l RO (O H /\ Y1H c;

are a n1 d ~mtahle fi r th · di ~JP n sal i on ~ of this ~H int co n~ id­

ere I a sup nor b ing in th .. hi rarchy of the santerfa p<ieudo-
r llgion. nl th bahalao ha\ the right to perform div1nat1on
u~in the l fa divining chai n. he offi ciant ~ ho uld have abc,oJute

ual int grit . man who is weak- pirited may no receive

th lac ~of
1Ba1a , ho .

aloha-a (rurwhita ma.xuna, L.). Plant of the cucurbitaceae fam-

il that i much u ed in our cui c;ine.
Cam ino~ . · J the antero, th1'i term refer to the incidents and
actions of an orhha at a particular juncture of their li fe . It acts
a a perpetual reminder that can be produced at any time as
reqt 1r d Thu' th re are ori ha. who in their mythical live were
cowru di or brave. pa ionate lover etc. When they posses a
primed suhje t (bab" locha or iyalocha) they may behave in a
ay that recall ~ ~ome of the e epi odes from their lives.
a~t urilla. gg~hell d1at ha been ground to a fine powder.
.. itc.!10 ~u il protect us from death.

, i/J . 1 rec sucrcd to tho e "ho practice santerfa. Trans

...lwn 6. A urrupuon of·· hang6," the African on ha. He corre-
bpond to t Barbara in the atholic religion. He 1\ hcrmaphro-
dui: Silnh:ios attribuk thh bioJogKal ~tale lo th "samf\'' abil -
ll} lo•· 111 1.hrou,gh <litfercnt curninus." However, '1 m n1lhtr of
t11e 'emalc e ib dt:rn~d the pow\::r to officiate in hang6 's
H JI

a cultn "' 1 trn11qu1 l tall".

01 lo flm 1oJlu L: t 11 u ·,t i•n J1viu,ttiu11 hy hah tloduas and

1

i. cil I.: ltuh.

 VOCABULARY 147

l."c/111 or f~xri . The Devil , evil pirit, a tran mutation of Elegua or

r:.k gbn.
Ecn,-Aro. 1'yp of pancake made with "carita" beans.
F~urU r Ekuele. Divining chain. Trans.
fkllt'I< , tahlcro de. Round wooden board on whjch the divining
hn.in i thrown.
Eh'gua or Elegba. Corresponds to the Lonely Soul of the Catholic
religion. He transmutes into Ecbu , the Devil, though it would be
wrong to con ider him a deity that causes evil , rather, he is
e ~ential for all anterfa works, both good and evil. In santero
lang, he i called the "concierge" or "the man behind the door"
becau e he must be invoked at the beginning and end of reli-
giou celebrations, and also because santeros keep his amulet-
nonnally a rough stone-hidden in a kind of cupboard behind
the door, underneath the altar of the saint they worship.
Embo. Thi word refers to the preparation of an amuJet, using
ome object belonging to the person for whom the spell (good
or evil) is intended, such as items of clothing, jewelry, everyday
it~m~ etc. Emb6 are also made from food tuffs and aromatic
p'anlS with medicinal properties.
Em1 r) for greeting Chango in his ca.nllno of drummer.
J:.j10 Shea buuer.

G1't: m1hr.. . Abo known as bata or bembe, party ac which Yoruba

ntual • ~ <...elebrated .

le 1i :Jh.:ri'1llt,tllon of Death.
IJ • ' o/lar clt' cc:lJiic..e made of glas beads u ed b th
'"" e santero
to ~ rry ou• hi:, tn\ eMigauon be tore lhe pro l 0
e yte. ne may
u un I! th H when they ~~ak. of the ollar de l k l" ~a..
e· ue e u.iey mean
 ~---------------------------
148 AFRO - URAN MYTH

thi divining chain. whi ch is most commonly used in the prac-

tice" of the baba la
Ile. House, room .
!ya mfo.f ry meaning "my n l" [It actually mean " my wife:· 1'

Tra n .]
lyare. M other.

Moforibale. The action of greeting o r hewing re pect to the

ori ha. MoforibaJe i performed in a different way for each
ai nt. It often repre ent a particular activity that i a ociated
with them. All the santero a1·e obliged to perform moforibale to
the babalao , hence the ong:
Orumbila taJarde
Baba moforibale. ...
I

Moquenquen. Child.
Moquenquere. PluraJ of moquenquen.

Name (Discore alata, L.). The "yellow yum.'' also kn \\ n .B

smooth or Guinea yam, because it wn ' brought fr m that pnrt l'lf
Africa. It is a common food in ubu.
Nana Bacuru. Corre pond to lhc Virgi n f tvtount lrm "1 in tht'
Catholic religion.

Oba. The ~anleros l intervi >wed n!t.:nu nt ~d her l >g~n l hut did l\\'lt

'
...
tell me or did not know tht: . ., ntholil' sai nt to wh\'tn "h' 1...' 1;. r .._
sp onds.
Obata/O . orrc::,ponds to lh · Vlfgm of M ere . A h •rm~\phf()d tt \ ln
the camino of o~an 4ui11iinn, H)d I limM If. s )l\l' ' \.) J\ Sl t 'f tnm
the most senior d ·ity in the 1 ·li gion . l k is th ~ "<. \\ n ·1 ,,( th ~

\
 nd .. int
·hun d h..mg •

' often
ne - r rne .. h~$S di' 1de: lhe
pk '~. and thro'\ .- then1 nt the
and ' ~"mi. .. the different

- gci od lu ·: lc~1. rt1in de.'.lch: J.\Jom~uc.

us::.v..'-6:: £s~ ~" t n1eaning unkn wn ro me): and
means me presen~e f the Devil E "bu).
L"l..'l'.L"'-'f"l~,.,£-
.._
ui2.ITJ.Ill - " - the differenr mbination- rhat
of di\ination.

D D D Ala.fi:i
lhe~nen and earth)

D D
kul ~nd ::icb)

D I rugu
( · nJJnt m al I mJue )

D ·anJ- ord
(p ' "'"'e of E ·bu)

1 u bla q11t1teJ r pri senr 1he lw k of tht• coco11w ai1 f tht! w/Jir ~
II Jk.111} /)(Jn of 1/ e f rou. e .lCJU 1".s
150 AFRO - ll BAN Yl lf S

Obin{ Man n1
a tually mea ns Hwoman ." Tran ~ J ,,
0 lwsi de 1ata orre ponds to ()ainl orbcrt. He ;, ~ hunter. He
"'a' t unlucky in legend and memory t<> be ut?ed m santerfa

dmn or 0fllwn . n important ori ~ha, a high-ranking deity. She is

the m t 1m rtant sai nt in Cuba. e pec1a1Jy in area where
hlac are concentrated with the exception of Santiag<1 de Cuoo.
There. perhap~ because of the proximity of the Sanctuarf of her
namesake. the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, atholic have
managed to preserve the traditions of this advocation of the
Hol_ irgin more or les rntact. The santeros have had to chan-
nel their powerful uper titious and anjmistk energie~ into the
wor hip of the orisha BabaJu-Aye (Saint Lazarus). In Ha ana,
he is extremely popular. She repres.ents tove and her legends
are full of cenes of passion.
Odu-dua. The Holy Sacrament.
Oguedi. Bananas. Trans.
Ogun. An important orisha He corre ponds to Sai~t Petet. Jo is
··camino" the; call him · Ogun the l&rrior." ··ogun Val.enyd'"
when he is regarded as the metaJ\.I, o ing mg., and (Jg{m
Are:re'· hen he 1s the farrner, ..1orcr of all the lcHest1t.
0 , uo. oncy.
{.)J~Je. Pet :c made from comflo r ugar "nd mJI .
Olofi .. ~.dher" of hc~\ien and tt..nh ~ - rntpi the ~•., .
i.orm o tod4sy perc:Givc; o ·n a 1menor w men. ntet fre-
q end) u tu I.be
mr; e ~

CJ

J
 VOC'Afl ARY 15 1

f~, rt1nh'. \Voman. in the specific ehse of the word.

o''''"" /clt•-/q e. ~ aying that mean " watch and re main ilent."
1i1. Hone '·
c u/oc(>. exual ontact.
On l coa butt r.
Oril'llh'. ction f leeping.
Ori. aoco r Orisha-0 o. He corre pond to Saint Isidore the
Fonner, a, in the legend telling how he disappeared from actjve
lifi He i , rare! called upon in anterfa works.
On1mhila. He corre ponds to Saint Francis. He is an important
n ha. The antero be Lieve he i God' Secretary.
0 an-quirina11 (camino) . When ObataJa appear in this camino be
i con idered to be Olofi him e lf.
Q,ay. He corre pond to Saint Jo eph; some link him with Saint
Benedict. l con ider the first identification to be the more cor-
rect. He i believed to be a camino of ObataJa. Thi ori ha
eem to be the incarnation of an terfa pharmacology as he i
t.OO!)Jdered the lord of all medicinal plant . He i a warrior.
Oil. Liquor Tran .
O)a. The rni stre~ of the cemetery. She corre pond to the irgin
ot Candlemas when she appear in the camino of Yanza. Other
be1ie\:e he b the Virgin of Mo unt Carmel and the identify
•ana Bacuru with Saint Emiliu . the patr n aint of eanh-
qual es .

Pulma (Ro>ul palm) ( R V)l/Ontll regw , 11.8 .A. ). Pl.mt uf th pjJ-

11 ei~~· tarntJ}. ll 1i:. v~r) l:omn on rn uh.i ,m<l lt.h .m ~uu, ' tl\c:'

uppearcince. SaHh:ro:s sa} that ' hangl) .rnJ \~.\\ u Sol~ t.ik ·
b 1dter thc1 t.: .
Pl .1uno (Muw l'"'"'"H<Wll, I ) Pl.till '-'I th 1nu s~h.'t'•ll~ tauul) ,
1.; >mmonl) in uba.
I.:<\_ FR - C' BA MYTH S

Qmml omb6 (Hibicus esculentus, L.) . Okra. Of the family of maJ-

va eae. it produce a vi co us. grooved and pyramid-shaped fruit
that i. u. ed a great deal in Cuban the cuisine. It is of African
ngm.

Regi rrar. To go for a con ultation; the action of visiting a babalao,

babalocha or yalocha to make an enquiry, petition or be granted
piritual or m aterial relief.

Santeria. In its pejorative sense: brujeria or witchcr aft. This term

refers to the Yoruba cult which was distorted when it became
diluted by a superior religion like Catholicism . It has, up to a
point, maintained its primitive purity because of the fundamen-
tal root of all religions: superstition. For this reason , I do not
believe blacks, in the time of submission, were converted to
Catholicism by means of violence but rather on account of his
enormous store of superstition. He has m atched his animistic
be liefs with Catholicism, maintaining them in perfect hannony.
Saramagua. Title given to Yemaya in the prayers or songs and
invocatio ns of santeria ritual .

Yalocha. D aughter of the " aint." This hierararchy i re tricted to

females.
Yalorde! Exclam a6 on used to implore Ochun in the ong and
prayers o f the gi.iernilere.
Yemaya . An important ori ha. She corre pond to the Virgin of
Regla. She i said to be Ochun's younger ·1 ter. S he ·1 on.e of
,,
the m ajor orishas. She i hermaphrodite . he ha a "camino
. , h . d mu t be danced
caJ led O locun a Hstrong amt' w o 1 ma1e an
' Th · a legend that
wearing a ma k adorned with ea hells. ere 1
 VOCABULARY l53

. ome who danced him were overcome by such violent shaking

that they died instantly. Another of her caminos is Zacuta.
l'emaya Saramagua. Name given to Yemaya in the prayers and
song, of anterfa ritual.
Yi/Jona. When someone is going to initiate into santerfa they are
attended by an old woman who is an expert in these matters.
She is called yibona and the inj6ate is ca1led iyagu6.

Notes
I IJru;erfa htcrally " wiLchcnd't , 1>01ccry." formerly u ~ed to denote Cuban
rchg;uu1. pnt1..ticc1oi ol AJiican (IJJgrn, 1n pe:irllcular, .'lUrLL1trf<'.
2 Le. the ffl(Jbl irnpor1an1 ">1a1111 i, ." Alung wllh <>d1un und Y~m "y{L-, hi.;
f •Hmi. th1 H1>ly 'Jnn1ty u f !tl.Hllc1fo 'lrmo.
 About the Contributors

R · nTI T. ~ ERE stamJcl along ide Fernando Orti1 and Lydia

..
abrera a~ iflC of the pioneers of Afro- uban studies. He was also the
fir~l bla lo. uban intellec tual Lo write exten~ivel y on the subject. Born in
I m nente Pro mce. Lachatafiere was of Haiti an ancec;try and the
grand,on of Fl r romhet. one of the heroes of the wars of independence
again'l , pain. He c;penl hie:; early year in Santiago de Cuba, moving to
Ha\ an0 m 1926 lo ~tud y at the univer ity. He graduated in pharmacy
three ) ean; later and remained in Havana. working in the laboratory of
the Jnstitute for Venereal D1 c;eac;e .
~ hile in Havana, Lachatancre began to vi it practitioners of santerla,
also kno n a the Lucumf religion, collecti ng and later publishing some
of ll myths. In 1937, he was hc;ted as one of the founding members of
the ocicdad de EMud1os Afrocubanos, which had Fernando Orti l as its
president. From hi position within the Afro-Cuban studies e tablish-
0
mcnt, Lachal.aiicrc wrui openly criucaJ of existing anthropologicaJ"
arch. Thi was hecau e IL had u ~e<l Afro-Cubans as subjects for ~pec­
ul lion on crimin lity J.Jld denigrated Lheir religion by calling it brujerfa
( lCl ralt). Huwe~er, despite his role in refocusing the re~earch agenda
lo ard tJ e full ~pecLrum of the Afro-Cuban experience and the cent.ral-
1ty ot 11 cuntnhuuon w Cuban culture, Lachatanere' work did not gain
ct e nxogmuon ll di: ned. Li e hi~ friend Lhe Afro-Cuban poeL Ntcolu~
Gu1Jlen, chatanert ·~a mi=mber of the Communbt party. H1;) pulll1-
vi m: dunug ttio lurbuknt timt~ lan<led him in jail and lc<l to
1 tuli J Jie wa Jurccd LO rclUm to Santiago. His book, Ult mfv
u 11101> , '""of 1 Lf.JOJ ( J938 )• . ' 4lS pub Ii hc<l i 11 Man/ JniJlu.
a' the fir l ·h ,Jarly d ~npuon ol
 A BO T TH ONTR I H UTO R ~ I '55

rm ' lucumi's " ( 1942), was printed in Havanc.1 hy a Communi i;t-ownc<l

prec; . Th1s wa, the first publicati on to examine santerla a'i a religiou,
y\tcm. 1t was i ntended as a corrective lo previous sLUcJi es th at had mis-
rcprc!-.ented and trivia lized the religious practi ces, i gnoring Lhc views of
Afro-Cuhans themsel ves . Jn the preface, Lachataficrc acknowledges the
encouragement of important scholars in the fi eld, includ ing Orti.1,,
~clvillc Herskovits, Ruth Benedict, and Wil liam Bascom. Further arti -
cle\ on Afro-Cuban themes were published in a number o f New York
journals. In 1943-44, Lachatanerc enrolled in the U.S. Arm y, serving in
Charlc~ton Naval Hospi tal. Upon hi s return to ci vilian life, he worked in
the lahoratoric~ of New York hospitals. In his spare lime, he continued
researching Afro-Caribbean traditions and studi ed photography. ft wac.;
on h1 ~ return from a fi eld trip to Puerto Ri co in 1952 that he died in a
plane cra<ih.

J<mr.1:- CAt>'J•~LLA NOS, born in Guanlanamo in 19 15. is one of' the lcat1-
1n1.1 ~holar" of Cuban litcralurc, history, and eth nography. I le Luughl al
the lJn1vcrMty of Sanli ago de Cuha and M arygmv~ 'ollcgc in Dclroit,
M1c.h1gan. Hsi. publicalionk induc.lc 'llerra y Nacion ILand and Nation I
<19~5 J. IAJ A IJ()li< ton de la l~sclavitud en Popay(m ITile Ab0Ji t1on ot
f>hh't.rf 1n Popllyan J ( 1980), J>Lacido, poeta .w cwl y poUtico IPl acicJo,
~,,... 14'1 tsnd J'ol1L1<..al Pocll (I 9X4 ), 24 1/e Febrem: Ult pm1.:rumll vt~ettl<t
IJ chJUary 24 An Ongoi ng Progm rn I ( I 99 '5 J, lltlli«n a d1~L HxiLto IUin·
,.~, 11· " ' J,1.1 IL- J <I 'J'J'J ), l nvnu 161t l'oelt< u rle la Nae u)1t ( 'uhw1a IPo~ll<..
lr1V<' Pl1C111 ,,f lh'- <'uh'1 11 Natio11J (2002), f Jifm eto\ de la /';flltJS:m/fa A/m
'uha11a IJ'11,r11.:4.:n; ,,J A Ji o Cuba11 El11110 •raphy I (200 iJ, and , wiLh lsi t>
'1#11Jyht' r J '1hcl tit<.. t..ornpH hc111uvc lour V1J lu111c wwk Cul1141a
lt/to1 ulm 1111 lJ 1)~8 'J4J. Jf~ huk ah10 pul>l1 hlicu 1111111i·111u"' ill ll<lc1t uu tu .
'' '"'·"' 1111'1 J1h... 111ry l11cmci; jlJ va11< 1u1t 10 111 11ti lk and 1m1~1 iu111c 't I le.• 1.i, (' Ur
tt•111t1 f' H J>(.ltHJ~ a voh11r1c e11 titlt·d l~m 1t1•11tw <'11 llWH I H11cwmh·1 rn
lh'J HI 1111 1J11; b p ~um. li ( 11hari A 1rn·1wu n War
156 A PRO -CU RAN M YT HS

.1nosnN~ AYORINDE, Ph.D., ha.~ pent many years visiting Cuba.

researching and writing on Afro-Cuban themes, religion and questions of
natirmal ldentity. She i ~ the tran lotor of Afro~Cuban Religions. by
Miguel Barnet; and Cuban Legends. edited by Salvador Bueno. Her put>-
licatirnh include Afro-Culwn Rcligioslfy, Revolu1ion and Nmional
ldenriry (2004 ) and chapters in fde111i1y iti the Shadow of Slavery (2000 •
Th<' Yoruha Diaspora ;11 tht' Atlantic World (2005), and Contestin
Frcrdnm : Co11rrof nil(/ Resi~tanc<' in rlie Century after Emancipation in
th r nnbhea11 (2005).

Sw .rn.nm KAm~N is a painter and lecLurer in fine arts. His work has
hcc n cxh ihitcd and collected hy a number of major European mu c um ·
ir1e.·Juding the Munich Lcnhachh auC\ (Mu~eum of Contemporary Art ), the
S1u11gnr1 Hospitalhof, the City of Heidelberg M useum. the i\ll alaga
Mu1'cum of Fine Arts, the Palocio <le In lfodrazn in Granada (Spain), the
J~undad6n Ludwig <le Cuhn in Ha ana, and the Goethe Institutes in
Rott erdam and M'adrid. He ha held over fifty individual hows and
numcroul\ group cxhjhition~ at maJor gnllene and art fai rs in Cuba,
pain , wi11crJand, the Netherlands. and Germany Exhi bition cata-
logue have been published in Spain, SwiLZerland, Germany, and
Au~tria. He has received numerous awards, including go ld medals fro m
the Univcni ty of Vienna. Lhe citie of Mun ich, Germany, and M uJhouse,
• wil!erland, the National Award of the State of Bavaria, and the
frankfun lmcmational Book Fair. Specialise magazines such as An in
Am 1 ica. ART. and Ku11stforum International have reviewed his work
,md it has been featured on public television programs in Cuba and
Germany He 1 Lhe co-au thor and iJlustrator of eight book and films
,
mcluding Ha1111ibal (anima1ion, 1988), War Games ( 1995), lin/e
Jlrppology ( J996), and St/em Days in Havana ( 1999). He bas taught at
the Academy of Art , Man nheim. the University of Weimar, and the
Uruver ity of mce in Germany. at the Cuban InstilULO Superior de las
Arte~ Phh uc.as, and at t.he E cuela de Bellas Arte~. San Alejandro,
Ha"aot.L He organjzetJ maJor international an exb.ibjLions in Havana in
2003 and 2004.
 Translated by Christine Ayorinde
With an introduction by Jorge Castellanos
Illustrated by Siegfried Kaden
A moving collection of myths and tales, this book was first pub-
lished in 1938 under the title Oh, Mio Yemaya!. The stories lead
readers into a marvelous and magical world: the extraordinary
imaginations of Afro-Cubans. Destined to become a classic in its
field, L.achatanere's book was the first to gather a sizeable sam-
ple of Cuban patakfes (myths) characteristic of the RegJa de
Ocha (or Santeria), the most widespread .Afro-Cuban religion
practiced on the island These fantastical tales represent
Santerfa's profound response to some fundamental questions
of popular theology and philosophy.
ROMULO lAcHATANERE (1909-1952) was the first Afro-Cuban intel-
lectual to write extensively on Afro-Cuban religious practices.
Together with Fernando Ortiz and Lydia Cabrera, he was the
founder of Afro-Cuban research and made it part of the Cuban
heritage.

ISBN-13: 978-1-55876-318-0
ISBN- 10: 1-55876-3'18-X