Ika Junko

nº 172 of 256

Where fingernails, the totem and religious images were born: a war has to end so that good feeling can rule — watch out for false affection.

10 patakíes 5 eewó 5 ebbós and works 11 proverbs

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Ika Junko is Odù number 172 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ika family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 10 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 5 ebbós and works and the signs it shows in the consultation — with the full eewó in plain sight; the detail of iré and osogbo and the full recipes open with The Notebook, in English.

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá: Odù 172 of 256
Composition: Ika over Ojuani
Orishas that speak: Yemayá · Oshún (Iyalorde) · Obatalá · Ogún · Odde (Oshosi) · Olokun · Eshu · Egun (the souls)

What Ifá says in this sign

Ika Junko is the sign where fingernails, the totem and religious images were born — and where the law of peace was laid down: the war has to end so that good feeling can rule — the children of Yemayá and the children of Oshún fought behind their mothers' backs, each side believing itself the better one.

The root of that war is comparison: never take an interest in whether what you have is better or worse than what others have — comparing is planting a quarrel. And the evil in this odu wears perfume: it hides behind false affection — the friend who wants to learn everything you know is planning to beat you in the war with your own weapons: teach with something held back.

«The elephant died with a broken neck at the hands of a united people — in Ika Junko, not even the biggest one abuses the weak.»The pulse of Ika Junko

The powerful have their mirror here: the elephant thought himself stronger than everyone and died with his neck broken at the hands of a united people — big as you may be, do not abuse the weak: one of them can kill you, and this odu even marks the blow to the neck. The strength of this sign is in numbers, not in size.

Your setback has a creditor in the other world: a debt with the Souls — pay it so you can move forward and get free of enemies who are stronger than you. The child is protected with a small animal that takes the cleaning (if it dies, replace it), the child's big head is the seal of this sign, and the ritual rule here is absolute: the head of this Ifá is never given rogation with blood of any kind — never.

Obatalá's justice stands behind the innocent: the thieves who stole the goat that fed his three children he left lame, mute and one-armed — what is just gets done without you dirtying your hands. The quarrel over the woman that brought you here is settled with a work and not with threats, and the calm at the end is your wealth: do not despair over money — the good feeling this odu orders is also signed with a pocket at peace.

The sign in one line

Stop comparing, end your war and pay what you owe the Souls — the good feeling of Ika Junko brings back the luck the fighting drove away.

The prayer of Ika Junko · Yoruba

Iká Juani Iká Wa Wa Adifafun Iká Odi Ofunejo Owunko, Akukó Eyelé Lebo Iká Wani Lodafun Orunmila. Lodafun Yalorde Ati Omó. Anru Marora Obbi Meyi Kaferefun Olokun Ati Eshú.

Ifá says — what Ika Junko tells you

An Ifá of deceit: the evil that hides behind false affection. An Ifá of being taken for granted. An Ifá of a war that has to end so that good feeling can rule. The Ifá of the totem and of religious images: they were born here. The Ifá of the nails of the fingers and of the toes.
The head (lerí) of the child of this Ifá is very big.
One coconut is painted blue and another with efún (white).
The three omó of Obatalá speak: Talabí, Salakó and Taladdé.
The child of this Ifá cannot be given rogation on the head with blood of any kind: this Ifá forbids it outright.
The herbs of the sign: clovilina, French rose and palo bobo.
Do not despair over money.
If you have a child, look after them: always keep a small animal so that it takes the cleaning for them, and if it dies on you, buy another — so that your enemies do not get what they want.
You came here because of a quarrel you had, in which you were threatened: the cause was a woman, and the law is going to get involved.
Your setback comes from a debt you have with the Souls: pay it so you can move forward and be free of so much harm from your enemies, who are stronger than you.
Be careful with a friend who wants to learn everything you know, so as to beat you in the war afterward.
Here it is said that you are not going to be able to make the rogation.

Proverbs of Ika Junko · Òwe

“Hatred is affection.”
“The luck you are waiting for is your misfortune.”
“Health is lost when we think ourselves untouchable.”
“The birds want to shoot at the shotgun.”
“He who shows all his weapons loses the war.”
“The climb is slow and hard; the fall is always headlong.”
“If you do not plug the holes, you will have to rebuild the walls.”
“If you bother a dog, you bother its owner.”
“Nobody learns a lesson through another man's head.”
“When the brows knit and the breath is taken soberly, the word is wise.”
“It is folly to answer before listening.”

8 proverb interpretations in this Odù, locked.Every proverb explained: which road it comes from and how it applies.Unlock →

Iré and Osogbo

4 iré and osogbo readings in this Odù, locked.The iré and osogbo of the sign, sorted by subject — health, money, love, death, loss…Unlock →

What is born in Ika Junko · Ìbí

The nails of the fingers and of the toes.
The totem and religious images.

What is forbidden · Eewó

The full eewó of this Odù, open to everyone — with the road each ban came out of.

You are forbidden to eat corn.
You are forbidden to argue.
Getting along well with others keeps away problems and wars.
You cannot pray the head (rogación de cabeza) with any kind of blood (eyegbale).
This Ifá forbids it to its children in the strictest terms.
Do not drink alcohol and do not eat fish.
Do not do harm for no reason.
Be careful with the people you have wronged: do not keep doing it, because they can kill you.

Ebbós of Ika Junko · The sacrifices that open the road

Beating enemiesThe ebbós of this Odù🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayEbbó for intori Ikú🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesThe ebbó of the elephant🔒 The Notebook

3 ebbós in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes.Unlock →

Works of Ika Junko · The workings of the sign

SpiritualThe two painted coconuts🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesThe child's guardian animal🔒 The Notebook

2 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes.Unlock →

Patakíes of Ika Junko · The roads of the Odù

1The quarrel between the omó of Yemayá and those of Oshún

Yemayá's children and Oshún's children got into a fight behind their mothers' backs: each side held itself better than the other, and that is why they never came out of the state of war. Take better care of your children: out in the street they get into arguments with other boys, and among themselves they never stop fighting either.

Without Yemayá or Oshún ever knowing it, their omó broke into a fight.

On Yemayá's side they claimed to be worth more than Oshún's omó; on Oshún's side they held themselves above Yemayá's. With that, neither of them ever came out of the state of war.

Note: take better care of your children. When they go out in the street they get into arguments with other boys, and among themselves they never stop fighting either.

2The three omó of Obatalá

Obatalá had three children — Talabí, Salakó and Taladdé — whom he fed with the milk of the she-goat he kept at his house. In that town, three thieves kept the people in constant alarm. Obatalá went to Orunmila: this Ifá came out and warned him to take better care of his things, in case they robbed him in a way that would hurt him greatly. In spite of the precautions, one night they stole the she-goat. Understanding that his three children were left with no milk, Obatalá cursed the thieves: that one would lose a leg, another would stay mute forever and the third would lose an arm. The curse came true just as he wished it and held it to be right — and that is how the people of that land were rid of the thieves. Be careful that something badly done does not harm a child of Obatalá, because he curses whoever does it.

Obatalá had three children, Talabí, Salakó and Taladdé, and he kept them fed with the milk of the she-goat he had in his care at his house. Three thieves were going around that town and their crimes never stopped: almost no neighbor was spared, and people lived in alarm.

One day Obatalá came before Orunmila for a reading. In the osode this Ifá came out, and Orunmila warned him: "You have to take better care of your things, in case they rob your house and hurt you greatly."

Obatalá took every precaution he could in his house; even so, one night those thieves came in and took the she-goat with which he kept the three boys fed.

When he learned of the theft and saw that his children were left without that milk, Obatalá threw his curse: "I wish with all my heart that one of the thieves loses a leg, that another of them stays mute forever, and that the third loses an arm, for having stolen my she-goat and leaving my three children Talabí, Salakó and Taladdé without their food."

What was cursed came true point by point, just as he wanted it and held it to be right.

And that way the neighbors of that land were rid of thieves who were damaging their interests.

Note: be careful with a bad action that harms a child of Obatalá, in case he curses you.

3When Enin destroyed every planted field

An elephant (Enin or Ayanakú) showed up in a region and with its feet and its trunk it flattened the crops; soon there was no food in the village. One day it destroyed what was planted around Odde's house, and Odde called the whole village and the people from around: "let us hunt the elephant so it does not harm us any more; bring tubs, axes, knives, neck-breakers and ropes." They surrounded it, Odde shot his arrow and, with the animal already on the ground, he threw himself on it and finished it off with a neck-breaker. From the kill he took for himself only the two tusks, and he shared the blood and the meat among the people. This came to Enin for thinking itself the strongest and most powerful of all. Take care of those you have harmed and do not go on doing it: they can kill you with a hard blow to the back of the neck.

An Enin or Ayanakú —the elephant— showed up in a region and went around it flattening with its feet and its trunk everything that had been planted. The owners lost their crops, and before long there was no food in the whole village.

One day it passed brushing by Odde's home and destroyed what he had planted around it; from then on Odde did not take his eye off it. The planting that came further on was also destroyed, and the owner of that plot came looking for him so they could go out and hunt the animal.

Odde called the whole village and the people from the nearby areas, and told them: "We are going to hunt the elephant so it does not harm us any more. You bring tubs, axes, knives, neck-breakers and ropes." With everything ready, he went out at the head of that party.

They found the elephant and went after it until they had it surrounded. Then Odde shot his arrow, and since after falling it could no longer run or walk, he threw himself on it and finished it off with a neck-breaker.

From the kill, Odde kept only the two tusks; the blood and the meat he shared among the people.

All this came to Enin for thinking itself the strongest and most powerful of all.

Note: be careful with those you have harmed, and do not go on doing it, because they can kill you just like cattle, with a hard blow to the back of the neck.

4The ground, womb of the Osha🔒 The Notebook 5The tribal marks of Egungun🔒 The Notebook 6Ka Ashe Oro🔒 The Notebook 7The heart of the elephant🔒 The Notebook 8The voice of the nuts🔒 The Notebook 9The temptation of Ajapa🔒 The Notebook 10Ela and Olorun🔒 The Notebook

7 more patakíes in this Odù, locked.Read every road in full with The Notebook.Unlock →

The full treatise is in English. With The Notebook, the whole sign opens on this page in English: the full text of every patakí, the recipes for the ebbós and works, and the iré and osogbo readings. · This page is also available in Spanish: See Ika Junko in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Ika Junko

What does the Odù Ika Junko mean in Ifá?

Where fingernails, the totem and religious images were born: a war has to end so that good feeling can rule — watch out for false affection.

What number is Ika Junko among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Ika Junko is Odù number 172 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ika family.

Which orishas speak in Ika Junko?

In the Odù Ika Junko these orishas speak: Yemayá, Oshún (Iyalorde), Obatalá, Ogún, Odde (Oshosi), Olokun, Eshu, Egun (the souls).

What is a proverb of the Odù Ika Junko?

One of the proverbs of Ika Junko says: «Hatred is affection.».

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