Ofún Kána

nº 249 of 256

Where jet stone was born, which cuts the evil eye: the rat and the mouse do not keep company, and a man cannot live alone — he needs his wife.

26 patakíes 8 eewó 8 ebbós and works 17 proverbs

First time with an Odù? Learn how to read one →

Ofún Kána is Odù number 249 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ofun family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 26 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 8 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 249 of 256
Composition: Ofun over Okana
In the Diloggún: 10-1 · Ofún tonti Okana
Orishas that speak: Babalú Ayé (Oluopopó) · Obatalá · Oshún · Elegbá · Shangó · Olofin

What Ifá says in this sign

Ofún Kána is the sign of jet stone: here the stone that goes into Elegbá's load and protects against the evil eye was born — and so were Elegbá's gout and the social outcast. Its picture is one of doubt: people are not very sure about this person's morals — those close to him play tricks on him, doubt his good name and even look down on him: the answer is to live in such a way that the doubt starves.

Its mirror in society is Obatalá scorned: he was left with no house and no family and everyone looked down on him — keep clean, or you can turn into the greatest beggar there is. And its animals teach you to keep your distance: the rat and the mouse do not keep company anymore since the trap of the God of Whiteness — not every relative is a partner.

«The disobedient hunter lost his aim and Obatalá was scorned with no house — Ofún Kána is saved by cleanliness and obedience.»The pulse of Ofún Kána

Your risks with the law come from someone else's trap: you get caught up in trouble over a theft you did not commit — they are watching you and you fall into the trap; they will put you to the test and, with the ebbó done, you will come out fine. There is a trap in the water too: this is an Ifá of accidents like the one of the boy with the hidden clothes who died in the river — be careful where you bathe.

His marriage is his test: a man cannot live alone — he has to have his wife — and take care of her with attention and with closeness, because a woman who is tired and alone slips: if he catches her in adultery, there is no one to blame but himself. Be gentler in bed, and watch out for the loose figure of this sign — the man who lives off women: Babalú Ayé lay with all of them, but you are not Babalú Ayé.

The body here asks for medical cleanliness: the eyes, the legs, syphilis caught from someone else, the liver that tears from germs — check your food, avoid organ meats and anything doubtful — and inherited gout, which gets worse with alcohol, meat and sitting still. The mother is careful not to harm her child without meaning to — like the hen that fell on her chick — and brothers do not fight over who is better: disobedience took the hunter's aim away — obedience gives yours back to you.

The sign in one line

Take care of your wife before loneliness decides for her, do not keep company with the wrong person, and make the ebbó of the trap — because the jet stone of Ofún Kána cuts the evil eye.

The prayer of Ofún Kána · Yoruba

Ofún Kana Okana Biofún Awadó De Ifá Omó Ni Yaré Awadó Ifá Obiní Yanyará Aburé, Omó Awó Be Okana Yabún Bofún Kuin Yakún Omó Beifé Yorobafún Okana Biofún Ofún Kanan Obiní Okana Moyáre Awó Okana Biofún. Ofierá Koyá Abó Nilosó Adifafún Osokó Layú Omá Aboyó Abó Lebó, Kaferefún Obatalá Ati Eshu.

Ifá says — what Ofún Kána tells you

It is an Ifá of doubt: people are not very sure about the morals of whoever gets this Odù; those close to him play tricks on him, doubt his good name and even look down on him. It is the Ifá of the social outcast: Obatalá was left with no house and no family and everyone looked down on him; he must keep clean, because he can turn into the greatest beggar there is. It is an Ifá of accidents in the water, like the boy with the hidden clothes who died in the river. It is an Ifá that speaks of two and of being pushed aside: the God of the Heavens will put someone else in his place. It is an Ifá of a curse for disobeying, where the ashé is lost: the monkey hunter of Holy Thursday lost his aim. It is an Ifá of getting caught up in trouble with the law over a theft, even one this person did not commit but someone else did: they watch him and he falls into the trap; he will be put to the test and, if he makes ebbó, he will come out well. It is an Ifá where the Awó dresses in mouse skin and the woman in tiger skin, in order to betray: another Awó or Santero courts the Awó's wife. The man lives off women: Babalú Ayé appears here as the loose figure who enjoys every woman in order to live off some of them.
Take care of your eyes, your legs and infections, like syphilis caught from someone else; those close to you pull away from you out of fear.
The obiní oboñú (the pregnant woman) can lose the baby to ogú.
The man should take care of his wife with more attention and more closeness, since she feels tired and alone, and that leads to a slip and to adultery: he can catch his wife in adultery, but there is no one to blame but himself.
Whoever ignores the advice of Ifá and of his elders gets sick in the genital organs; the case gets complicated and his life can end: Oshún saves it for him.
The liver suffers here, and that organ or another can tear from germs he has picked up: be clean, check the food you eat, avoid organ meats and do not eat any meat product you have doubts about.
The mother, without meaning to, harms her child, like the hen that fell on her chick while chasing the cockroach.
Brothers by blood and by religion fight among themselves out of wanting to rate themselves higher: they think they are better and need no one, like the rabbit's three brothers.
The children live by blackmailing their parents and elders, and it turns into their own boomerang.
The man loses his aim (his strength) through the curse of disobedience.
Relations in bed are very rough and give the obiní discomfort: be gentler.
Here the child catches the father or the mother in bed with someone else, the way Shangó caught Olofin.
The ewé of this Odù are: poplar, carob, parkia and cannonball tree.
The jet stone speaks, the guard against the evil eye.
The rabbit speaks (Samba / Ejoró): the brotherly chief of all the animals and friend of Elegbá; since the sentence of Ekundere, rabbits eat nothing but grass and roots.
The rat and the mouse speak, who since the trap of the God of Whiteness keep company no longer.
Gout, or uric arthritis, speaks: the uric acid that settles as urates, the lumps of long-standing gout, the gout in the organs that damages the kidneys and the heart; an inherited disease made worse by alcohol, meat and sitting still. A historical note from the treatise: Hippocrates set down its features before Jesus Christ, but Ifá did it long before, when it described the ailment of Elegbará.
Syphilis speaks: the sore, the silent period, the rashes and the destroying damage at the end; it is caught by direct contact or from things used by people who have it.
The cockroach speaks: foul-smelling, it ruins food, leather and books; you cannot tell the males from the females.
The monkey of Holy Thursday speaks, who prays and trusts in the holiness of the day.

Proverbs of Ofún Kána · Òwe

“Nothing has ever been written about cowards.”
“The loss of a man's strength.”
“If he is put to the test and makes ebbó, he will come out well.”
“The God of the Heavens will put someone else in his place.”
“Losing control in bed is his ruin.”
“The mother, in her eagerness, does him harm.”
“The one who takes advantage loses the ashé.”
“The Awó who keeps away from bed on Thursdays keeps his strength all week.”
“Whoever eats rabbits ends up jumping or hunted.”
“What you start you have to finish.”
“Whoever cannot stand the one who gives to him, gives to himself.”
“Whoever builds out of love destroys out of hate.”
“The stubborn man does not learn; the wise man loves being taught.”
“Experience keeps you from mistakes.”
“Whoever kicks at the stinger is bound to lose.”
“In life there is only one chance.”
“Sweet food may turn your stomach, but it is not bitter.”

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

Iré and Osogbo

9 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 Ofún Kána · Ìbí

Jet stone.
Its use against the evil eye is born: that way what should not come in stays out; it is always put into Elegbá's load.
That the children of Obatalá and of Ofún Kanan do not eat rabbit.
The rabbit saved Orunmila and Obatalá from a debt with death and got death out of the house.
Eating sandwiches.
Elegbá, sick with gout from eating nothing but meat, had his diet changed by giving him ekó along with the meat.
That Elegbá came down with gout.
From too much meat; gout comes from too much alcohol, too much protein and sitting still. Ifá described this ailment before Hippocrates.
The social outcast.
Obatalá was left with no house and no family, and everyone looked down on him.
That Olofin granted Babalú Ayé the favor of lying with every obiní.
After he was brought back to life through his dealings with Oshún, he returned to the world to enjoy that same privilege.
That syphilis is caught from someone else.
From Olofin's punishment of Babalú Ayé on the night of Holy Thursday; the treatise details the Treponema pallidum, which also sickens the rat, the mouse, the rabbit and the monkey: the very ones that speak in this Odù.
That the rat and the mouse do not keep company.
From the road of the snake Teremhako: only the mouse did not make the sacrifice, and the trap of the God of Whiteness caught him.
That bones were put to work for religion.
With the bones of the etú, the funfún necklace and the silver coin, Babalú Ayé prepared the inshé that gave Obatalá his health back.
That a man cannot live alone: he has to have his wife.
From the road of the ounko who did the act wherever he pleased: this person needs a partner.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not eat rabbit (the children of Obatalá and of Ofún Kanan).
The rabbit saved Orunmila and Obatalá from a debt with death.
Do not use for sixteen days a thing that you use every day, when Ifá marks it.
The enemies of Orunla hired the seller of epó to poison him with what he used every day.
Do not eat organ meat or meat products that give you any doubt.
Your liver or another organ can tear because of germs you take in.
Do not fail to keep Thursdays, which are sacred, and control your sexual urges.
Babalú Ayé died of syphilis for disobeying on Holy Thursday, and the monkey hunter lost his aim.
Do not have sex anywhere you please or in any way you please.
The ounko did it in the bush; besides, it bothers the obiní: be less rough.
Avoid alcoholic drink and a sedentary life.
They bring on gout, as they did to Elegbá.
Do not mix with people of doubtful morals who break the law.
You will end up in jail.
Do not disrespect the beliefs and the religion of other people.
A curse will come down on you from the heavens and you will lose your ashé.

Ebbós of Ofún Kána · The sacrifices that open the road

LoveEbbó of Mayúge (the betrayal)🔒 The Notebook LoveEbbó of Babalú Ayé and the oñí of Oshún🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesEbbó of Obatalá's war with the rabbit🔒 The Notebook LossEbbó of the hunter of Holy Thursday🔒 The Notebook SpiritualEbbó of the three forces🔒 The Notebook SpiritualEbbó of the jet stone🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Ofún Kána · The workings of the sign

HealthThe inshé of the bones of the etú🔒 The Notebook HealthThe sarao of ekó of the Warriors🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Ofún Kána · The roads of the Odù

1Babalú Ayé cured Obatalá of the sickness

Obatalá, sick at the top of a hill, got no visit from any Santo, for fear of catching it; Babalú Ayé climbed up on his crutches carrying a silver coin, a funfún necklace and an etú: he cleaned Obatalá's eyes with the coin, did sarayeye with the etú over his sick leg, and with the bones prepared the inshé that gave him his health back.

Obatalá had his house on top of a hill and fell ill. No Santo dared visit him, for fear of catching it. Babalú Ayé was the only one who decided to go, and he came carrying a silver coin, a funfún necklace and an etú (guinea hen); leaning on his crutches he climbed the slope with great effort, until he reached where Obatalá was.

Once inside, he passed the silver coin over his eyes to clean his sight, since Obatalá was almost blind. Right after, he did sarayeye on him with the etú and sacrificed it over his left leg, which was the one Babá had sick.

With the bones of the etú, the funfún necklace and the silver coin, Babalú Ayé put together an inshé for him, and so Obatalá got his health back.

2The social outcast

With no roof and no family, Obatalá was despised by everyone: that is why this is the Ifá of the social outcast, and he ended up turned into the greatest beggar who has ever existed. Hygiene must be practiced.

Obatalá was left with no roof and without his own people. Nobody wanted to deal with him, and that is where this being the Ifá of the social outcast comes from: he ended up turned into the greatest beggar who has ever existed.

Note: hygiene must be practiced.

3Orunmila's enemies tried to harm him with the epó

Orunla's enemies hired the epó seller to poison the epó he used; this Ifá came out for Oluopopó, telling him not to use one everyday thing for sixteen days; he understood it was the epó, warned his godfather, and had all the epó in the market buried and the sellers who had made the deal punished.

When Oluopopó lived in Dassa, his godfather Orunla visited him often and stayed in a house on the corner of the market.

Orunla's enemies were watching him, and they arranged with the epó seller to add a harmful substance to the epó that Orunla used, so he would get sick and die.

It happened that this Ifá came out for Oluó Popó in an osode. The letter told him to feed the corner of his house and to stop using, for sixteen days, something he used every day, because his enemies would use that object to do him harm.

After thinking it over, he understood that it was the epó. Without delay he went to see his godfather and told him the letter of the osode. Orunla confirmed that the warning went that way: he must not use the epó. After that, Oluó Popó ordered his guards to search the market and everyone who sold epó; to gather the epó and bury it, and to punish the sellers with death for having sided with the enemies of Oluó Popó and Orunla.

4The friends and the hidden clothes🔒 The Notebook 5Mayúge betrayed her husband Awateyúko with Awodá (the loss of a man's strength)🔒 The Notebook 6One Awó betrayed another Awó with his obiní🔒 The Notebook 7Olofin granted Babalú Ayé the favor of lying with every obiní🔒 The Notebook 8Obatalá's war with the rabbit (Samba)🔒 The Notebook 9The rabbit saved Orunmila and Obatalá🔒 The Notebook 10The snake Teremhako, the mouse and the rat🔒 The Notebook 11The hen and the cockroach🔒 The Notebook 12The monkey hunter on Holy Thursday🔒 The Notebook 13The three forces🔒 The Notebook 14The use of jet stone against the evil eye is born (Shangó and Elegbá)🔒 The Notebook 15Elegbá came down with gout🔒 The Notebook 16The ounko in the brush🔒 The Notebook 17The rats and the mice🔒 The Notebook 18The foreigner, king of Bauchi🔒 The Notebook 19The foreigner's lawsuit🔒 The Notebook 20The one who saved his people🔒 The Notebook 21The osobo of speaking badly of your godfather🔒 The Notebook 22The witch of the crag🔒 The Notebook 23The blunt ones and the knives🔒 The Notebook 24The theft of the brains🔒 The Notebook 25The beheading of Ofún Kana🔒 The Notebook 26It is better to obey a beast than a tyrant🔒 The Notebook

23 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 Ofún Kána in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Ofún Kána

What does the Odù Ofún Kána mean in Ifá?

Where jet stone was born, which cuts the evil eye: the rat and the mouse do not keep company, and a man cannot live alone — he needs his wife.

What number is Ofún Kána among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Ofún Kána is Odù number 249 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Ofun family.

Which orishas speak in Ofún Kána?

In the Odù Ofún Kána these orishas speak: Babalú Ayé (Oluopopó), Obatalá, Oshún, Elegbá, Shangó, Olofin.

What is a proverb of the Odù Ofún Kána?

One of the proverbs of Ofún Kána says: «Nothing has ever been written about cowards.».

Unlock the 256 Odù See all the Odù See something to correct? Write to us with your source

← Ofún Susú Index Ofún Fundá →