Irete Kanlú

There were three Awoses who wanted to do Irete Kanlú harm and, since they could not do it to him, they looked for a way to do it to his wife. They went to Olofin's house and told him that the cause of the uproar in the town was the women who sold thread in the market, and among them was Irete Kanlú's wife. Besides that, they put it to him that an ebbó had to be made with a rooster and the women, to stop the uproar.

They went off to their houses and told their wives not to go and sell thread in the market; but before that, Olofin had already given orders to proceed against all the women who sold thread. That same day, Irete Kanlú was read and saw that there was a betrayal: that he should give rogation to his head and wear a bandage for seven days, and that when they came for his wife, she could not go because she was ill. She was a very obedient woman; but the other women disobeyed their husbands and went to the market (ilé loyá) to sell thread, and they were arrested — all except Irete Kanlú's wife.

The Awoses, seeing their wives arrested, confessed the betrayal they had worked on Irete Kanlú and asked him to save their wives.

The traitor Awoses went to Olofin, to tell him that Irete Kanlú was needed to make the rogation. They sent for him. Irete Kanlú came and told Olofin that the only things needed for the rogation were the women's threads and scraps of their clothing, but not the women themselves. And that is how the matter was settled.

Note: the Awó wears a white and yellow cap to sleep in for seven days.

Irete Kanlú was an Awó of great fame, and one day he saw this Ifá, his own sign, and told his wife «not to go to the market to sell thread, and that if her friends came for her, she should not go out: she should pretend to be ill».

That day, Olofin had an urgent matter and sent for the Awoses, and they went without telling Irete Kanlú. Then they made osode for Olofin and told him «that he had to make rogation with the women who sold thread in the market».

A few days later, Olofin had several women under arrest and sent for the Awoses. But when they arrived, they had the shock of finding that the women under arrest were their own wives. So they began working, pretending to make the ebbó. But Olofin, seeing that they were taking a long time, asked them what was the matter, and they answered: «Babá, we do not know how to make this ebbó and Irete Kanlú has to be sent for.»

When Irete Kanlú arrived, they told him what was happening and also that their wives had to go into the ebbó. Then Irete Kanlú said to Olofin: «Babá, for this ebbó nothing is needed but a scrap of these women's clothing and white and black thread.» After the ebbó was made, Irete Kanlú said to the other Awoses: «I have a better heart than you, who, being my students, have tried to harm me.»

Note: this Ifá speaks of the parting of a marriage and of trouble with the wife. It marks loss of memory: you can be left half dull-witted and even go mad. It speaks of a woman who changes. An Ifá of immorality: be careful you do not get a reputation as immoral, crooked, a liar and so on.

Irete Kanlú explains the need for caution about a conspiracy among people of your own standing. Whoever is being read should be careful in the competition of work and in their dealings.

Irete Kanlú was divined for Orunmila on the day of the assembly of Babalawos at Olofin's house, where they prepared a poison with which they would kill him when he arrived there.

He quickly asked for the dining room, so as to avoid being poisoned. At once he made sacrifice with 32,000 cowries and corojo butter, since he listened and sacrificed.

That day, the Babalawos who were at Olofin's house sent for him so he would be with them at the feast. They conspired before Olofin and successfully put a portion of deadly poison on Orunmila's clothing and mat. When he arrived at Olofin's house, they dropped the poison into his drink.

Orunmila looked at it a long while and said to himself: «What is this bubbling in the vessel? This is poison bubbling in the pot! The Awó Irete Kanlú will not drink today.» A short time later, they brought him the poison again, but Orunmila looked at it and said a few things. Afterward, Olofin took a place on the floor to be read about the eldest of his sons, who was a great liar. All the Babalawos present said that the son would not die. When Olofin asked Orunmila's opinion, he said that the son would not die unless Olofin fetched his royal robe and the mat he used as a cover on the throne, which could be used as medicine or as a trap for the son.

Olofin, who was looking for the way and the means to kill Orunmila, thought he had a chance to put the poison into the robe and the mat. But they went outside and a bird began crying out insistently, telling Orunmila: «Do not sit on the mat today, do not sit in the clothing today. Pretend you are sitting, pretend you are sitting.»

When they brought him the robe and the mat, Orunmila asked about that clothing and that mat. They had to tell him where the poison was. Orunmila took the left of the place, safe and unharmed.