This is the story of when the tortoise (ayapá) wanted to rule the world. She lived in a land where she wanted to resemble the serpent and receive from everyone the moforibale, the greeting of respect. She thought about how to achieve it and concluded that if she gathered everyone's brains and kept them in her power, she would be the wise one and everyone would come before her.
She got a dry calabash, a güiro, and a cord, and hung it around her neck. She went about the place and from each person she met she took the brain and kept it in the güiro. When it was full, she wanted to hide it where nobody could see it and chose the top of a palm tree. She began to climb at once, but she could not get up, because the güiro at her neck prevented it and she did not notice. She kept scratching at the trunk, and all she managed was to sweat and tire herself out.
A boy was watching her and advised her to move the güiro onto her back, because that way she could climb. The tortoise understood that the boy was right and became very annoyed: she thought that there was still someone who knew more than she did, and a child at that. Furious, she threw down the güiro and left.
The boy picked it up and discovered that it held people's brains. He wondered what to do and concluded that only Orunmila could fix this, so he ran to his house. Orunmila consulted the oracle for him and this Ifá came out. He ordered him to go out and give back the brain to each person who had lost one, but with great care not to get confused.
The boy went to carry out the task. To each person without a brain he took one out of the güiro and put it in, without realizing that he was putting them in the wrong places. He swapped those of men and women, and also those of girls and adults.
For this reason, according to this path, inverted people are born: people with the brain exchanged, adults who think like children and children who think like adults.
Whoever tries to pass for wise at the expense of other people's judgment only sows disorder. Wounded pride does not repair the damage, and what is handed out in haste and without care ends up swapped.
Tortoise, rooster, a güiro, earth from the palm tree, coconut, candle, hutia, fish, awadó, honey, malaguidí sarako, and a lot of money.
Osain must be received. This Ifá speaks of people with the brain exchanged: adults who think like children and children who think like adults.