Okana Kuña

nº 129 of 256

The creation of the earth: Orunmila spread it over the water and the world grew out from Ilé Ifé — and here the Rainbow was born.

21 patakíes 5 eewó 9 ebbós and works 18 proverbs

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Okana Kuña is Odù number 129 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Okana family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 21 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 9 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 129 of 256
Composition: Okana over Ogunda
In the Diloggún: 1-3 · Okana tonti Ogundá
Orishas that speak: Ogún · Obatalá · Shangó · Oyá · Eshu (Alayiki) · Eziza (Ajija) · Abita

What Ifá says in this sign

Okana Kuña is the record of the creation: Orunmila came down with the snail shell, spread the net over the water, scattered the earth and let the five-toed hen loose — «may it spread out quickly» — and the world grew out from Ilé Ifé. This is a good time for new business — begun with caution.

Your weapon and your risk are the same thing: you have fire in your mouth — if they let you speak, nobody can kill you; but through that same mouth they can kill you: watch how you speak, do not raise your hand, and no stones, no bars, no weapons — the big trouble in this odu starts with an attack you make.

«May it spread out quickly — said Orunmila, and the world grew: Okana Kuña carries that seed.»The pulse of Okana Kuña

Its theology is practical: here it was born that when there are no means for an expensive sacrifice, you improvise with whatever is within reach — faith is worth more than the budget; and great faith in Elegba to get things solved was born here. So was the duty to teach: the Awó teaches whoever does not know — the knowledge in this odu is paid for by passing it on.

The things to watch: the family's kimbisa background calls for a decision — a believer in your own way is not a believer —; be careful of ending up unable to walk in the end (that is why the work is done in time), of the theft of things of value, and, for the woman, of abortions brought on by doubts: this odu marks them as her inward wound. Do not rest on your laurels: whoever works their Ifá or their profession climbs to the top — and success will manufacture enemies for you: that is the sign you are doing well.

The heavenly bodies speak here — the Sun, the Moon and the Rainbow, which was born in this odu: cool the earth and give them their saraekó. A marriage is coming from outside: a woman from another city for him, a foreigner for her; and the pregnant woman will give birth safely after the ebbó of the six colored birds. The world exists: existence ahead, existence behind — and you, creating like your sign

The sign in one line

Cool the fire in your mouth, improvise the sacrifice if you have to and teach whoever does not know — the world of Okana Kuña spreads out for whoever works.

The prayer of Okana Kuña · Yoruba

Okana Kuña shukudu olo dide abashe kueredi irawo shasha Awó ile pampa eyelé lebó, ashó fun fun, abó, omo ofun iña, owó la meyo kaferefun Ogún ati Obatalá.

Ifá says — what Okana Kuña tells you

The Ifá of the creation of the earth: Orunmila was the one who created it and the first to set foot on it — «the world exists: existence ahead, existence behind». The Ifá of the heavenly bodies: the Sun, the Moon and the Rainbow speak — ceremonies are made for them, they are given saraekó, and the earth is cooled. The Ifá of the one who improvises: when the client has no means for expensive sacrifices, the Awó improvises with whatever is within reach (aseboru) — that is how this Odù became effective on earth. An Ifá of prison and chains, of war and of things falling apart: Ogún tied Shangó with a chain, and the fire melted it.
You have a kimbisa background in the family; you are a believer in your own way; you end your life unable to walk — be careful of ending up unable to walk.
You have fire in your mouth: if they let you speak, nobody can kill you — watch how you speak so it does not cost you, because through your mouth they can kill you.
The woman should be careful about having two husbands at once, and she is someone who takes her pleasures to extremes.
It marks a mother and child left with nothing, because the man leaves and then dies — like the girl and the prince's son.
Be careful of theft by intruders, and of the theft of things of value.
It marks illness from the throat to the stomach, constipation, the nervous system, death by poison, illnesses of the head and operations; the woman is ill inside from abortions brought on by doubts about who the father was.
The Awó should work Ifá or his profession and not rest on his laurels, in order to climb to the top of prosperity.
Success in everything you do will make you enemies.
A woman who is not from your city will come to marry you; for the woman, a foreigner will propose marriage.
The woman is pregnant and will give birth safely after making ebbó with six colored birds.
Be careful blood is not spilled in your house: the law is bound to come — do not raise your hand.
You lost a piece of jewelry and it has turned up somewhere else, and when you claim it they will insult you.
You have to be careful your wife's good name is not ruined, and not to be so demanding.
Your situation will get worse from not believing in Orunmila, or in Shangó as your Guardian Angel.
You want something impossible, and you want a binding done quickly: that is why you have moved over to kimbisa, but you have seen nothing.
Be careful with knives or guns, with stones or metal bars: do not use one of them to attack someone — you will land yourself in serious trouble.
You should have your head prayed over right away and ask Shangó what he wants to eat.
There is a great deal of envy on you, and the Awó has to teach whoever does not know.

Proverbs of Okana Kuña · Òwe

“Fire melts the chain.”
“Black fades and white gets dirty.”
“Success breeds enemies.”
“The woodpecker is the sculptor of all the birds.”
“Gray hair makes its home on an old man's head.”
“The powerful one enjoys the world.”
“Fire does not melt fire, but it melts metal.”
“The good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren; the wicked one piles up what will belong to the just.”
“The glutton cannot fight with the cook.”
“The stars give tendencies; the orishas give orders.”
“The angry earth throws up lava; the angry man throws up blood.”
“An enemy stays an enemy even after death.”
“No nation prospers at war with another.”
“You have to make the best of it.”
“Whoever corrects their child does so because they love them.”
“There is no worse wedge than one cut from the same tree.”
“You have to carry two sacks: one for giving and one for receiving.”
“The wise man builds his house; the fool tears it down.”

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

Iré and Osogbo

5 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 Okana Kuña · Ìbí

Feeding the drains and the rubbish.
That with no means for the sacrifice, you improvise with other things.
A chick for the blood and the feathers of the birds called for, or the bones of the animals from the daily food.
The Awó teaching whoever does not know.
The instinct for survival.
Great faith in Elegba to get things solved.
The guard of honor at the prince's coffin.
Agbalumo (the cherry), and the Rainbow.
Giving crocodile to the head and to Ifá.
That God gave the ashé for predicting truths.
The priest of the oracle sacrificed white cloth, opa atori, cascarilla, white kola nut and parrot feathers.
That the horse yawns over and over because it is calling its rider.
Ifá is calling the Awó to work: do not turn your back on your Ifá.
That Okana Kuña sets down the creation of the earth, and that battles can bring wealth and honor.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not say what you should not say.
You have fire in your mouth, and through your mouth they can kill you.
Do not use bladed weapons or firearms, stones or iron rods to attack anyone.
You will find yourself in big trouble with the law.
Do not doubt the word of Orunmila or of your father Shangó.
The man who doubted saw the lightning bolt fall in front of him — and only then did his luck change.
A woman must not have two husbands in the same house.
Do not neglect your Ifá.
The horse that yawns is calling its rider: Ifá calls the Awó to work.

Ebbós of Okana Kuña · The sacrifices that open the road

HealthThe washing of the head🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesThe ebbó of the chain and the fire🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesThe ebbó of the snare🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe ebbó of the instinct for survival🔒 The Notebook LoveThe ebbó of the thunderstone🔒 The Notebook MoneyThe ebbó of strength🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Okana Kuña · The workings of the sign

SpiritualThe saraekó of the heavenly bodies🔒 The Notebook Beating enemiesOshún's honey for Eshu🔒 The Notebook HealthThe turtle at the door🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Okana Kuña · The roads of the Odù

1The goat and the divinities' cherries

The three Awoses read in heaven for the 480 animals and the 480 divinities: four roosters and cherries each, to avoid the risk of hunger. The divinities sacrificed; the animals refused. Hunger came: God gave the divinities cherry seeds, Eshu poured air and water on them, and in seventy days they were eating the fruit. The goat, passing the tree, carried fruit off for his family and got into the habit of coming back every morning — until the divinities set traps: caught, every divinity fouled the air around his head and the toxic gas killed him; Eshu offered to eat him. That is why goats' heads smell bad, and why goat is Eshu's favorite food to this day.

Three Awoses divined in heaven for the 480 animals and for the 480 divinities: the priest who reads Ifá by twenty roads, the one who reads it by thirty, and the leaves of agboyin, so countless that the children of the bush never found their number. The warning was the same for all: sacrifice, or hunger would reach them. Each one was to give four roosters and cherries (agbalumo). The divinities obeyed; the animals did not. Hunger did come to heaven and nobody could find anything to eat. The divinities went to God, who gave them cherry seeds, and they planted them right there. Eshu poured air and water over them; in three days they sprouted, in ten they were already carrying fruit and by seventy the harvest was ready. Then the divinities began to eat.

The goat came by there and found the ripe cherries scattered on the ground under the tree. He took all he could carry for his family and made a habit of coming back every morning. The divinities soon noticed that someone was picking fruit without permission, and they answered by setting traps at the foot of the tree. On his next visit the goat fell into one and started shouting for help. When they found him, each divinity set to fouling the air next to his head, and that toxic gas finished him off. When they asked who would eat the guilty one, Eshu offered on his own and carried off the body. From those two events come the bad smell of the goat's head and its being Eshu's favorite food to this day. In an ordinary reading: sacrifice with a goat and a dark soap — with the blood and the soap the person's head is washed before Eshu's altar, against a sickness of the head. If the reading is for a community: sacrifice to free it from that year's austerity.

2The Awó who improvised sacrifices

Before coming down he served Ogún with palm wine, a rooster, a dog and a turtle — so as not to die at his hands —, Eshu with a goat, and his head and his Ifá with a crocodile. On earth the elder Awoses took no notice of him, until his readings proved effective. He did what Orunmila expected of his followers: when a client could not afford expensive sacrifices, he improvised with whatever was within reach — a chick for the blood and the feathers, the bones of the animals eaten daily. People came in crowds, and envy came with them: the priests of Ogún took up arms. He repeated the sacrifice — a dog, a rooster, a turtle and palm wine to Ogún, a goat to Eshu, a crocodile to Ifá — and his enemies left him alone: he went on enjoying the people's praise, and was very prosperous.

Before leaving heaven he got a reading, and the warning was to serve Ogún — palm wine, a rooster, a dog and also a turtle — so that Ogún would not kill him on earth; Eshu was to get a goat, and his head and his Ifá, a crocodile. He did all of it, received God's blessings and came down to the world.

When he arrived, the old Awoses did not even look at him. Only when they saw that his readings and his sacrifices worked did they take notice of him. He did what Orunmila wanted from his own: for the client without the means for an expensive sacrifice, it had to be solved with what he could afford (aseboru). If the ebbó called for a guinea hen, a hen, a rooster and doves, a she-goat or else a ram, he would ask whether it could be changed: a chicken that would give the blood and the feathers of the birds required, or bones of the animals killed every day for food. People flocked to him, and with them came the envy of the other priests.

In the priests' meetings they made fun of him and looked down on him often, and Ogún's people took up arms against him. He got another reading: a dog, a rooster, a turtle and palm wine for Ogún, a goat for Eshu and a crocodile for Ifá. He made the sacrifice and the enemies left him alone; he went on enjoying people's applause for how well his work turned out, and he prospered a lot. In Igbodu: prepare your own Ogún, so that nobody can harm you with it; things will go well for you in any work you take on, though that same success will make you enemies. In an ordinary reading: have your own Ifá and Ogún, or serve Ifá with a crocodile and give Eshu a goat.

3Ogún, everyone's servant, and the ashé of the oracle

Before leaving heaven, he read for Ogún: a feast for his Guardian Angel with fourteen different birds and animals, and a goat to Eshu, so as not to become everyone's servant. He refused — and that is why Ogún became the unappreciated servant of every divinity and of men. He also read for the priest of the oracle: white cloth, opa atori, cascarilla, white kola nut and parrot feathers to God. He sacrificed — and God gave him the instrument of authority (ashé) so that every prediction of his would be true: that explains his popularity when he reached the world.

Before leaving heaven he gave Ogún a reading and set a warning in front of him: to offer his Guardian Angel a feast of fourteen birds and animals, all of them different, plus a goat for Eshu, if he did not want to end up a servant to everyone. Ogún did not make the sacrifice, and that is why he is a servant whom neither the divinities nor men thank for anything.

He gave the oracle priest a reading too, and told him to offer God white cloth, opa atori (squirrel stick), cascarilla, white kolanut and parrot feathers. This one did comply, and God gave him in return the instrument of authority (ashé): whatever he announced would come true. That is why he came into the world with so much fame. He who sacrifices speaks with authority; he who refuses, serves without grace.

4The three priests of the nicknames🔒 The Notebook 5The horse that yawns🔒 The Notebook 6Eshi in Oyó🔒 The Notebook 7Eziza, the divinity of the wind🔒 The Notebook 8Babara the father and Babara the son🔒 The Notebook 9The snail shell🔒 The Notebook 10Ogun-Gbemi: the powerful one enjoys the world🔒 The Notebook 11Ogún tied Shangó up🔒 The Notebook 12The cat, the hen and Obatalá🔒 The Notebook 13Where Oyá saved Shangó🔒 The Notebook 14The instinct for survival🔒 The Notebook 15The son who doubted Shangó🔒 The Notebook 16The son who met his dead father🔒 The Notebook 17The wedge and the tree🔒 The Notebook 18The cloth, the colt and the staff🔒 The Notebook 19The quarrel between the stone and the bamboo🔒 The Notebook 20The respect of the town🔒 The Notebook 21The ruined garden🔒 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 Okana Kuña in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Okana Kuña

What does the Odù Okana Kuña mean in Ifá?

The creation of the earth: Orunmila spread it over the water and the world grew out from Ilé Ifé — and here the Rainbow was born.

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

Okana Kuña is Odù number 129 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Okana family.

Which orishas speak in Okana Kuña?

In the Odù Okana Kuña these orishas speak: Ogún, Obatalá, Shangó, Oyá, Eshu (Alayiki), Eziza (Ajija), Abita.

What is a proverb of the Odù Okana Kuña?

One of the proverbs of Okana Kuña says: «Fire melts the chain.».

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