Ojuani Kana

Ikú had condemned a man, but before going for him he wanted to see Orunmila. In the osode, Orunmila saw this Ifá and warned him that he must make an ebbó, or his blow would be lost in emptiness. Ikú, proud, asked himself with scorn why he should make an ebbó, and left without doing anything.

He reached the condemned man and threw his blow, but found nowhere to land: the man had enormous luck and was saved from dying.

For this reason it is advised to make an ebbó, so that one’s own efforts are not lost in emptiness. Whoever avoids it will see no results in what they undertake. If it happened to death itself, it can happen to anyone.

An Awó was going through a terrible situation and consulted Orunmila. In the consultation this odu appeared, and Ifá told him to make an ebbó with a rooster, a cowbell and a horned goat. The goat’s head had to go inside the ebbó, and he himself had to carry it outside the town.

Once the ebbó was prepared, the Awó, who loved parties, did not want to miss the one held that day and gave the task to his son. It was just the day before the festival of a circus with numerous wild animals, which went along the streets to announce themselves and then stayed in a place open to the public.

The son stopped to watch the animals. He thought it made no difference where he left the ebbó and put it on top of one of the cages. Some curious people saw him do it.

The next morning, the smell of the ebbó had the animals restless. The king’s son was walking around the place, accompanied, to see the animals. A vulture tried to snatch the ebbó, knocked it down, and the package fell on the prince. Worse still, the horns of the goat’s head stuck into him and he was left in serious condition.

The king ordered an investigation and it was concluded that the fault lay with the boy who left the package there. The curious people had told who it was, and the king had him arrested. Then he sent for the Awó, the boy’s father, and warned him that if his son died, he would have the boy killed.

The Awó went to Orunmila again, who pointed out that everything had happened because of his irresponsibility. He had to make the ebbó again and leave it, with his own hand, beside a tree. He did so, and the prince improved in an amazing way. The king wanted to know how he had done it, and the Awó answered that it was thanks to the ebbó.

The king had another sick son and promised a great fortune in return for curing him. Once again the Awó asked Orunmila for advice, who assured him that the ebbó would solve the case. He carried it out, the king’s second son recovered, and from then on the Awó lived happily.

Ikú Makuao, who is also called Ojuani Pokón Ikú Makuao, had Ikú as her son. No shadow in the world surpassed hers. She dwelt in Lerei Yeye, where all the osobos came to join her: Arun, Ofo, Eyo, Iña and the misfortunes that enemies send. With her they traveled land after land, making more and more uproar. Some children of the earth managed to hide; most did not have time. Ikú Makuao advanced singing while the osobos danced around her.

Obatalá laid the matter before Olofin: it was urgent to stop her before her power grew. However, whatever they said was heard by some osobo, and on learning of it Ikú Makuao changed her plan and sent a different osobo to that land.

In one of the threatened lands resided an Awó named Abebe Orun. Seeing that almost nothing still stood, he went full of fear to look for Obatalá. Obatalá spoke to him plainly: they had tried everything and yet she grew stronger every day; if she continued, nothing would be left. Tears rose in the Awó's eyes. Obatalá then said that the only salvation was Orunmila, and that to reach him safely they had to cover head and body with black cloth and the face with white cloth. Right there they gathered three pashanes. Obatalá struck them against the ground with force while Abebe Orun sang, and the places they left behind grew clear.

Orunmila was also afraid. He cast the ókpele and Ojuani Pokón came out; with that he announced that the consultation was for Ikú Makuao. He explained that he had to perform a great work and that they had to stay seven days in his house, without even looking out at the door. The ceremony was done with a black hen and a young rooster that was also black, in addition to the cloths they were wearing. Since the two visitors could not make out anything, they came to believe nothing was being done. Meanwhile Ikú Makuao came along the road, dancing and ringing her bell.

As soon as the seven full days had passed, Abebe Orun ran out into the street. Ikú Makuao seized him and was already putting him into the kutún when Orunmila arrived in haste. He emptied over the kutún the hen with a lot of palm oil and the young rooster with aguardiente, together with the white and black cloths, the pashanes, the cocoa butter and the cascarilla. Then he ordered Ikú Makuao and the osobos to put their hands on the ground and cover the kutún. He proposed a pact to them: they must eat what he offered them, which was very tasty, and in return, whenever he performed that operation for the children of the earth, they would withdraw so that the land could prosper. They ate with pleasure, kissed the ground and closed the kutún amid songs. So ended the terror that Ikú Makuao had sown: the lands cleared, and their children progressed and lived longer.