Ika Kana

The ologbo (the cat) was a trader and had a lot of money, plus menservants and maidservants: the etú (guineas). One day he took to punishing his servants and whipped one of them; the guinea escaped flying and went to take shelter in Obatalá's house. He was washing his face with soap and water, and when he splashed her with the foam that black plumage of hers was left speckled with white spots.

When Obatalá noticed her, he asked: "What is wrong with you, that you are so frightened?" The guinea told him all the bad things that had happened in the cat's house and asked him to take her as a goddaughter, and Obatalá agreed. That was how she came to live with him, and he even set up a room for her.

Three days later the cat showed up at that house asking for his servant. Obatalá answered: "I know nothing about what you are telling me; come in, so you can explain it to me better."

Inside, the cat saw a guinea, but with the spots on her plumage he did not realize it was his own, and he put it to him: "Babá, I have been told that three days ago one of my servants came to this house, after leaving my house." Obatalá, who had already told the guinea that he was her godfather, answered: "The only guinea here is this one, and she has lived here a long time, because she is my goddaughter."

That is where the argument between the cat and Obatalá got tangled up. Since nothing could be proved, Obatalá demanded damages, and when he was asked what he wanted he answered: "For every hair she has, I want a sack of gold." From that dispute came riches for Obatalá and ruin for the cat trader. Since then guineas have white spots.

Note: the person is envied; they must take care of whatever in them stands for good qualities.

There was a young man who loved the butterfly but never dared to tell her, and could not find the way to win her over. She was a flatterer, always going from flower to flower, and she carried a whistle she never parted with: wherever she went, she took it. One day, on his way to his usual business, the boy — son of gunugún (the vulture) — found her resting on a flower and, taking advantage of a moment when she was not paying attention, he took the whistle. He wanted to use it as blackmail, to see if that way she would accept him. Back home he handed it to his mother gunugún to keep for him.

The butterfly noticed right away that her whistle was gone. Eshu, crouched among the grasses, came out to defend her and warned her: "The one who stole your talisman was the son of the vulture; but you have to go to Orunmila's house so he can spare you a sad misfortune."

Stubborn as she was, the butterfly ignored that warning and did not go for a reading with Orunmila. She preferred to stand watch in front of the vulture's house and, as soon as she saw the son go out, she knocked on the door. She told the lady of the house that her son had taken her whistle and demanded that she hand it over. Frightened, the vulture gave it back to her.

When he came back from his work, the son was planning to carry out what he had in mind to attract the butterfly, so he asked his mother for the whistle. His mother answered him: "The butterfly came to claim it, calling you a thief, and I handed it to her." The boy got upset and went as far as being rude to his own mother: "Who told you to hand the whistle to the butterfly? You are bossy and bold."

With his hopes ruined, he began to curse himself: "I hope I never have a fixed place to stay; I hope that when I find my food it is already rotten; I hope everyone despises me for stinking."

Right at that moment Obatalá was passing by the door of the vulture's house. He heard him curse himself and answered: "Son, so it will be. To iban Eshu."

The butterfly, very happy to have her whistle back, was taking the road home. Eshu saw her and understood that, being disobedient, she had not gone for a reading with Orunmila; he felt mocked and wanted to get even. Some boys were coming down the road, and Eshu pointed her out to them: they armed themselves with switches and chased her from flower to flower until they killed her.

Note: it points to disregard and disrespect toward the mother. It points to someone who uses bad tricks to win a woman's favor. When he does not get what he wants, he curses himself, and from there comes his setback. He is an unbelieving person who does not listen to advice.

There was an unbelieving man who one day went to see Orunmila. This Ifá came out for him, ordering him to make ebbó; he did it, and from then on he took to bringing to the market the produce he bought in the countryside. It went so well for him that he came to buy whole harvests and place them among the resellers.

In time, the man stopped remembering Orunmila. One day Elegba asked Orunmila: "What has become of the storekeeper who buys all the farmers' harvests?" Orunmila answered: "That is one who no longer remembers me." Elegba then put on a disguise, went to find the hoarder and said to him: "Do you no longer remember the old man who made the ebbó for you when you were poor?" The man answered that he did not remember. Elegba threw harm and trash over the grain and the root vegetables, which got eaten by bugs; the buyers saw the goods full of bugs and took nothing from him, so in a moment he lost everything he had stored. He was so badly off that he went back to Orunmila's house.

Orunmila looked at him again, the same Ifá came out again, he repeated the ebbó for him and warned him: "You are going to prosper again, but it will cost you work, and you cannot forget the saints."

Then he gave him Elegba and consecrated him as omo Ifá (Ikofafún). Slowly, the man rose again, until he got back his place as the storekeeper of root vegetables and grain in that town.