Ika Sa

On this road, Oyá had a daughter who was very vain and proud on account of the great powers her mother had, and everything she did went well. This daughter of Oyá was called Bumi.

One day she fell ill and everything began going wrong for her, and she did not want to tell her mother. She went to visit Shangó, and from that union Bumi was left expecting a child. She went to the land of Teguarollo, where her mother Oyá was, and Oyá told her: «I do not know what has happened; but as soon as you have that child, he must be handed over to Shangó.»

Oyá said to her daughter Bumi: «Let us go and see Obatalá.» When they set out on the road, so that Obatalá would receive them, they went along singing: «Babakua leleo Ikasa aguare Ifá omo Bumi.»

On the road Orunmila came upon them, passing by. They gave him moforibale, and his okpele fell and marked Ika Sa, and he said to Oyá: «Your daughter has to be given Oyá or Obatalá; take care, they must not get her wrong. And that child she is carrying is Shangó's own son.»

Obatalá handed Oyá's daughter three pieces of Ogún — and he called it Ogún Fomale —: a round piece of iron, a machete and a sickle, and a stone he smeared with plenty of epó; he gave it three chickens and a dove, and Ayaguna told her: «Everything you do and ask at the foot of Ogún, he will grant you, and your resguardo will eat with Ogún.»

At that moment Bumi gave birth, and Obatalá told her: «Leave this child here for me to hand over to Shangó, who will come and see me in seven days, and I will hand his son to him in front of you both.» Seven days later Shangó came, and in front of Oyá and Bumi, Obatalá handed the son to Shangó to take to his land of Tigua Yorokun.

Bumi, who was Oyá's daughter, was very put out, because they consecrated her son before her. Bumi and Oyá went back to their land.

Everything Bumi did over her Ogún resguardo went well. One day Bumi said: «Mother, I am going to visit other lands, and afterward I will go and see my son Ika.»

Eshu, who was always thinking about the wars and the powers he had with Oyá, and about how he was going to do her harm, met Bumi and invited her to a great party. Shangó was there, but he had already left when Elegba and she arrived.

Bumi saw the great party there was, and how beautifully Oshún danced. Eshu's son, who was called Ika Eshu, mounted and began to dance, and Bumi fell in love with the dance and with the way of it; and he said to Bumi: «You cannot go on like this» — and they made Bumi yoko Oshún.

When Bumi left for her land, where Oyá was, Oyá turned her back on her and cursed her, and took away the powers she had.

Bumi began to go through hardship, and her affairs went from bad to worse. Every time she went to the secret of Ogún, he did not answer her as before. One day Orunmila was on the road to Oyá's house, and Oyá took him to Bumi so he could read her again, and Orunmila said: «She will have to go through a little hardship. Obatalá has to be called to see what he can do.»

Note: the Babalawo has to pay great attention to this Odù so as not to get it wrong; the person has to be given Oyá, Obatalá or Ogún.

There was a man who made his living selling shells and the other objects of this religion; he had a very good wife and four children. This man made his sales in the market, and when he earned ten pesos he wanted to earn twenty, because he was never satisfied with what he earned.

One day this man fell ill and decided to go to Orunmila's house for divination. In the osode this Ifá came up (Ika Sa), and Orunmila told him: «You have to give two yellow hens to Oshún.»

The man did not go back to Orunmila's house, since he did not want to spend his money on such things. Every day that passed his health got worse, and he came to suffer from his stomach and his heart.

That man's wife, seeing that her husband's health was getting worse every day, went to have him read at Orunmila's house. When Orunmila learned who the person was that this lady wanted read, he told her: «Not for his sake; but for yours, since you are a good woman, I will attend to it.» And right after that he said: «He no longer has to give the two yellow hens to Oshún: now he has to give food to all the oshas (gbogbo kalemo osha), if he wants to save himself.»

That man had no other choice but to do the work Orunmila had marked him this time, so he had to spend all the money he had put away and was left with nothing. He had to make do living on the little he earned each day; and on top of that, Orunmila told him: «For your disobedience to the word of Ifá, you will never again have the health you used to enjoy, nor will you have as much ease with money as before.»

Note: disobeying what Ifá prescribes over a person can cost them even their own life.

This is where Ogún, having earned a great deal of money, went to live in the twelve caves, cutting himself off from society, thinking that because he was rich his money would never run out; and he came to find himself with no clothes, so he had to put on a loincloth of mariwó, and he turned wild.

Note: greed for money can lead you to ruin.