Obara Kuña

nº 114 of 256

The remora fish that spots the traps and never falls into one: an Ifá of binding, where you do not love your partner but cannot leave — make yourself indispensable.

21 patakíes 5 eewó 7 ebbós and works 17 proverbs

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Obara Kuña is Odù number 114 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 21 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 7 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 114 of 256
Composition: Obara over Ogunda
In the Diloggún: 6-3 · Obara tonti Ogundá
Orishas that speak: Shangó · Ogué · Obatalá · Ogún · Yemayá y Oduduwa · Oshún · Egun

What Ifá says in this sign

Obara Kuña is the sign of the remora — the fish that spots the traps and never falls into one — and of the swan that passes through mud without getting muddy. Its formula for winning was born here and it reads like a manual: you have to make yourself necessary in life in order to win — nobody throws out the one they cannot do without.

Its knot is a binding: you are not in love with your partner, but you cannot leave — like Oyá enslaved to Ogún — and you may even have been worked on with a sorcerer's pot while you slept. The untying exists: ebbó, the oath in Orun, and the truth spoken respectfully at home — resentful silence binds you too.

«The remora spots the traps and the swan does not get muddy — Obara Kuña wins by making himself necessary.»The pulse of Obara Kuña

The hardest warning is about someone else's bed: do not take married women — Ogún cut that man's feet off: make ebbó to get away from that woman and out of her husband's revenge. And for the daughter who runs off with her boyfriend: no report to the authorities and no curses — that man is going to look after her well, and cursing would cost you everything.

If you work from January to January and are always badly off, the cause has a name: a dead one carrying off everything you earn — send them away, and you will see your wages stretch. Take care of tumors and cysts (inside and out) and your stomach, with its brew of marilope and red mangrove. And for whoever in this odu lives in «the sound of silence» — great, and with no affection given them: the Saints do value you.

And the marriage promise: a woman is coming for the man to marry — she is apetebí, a wife of Orunmila — receive her with the leaves prepared and her ikofafún. Repair your reputation with spiritual work and your business blooms again: like the remora, learn to see the trap — and like the swan, come out of the mud clean

The sign in one line

Make yourself indispensable, send away the dead one collecting your wages and leave another man's wife alone — a wife of Orunmila and a new reputation are coming to Obara Kuña.

The prayer of Obara Kuña · Yoruba

Obara Guña owolowo ewelegue adifafun olu eri kowo komaburo adifafun igba eja umbo Obara Ogunda Ifá nire aye adifafun Orunmila.

Ifá says — what Obara Kuña tells you

An Ifá about repairing your reputation to secure your success: business is fading, and spiritual work will improve it. It is an Ifá of binding: you are bound to your partner without being in love. Kaferefún Yemayá and Oduduwa; it marks the oath in Orun.
You have three sources of trouble in your life: with the law, over your own bad conduct; with the family, who cannot stand you; and with yourself, because you are not satisfied with what you have.
You fell asleep somewhere and were worked on with a sorcerer's pot — by your partner, or by a lover you once had.
It speaks of someone left without a house, and of the woman hunted by her husband to kill her, because she went off with another man.
You can be killed for taking married women: make ebbó to get away from that woman and out of her husband's revenge — Ogún cut that man's feet off.
You have one limb or one side of your body thicker than the other.
You were somewhere where something happened and you were the only one saved: prayer over the head.
You work from January to January and things are always bad: the cause is a dead one carrying off everything you earn; and there is upheaval on your road because of a woman.
A woman is coming for the man to marry: she is apetebí — a wife of Orunmila — and when she arrives, an Awó prepares leaves for her to bathe with; if she does not have ikofafún, she should receive it.
Illnesses of this sign: tumors or cysts inside or outside, and stomach trouble — ulcer and gastritis: a brew of marilope, red mangrove and hierba de la vieja.
You live with a complex about never having married; if you had married, you would have two children. You have brothers and sisters who love you a great deal, and you have been deceived.
The woman is not in love with the husband she has and insults him; and she is bound to her partner.
You dreamed you had a great deal of money or that you won the lottery, and when you woke you felt low.
Your husband does not give you everything you want: he gets up early, at night he wants sex, you do not, and he gets angry.
The daughter who is going to run off with her boyfriend, or already has: do not report it and do not curse her, because you would lose everything — that man is going to look after her very well.
You have something red you took from another man, and a child by him; and you have a child by another woman.
There are three of you, and you are not all by the same father; you are meant to be a diviner, and one of your brothers has to make ebbó, because otherwise he will die.
You like raising your hand: respect your elders.
The person who is a child of Ogué lives in the sound of silence: nobody values how great they are, and nobody gives them affection.

Proverbs of Obara Kuña · Òwe

“Whoever does not want broth gets three cups.”
“The one with it inside him is the one who squirms.”
“From January to January I am working and things are always bad.”
“We look ahead and see nobody, we look behind and see nobody.”
“Whoever does not get it right the first time searches and searches again.”
“Willfulness defends the willful one's interest and damages the fool.”
“Betrayal often feeds Iku.”
“There is no better judge in this world than results.”
“Whoever fights mother nature fights himself.”
“Only water falls from the sky, not the jugs.”
“Corners are crossroads where you find the good and the bad.”
“The man who builds his work will have a pleasant life; the one who works carelessly does not survive.”
“No man will be known by his sect, but by his sign.”
“Time heals everything.”
“Whoever gives goods on credit does not live in peace.”
“In the blacksmith's house, a wooden knife.”
“Gratitude leads to honor, and boldness to wealth.”

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

Iré and Osogbo

6 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 Obara Kuña · Ìbí

Ejá Kalagba: the remora, or sucker fish.
His power is in his head: he spots the fish traps and never falls into them; that is why he is used in inshé and in protection charms, to get out of traps and to stay fixed in the position wanted.
Incest.
You can end up in a sexual relationship with a brother or sister by blood.
The power of a cat's eyes.
That Ogué lives inside Shangó, and that one Ogué is the elder and the other the younger.
That effeminate men pass themselves off as men.
Here doubt is born.
Surgical operations.
Delicate ones, in the head: tumors or cysts, inside or outside.
The swan that passes through mud and does not get muddy.
The membranes of the human body.
That you have to make yourself necessary in life in order to win.
The herbs of this sign: squash, yam, peony, water hyacinth, marilope, wild vine and almond.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

You cannot raise your siblings' children.
Do not make ebbó with parrot feathers when the Odù is osobo.
Only when it is iré.
Do not get involved with married women.
They can kill you for stealing women.
Do not touch the ground with your head for any divinity other than Orunmila.
The king of Idanren left his Ifá for a foreign god, and his subjects turned against him: if you throw your Ifá away, you will find yourself between the devil and the deep sea.
Take care of your feet.

Ebbós of Obara Kuña · The sacrifices that open the road

HealthThe squash of the one who has surgery🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesShangó's ball🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe Egun rooster of the spiritist🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayThe ebbó of the board and the net🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Obara Kuña · The workings of the sign

SpiritualThe loading of Shangó's Ogué🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesThe Osanyin of the dry coconut🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe Osanyin of the young bull's horn🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Obara Kuña · The roads of the Odù

1Why Shangó carries Ogué

Ogué, the healer, was sent by Obatalá to cure a sick woman; Shangó told the husband: "Go to your house, she is cheating on you with Ogué." The husband ran off with his machete; Ogué jumped out of the window and fell into a hole. Obatalá cleared up the lie, made Shangó pull him out with his cunning, and ruled: "For being a liar, as long as the world is the world, you will have to carry Ogué on top of you." That is why Ogué lives on top of Shangó's batea, and for the Awó they eat together. To iban Eshu.

Ogué had a name as a doctor — a healer, rather — and in the tribe they treated him as one. When the wife of a married couple fell ill, Obatalá sent him to cure her. Ogué came to the house, and Shangó saw him go in. He went to find the husband at his work and said to him: "Go to your house right now, so you can see that she is cheating on you with Ogué, the healer." That man believed him, got furious, left his work and went out with a machete toward his house.

He found his wife lying down and Ogué standing next to the bed: he insulted them both and raised the machete against the healer. There was a window in the room, and Ogué escaped through it; the husband ran after him, and since Ogué did not know the ground, he ended up in a hole he could not get out of. As luck would have it, Obatalá passed by and asked what was going on. The husband, still furious, repeated what Shangó had told him; and Obatalá, who knew the truth, answered: "That is a lie of Shangó's: Ogué went to your house to cure your wife because I sent him." He then sent for Shangó and ruled: "You are responsible for all this: therefore you are the one who has to get Ogué out of the hole." With his cunning, Shangó managed to get him out. Once Ogué was out, Obatalá turned to Shangó: "For being a liar, I order that as long as the world is the world, you will have to carry Ogué on top of you." To iban Eshu. For the Awó, Shangó and Ogué eat together.

2Deyi, the stingy cattleman

Obara Ogunda was called to cure Deyi, the cattleman, who was gravely ill. At night, the town's witches revealed the cause: his stinginess — with great profits, he had never sacrificed. At the reading, Deyi politely refused the sacrifice of two of every bird and animal, and the Awó left angry. Deyi recovered and went back to business — until one day all his birds and animals gathered their things and fled into the forest, singing. He then made the sacrifice and saved his life: but his herd was already gone.

Obara Ogunda was called to see Deyi, a cattle owner who had fallen gravely ill. He got to the house after dark, when it was no longer the hour to read, so he left the divination for the next day. That town was lived in mostly by women.

Late that night, the local witches' cult sent him a delegation. They asked what he had come for, and he answered that he was looking for the reason why Deyi had gotten sick like that and why no treatment worked on him. They told him straight out: what had that man sick was his stinginess, because he earned a lot from his cattle and never saw any need to make an offering. They also warned him that, to see him healthy, two birds and two of each of the animals had to be sacrificed to the Night.

Morning came, and at the reading the Awó told Deyi that his only way out was to offer two of each of the different birds and animals. The cattle owner turned it down politely. Obara Ogunda, annoyed, went back home and paid no more attention to the matter. Deyi got his health back and went back to his business.

One day, coming back from the market, he found that all his birds and animals had gone into his room, had gathered up his things and were running off toward the forest, singing "ija bele ta ko ko". As soon as he learned what had happened, he sent for Obara Ogunda in a hurry: he finally made the sacrifice and with that he saved his life, though his cattle were already lost. In Igbodu: a she-goat to the ancestors, a dog to Ogún and a she-goat to the Night; in an ordinary reading, a goat to Eshu and a rooster to Ogún.

3Agbe and the crocodile

The bird Agbe was a friend of the crocodile Onne: both sacrificed — the guinea fowl for the bird, the goat and the Ifá board for the crocodile. Onne asked for help against the humans hunting him, and Agbe promised to warn him. When the men arrived with their gear, Agbe sang «onne waka waka, gbe kpakoru»: the crocodile went under and covered his head with the board — and not even the poison poured into the water touched him. That is how he worked out his way of surviving.

Agbe, the bird, and Onne the crocodile treated each other as friends. The two of them consulted the oracle and both were told to make an offering: a guinea hen went to the bird; to the crocodile, a goat and the Ifá board. Neither of them was slow to comply.

Onne then told him that men were hunting him and begged him to protect him. Agbe promised to give him a signal every time those enemies came near meaning to attack him.

Soon a party of men showed up armed with tools to catch the crocodile. As soon as he made them out, the bird began to sing, over and over, "onne waka waka, gbe kpakoru". Hearing the warning, Onne got into the water and covered his head with the board the sacrifice had won him. The hunters put poison in the water and even so they could not harm him. That is how he learned to save himself. In an ordinary reading: to come out alive from what your enemies are plotting, offer Eshu a goat, adding crocodile bone and a red feather of Agbe.

4Gberesi, Ominikun's bride🔒 The Notebook 5The sixteen witches🔒 The Notebook 6The king of Idanren and the foreign god🔒 The Notebook 7Olofin Iwatuka and the full house🔒 The Notebook 8Olu-Iwo and the early death🔒 The Notebook 9Babá Luaye, the spiritist🔒 The Notebook 10The little fish who did not make ebbó🔒 The Notebook 11The two soldiers🔒 The Notebook 12The loss of the feet🔒 The Notebook 13When Ogué had nowhere to live🔒 The Notebook 14Why Ogue lives with Shangó🔒 The Notebook 15The joining of thunder and lightning🔒 The Notebook 16The hoe and the handle🔒 The Notebook 17The burial of the potato🔒 The Notebook 18The ambush🔒 The Notebook 19Attachment to things🔒 The Notebook 20Ifá rejects binding🔒 The Notebook 21A special occasion🔒 The Notebook

18 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 Obara Kuña in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Obara Kuña

What does the Odù Obara Kuña mean in Ifá?

The remora fish that spots the traps and never falls into one: an Ifá of binding, where you do not love your partner but cannot leave — make yourself indispensable.

What number is Obara Kuña among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Obara Kuña is Odù number 114 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family.

Which orishas speak in Obara Kuña?

In the Odù Obara Kuña these orishas speak: Shangó, Ogué, Obatalá, Ogún, Yemayá y Oduduwa, Oshún, Egun.

What is a proverb of the Odù Obara Kuña?

One of the proverbs of Obara Kuña says: «Whoever does not want broth gets three cups.».

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