chapter two

Hidden Power
`s ` O .un, the Seventeenth Odu .
Rowland Abiodun

`s `s ` yo `ju ro in Ekiti, from Ibadan in O to I ` mu in From O .ogbo in O .un State to Iko . . . diaspora in the Caribbean, ` ba Kwara State of Nigeria, and throughout the Yoru continue to venerate their most ` ba Latin America, and North America, the Yoru `s ` (deity), O ` r `s powerful female o .a .un. The images alluding to her presence and . power are as diverse as the people and the geographical locations where she is `s `s worshiped. Thus, the denition of O .uns identity extends beyond O .ogbo and . `s towns where she is believed to have turned into the O ` ba many Yoru .un River, . `s and where festivals are held in her honor annually. Equally complex is O .uns . personality, which has largely been constructed according to her worshipers differing needs and spiritual goals. Be that as it may, there are a few generally held `s beliefs about O .un, namely, that she embodies the very substance of the water . ` [to beg]), she ` , (a noun formed from the verb be ` be we drink; with her fan, abe . . . begs the air we breathe, she cools and puries it, neutralizing its negative contents; and, by virtue of her profession as the foremost hair-plaiting expert in ` in profound ` r `s mythology, she affects the destinies of all beings and the o ` ba Yoru .a ` k (praise citation) introduces her: ways. A well-known or
`s ` ge ` s `e , O . . .un, S . .e . ` iyu ` ya `n o Olo ` Odo ` bu mo On Adagbade . le ` d ` ko `bo `E ` tu `E tu Ele ` da ` mu da mu `nrin gba ` , Obinrin gba Ob le ` mu. (O `nrin t `s gbe ko gba Ob . . .ee . . pe Onabajo, personal communication, 1985) `s O .un, (embodiment of grace and beauty) . The preeminent hair-plaiter with the coralbeaded comb Powerful controller of the estuary ` ko (the City of Lagos) Propitiator-in-chief of E A corpulent woman Who cannot be embraced around the waist.

Besides adding to the power and beauty of the human face and the head art, hair-plaiting carries ` ba which is the focus of much aesthetic interest in Yoru tradition. The hair-plaiter (hair` ba an important religious signicance in Yoru (or -inu ), the inner head, dresser) is seen as one who honors and beauties or

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the divinity of the head. Ones head is also taken to be the visible representation of ones destiny and the essence of ones personality.1 Hair-plaiting is thus highly will, to some extent, depend on how well its physical regarded, as a good or ` ba counterpart has been treated. It is also primarily for this reason that most Yoru will be reluctant to haggle over the charges of a hair-plaiter or hairdresser.2 `s It should not be surprising that O .un, the preeminent hair-plaiter with the . coral-beaded comb is believed to have the power to inuence the destinies of `s ` , and that O ` r `s men, women, and the o .a .uns presence is crucial to the sustenance . `, of life and order on earth. Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Ife . , have revealed several terra-cotta heads of women ` ba ancestral home of the Yoru with elaborate coiffures which date to the eleventh and twelfth centuries. While we may never be able to determine the identities of the women portrayed, we can, at least, assume that religio-aesthetic notions similar to those narrated in the `s literary corpus about O Ifa .un might have informed the creation of these terra. ` we we cotta sculptures. The persistence of certain hairstyles, particularly the o . . . kun grove,3 which is found on at least one ancient terra-cotta head from the Olo ` to `n ` ro `E ` po and its recurrence, with only very slight modication, in the O . pa mask ` s aye ` of Ike ` rin in 1976 is noteworthy (g. 2.1). ku ` Ala carved by Fa . Still treasuring the important heritage of hair-plaiting and hairdressing, ` wo r ` society in O ` spend hours and sometimes `s women members of the Yeye Olo .a . . ` ro go festival to honor O ` n, days styling their hair elegantly for the annual Igo . ns .e . . ` `another important female deity who was the legendary wife of O . Re . . wo . lo ` ` nge ` n, O ` s ruler. For Yeye Olo r ` , who are a highly respected group of `s nre . . nje . . .a . wo women, their coiffure is not considered complete without the insertion of ornate brass and, in recent times, plastic combs which hold up bright red parrot feathers (g. 2.2). Wearing their ritual costumes, these women create their own aesthetic go festival, magically atmosphere at the peak of their performance in the Igo charging it with their bird (e . ye . ) power. It is believed that this bird power has `s a .e . (life force, authority, or voiced power to make something happen) that enables women to accomplish whatever they wish. It is probably because of this r ` as they believe `s power also that men are afraid to move too close to Yeye Olo .a that they may lose their sexual potency. It is interesting that the red parrot feather which is on this occasion believed to possess the magical power to alter the nature of persons and objects, is also prohibited on the blacksmiths premises lest his metals change their chemical properties.4 The overall welfare and prosperity of the town appear to rest with the Yeye r ` . All visual evidence points to their inuence and power. Male chiefs in`s Olo .a ` wo wo ` , the ruler of O ` , also plait their hair to respect and acknowlcluding the O . . . . lo . ` ro ` n. Depending on their status, chiefs edge the authority of the goddess O . ns .e . . may insert one, two, or three red parrot feathers in their plaited hair with or with wo ` may add two long white egret feathers to distinout the brass comb. The O . . . lo ` wo ` (g. 2.3a and 2.3b). guish him as the Oba (ruler) of O . .

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`s o . . un across the waters

` to `ke `n ` ro `, E s aye ` of I ` rin, 1976. ` po ku ` Ala 2.1 O . pa mask by Fa .

Photo by Rowland Abiodun.

Hidden Power

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` wo r ` , a ranking priestess during the Igo go festival in O ` , 1976. `s 2.2 Yeye Olo .a . .

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`s o . . un across the waters

` gu ` II, O wo ` of noye 2.3a O . . . ba O . lo ` ` with plaited hair, wearing a O . . wo ` kato ` (criss-crossed pair of pa beaded bands across his chest), ` bo ` lu ` n (big, white skirt) ku and a go festival, 1974. during the Igo
Photo by Rowland Abiodun.

2.3b Ranking male chiefs with go festival plaited hair at the Igo ` wo ` , 1974. in O . .
Photo by Rowland Abiodun.

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`s ` wo ` , and I am not suggesting here Even though O .un is not worshiped in O . . . ` ` ` , there are many aspects of the Igo ` r `s ` n and O go that O . ns .e . .a .un are the same o . ro .s `s wo ` festival which remind one of O .un. The blouse and big skirt worn by the O . . . . lo and his chiefs during this festival are unmistakably feminine. The skirt, called ` wo ` bo ` lu ` n in O ` , is very close to what Yoru descendants still wear in the New ku ` ba a . . World, namely Brazil and Cuba, to mark themselves as high priestesses of several `s ` including O ` r `s o .a .un. The exact signicance of this very imposing skirt was not . revealed to me, but in the context of use, it certainly creates an aura of majesty, power, afuence, and plenitude through its arresting whiteness and volume. wo ` s role and function during this festival resembles that of Indeed, the O . . . lo `s O .un. He is regarded as the source, and the one who sustains the communitys . peace and prosperity. He asserts this role ritually, dramatically, and choreographi go festival. Combining the dignity and color of the elaborate cally during the Igo ` bo ` lu ` n costume with the penetrating metal-gong agogo music to which he ku a wo ` effectively moves the hearts dances in graceful wave-like movements, the O . . . lo and bodies of his subjects. And in response to his body movement in the impos` bo ` lu ` n, the crowd cheers their ruler with praises such as: ku ing a
` ra gba r `gb ` Okun a ` gho ` ka ` ta ` - bor le ` ma ` la O A . . . ` ge ` `o ` -to `o ` so to ` de O . . . . . . . The mighty, expansive ocean ` wo ` The great, wide umbrella-like shelter of O . . The prolic banana tree which bears much fruit

In the above praises, the use of the water imagery, namely, the mighty, expan` wo ` has no bodies of water that can be described sive ocean, is intriguing since O . . ` ` n was not a water deity. This leads one to speculate on how as such, and O . ns .e . . ro `s com` ba attributes usually associated with O .un have been adopted by other Yoru . `s munities located outside of those areas where O .un is now actively worshiped. It . is, of course, also possible that there may have existed a more ancient set of fe`s male-related attributes from which even O .uns identity might have been con. structed. This latter suggestion seems quite plausible, when we consider the range of similarities in costume, coiffure, choreography, use of birds feathers `s go and O (especially the red parrot tail feathers), and fans in the Igo .un festivals. . ` bo ` lu `n ku When we try to search for the meaning and signicance of the a ` odu ` s Igo go festival, we nd that the igba ` , a special wooden bowl, used in O . . wo priests,5 provides us to store sacred divination items during the initiation of Ifa ` bo ` lu `n ku with useful clues. This wooden bowl-with-lid echoes the shape of a when worn while also conveying a strong visual sense of protection and stability. Carved to look like a female gure, the body is made up of top and bottom divination objects halves. This bowl-like container is retainer and shelter of Ifa as well as ikin, the sixteen sacred palm nuts symbolically representing the sixteen ` , all male, and a seventeenth small ivory object called olo r -ikin principal Odu ` r -ikin reminds us of O ` (The principal ikin). This olo .un, the seventeenth Odu .s

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`s o . . un across the waters

` rested. With both arms with whom the destinies of the remaining sixteen Odu spread out and hands resting on a relatively large and pregnant-looking belly, the odu ` radiates a commanding presence and an unmistakable female authority igba whose inuence is felt by all. `s ` ) in Yoru ` r `s ` (or o ` ba For a clearer picture of the role of O .a .un among the Odu . thought, and her indispensability to successful and harmonious political, eco divination nomic, religious, and social life, we shall consider the following Ifa original):6 ` ba verse (see appendix following this chapter for the Yoru
` It was divined for the sixteen Odu Who were coming from heaven to earth A woman was the seventeenth of them. When they got to earth, `, They cleared the grove for Oro ` had his own space. Oro They cleared the grove for O . pa, O . pas abode was secure. gu n, They prepared a grove for Ee gu n had a home. Ee `s But they made no provision for O .un, . `e ` ge ` s , the preeminent hair-plaiter with the coral-beaded comb. Also known as S . . . .e So, she decided to wait and see How they would carry out their mission successfully; `s O .un sat quietly and watched them. . ` ye ` ji `-Ogbe ` and O ` ku j me `, Beginning with E . . ` ` ` r j j ` su j me `, Odi me `, Iro ` n me ` Iwo ` wo ` ba ` ka ` nr j ` ra ` me j ` nra ` n me j n me `, O `, O `, O . . . ` ` ` ` n-da, Osa, O ` and so on, Ogu . rangun mej `s They all decided not to countenance O .un in their mission. . She, too, kept mute, And carried on her rightful duty, Which is hair-plaiting. She had a comb. ` je . They never knew she was an a When they were coming from heaven, God chose all good things; He also chose their keeper, And this was a woman. ` je . All women are a `s ` left O And because all other Odu .un out, . Nothing they did was successful. gu ns grove and pleaded with him, They went to Ee That their mission be crowned with success. gu n, it is you who straightens the four corners of the world, Ee Let all be straight. ` da ` jo ` gba `O ` mu ` They went to A ` Who is called Oro

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Hidden Power You are the only one who frightens Death and Sickness. Please help drive them away. Healing failed to take place; Instead epidemic festered. ` se and begged him They went to O . . To let the rain fall. Rain didnt fall. `s Then they went to O .un . ` O .un received them warmly, .s And entertained them, `s But shame would not let them conde in O .un, . Whom they had ignored. They then headed for heaven du `, ` mare And made straight for Olo Who asked why they came They said it was about their mission on earth. When they left heaven, And arrived on earth All things went well; Then later things turned for the worse, Nothing was successful. du ` asked ` mare And Olo How many of you are here? They answered, Sixteen. He also asked, When you were leaving heaven, how many were you? They answered, Seventeen. du ` said, You are all intriguers. ` mare And Olo That one you left behind If you do not bring her here, There will be no solution to your problem. If you continue this way, You will always fail. `s They then returned to O .un, . And addressed her, Mother, the preeminent hair-plaiter with the coral-beaded comb. We have been to the Creator `s ` were derived from you [O And it was there we discovered that all Odu .un], . And that our suffering would continue `s If we failed to recognize and obey you [O .un]. . So, on their return to the earth from the Creator, `s ` wanted to pacify and please O All the remaining Odu .un. . ` But O .un would not go out with them. .s The baby she was expecting might go out with them, But even that would depend on the gender of the baby For she said that if the baby she was expecting Turned out to be male, It is that male child who would go out with them

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`s o . . un across the waters But if the baby turned out to be female, `s She [O .un] would have nothing to do with them. . ` ] had eaten and enjoyed without her, She said she knew of all they [the Odu Particularly all the delicacies and he-goat they ate. `s As O .un was about to curse them all, . ` covered her mouth O . . se ` started praying And the remaining Odu `s That O .un might deliver a male child. . They then started to beg her. `s When O .un delivered . She had a baby boy ` se . ra Whom they named O . -Tu .

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` se wo (the priests of Ifa ), this baby boy among babala ra Though known as O . tu . ` ` .7 Moth` r `s ` , the one who approves of, and bears sacrices to, the o is, in fact, Es .a .u `s ` is not just the ered by the most powerful and inuential female divinity, E .u provocateur par excellence, but the embodiment of the element of the possibility world. The hook-like dance staff worn on the right ` ba of uncertainty in the Yoru `s ` who ` as the o ` r `s k ` s devotees is Janus-faced, recalling his or shoulder by E .a .u ` tu ` s ` la ` n s belongs to opposing camps without having any feeling of shame (a . so .o . ni tiju). Some scholars have read the hook part of the staff as his long hair, seeing `s ` s libidinous energy, aggression, and unrestrained sexuality. it as evidence of E .u `s `, a k ` s own or While this interpretation may be supported to some extent by E .u ` more convincing explanation might be found in O .uns profession as hair-plaiter, .s `s -inu (ori ). Be that as it may, E ` s indispensability and her apparent link with or .u ` pantheon is a concrete reminder of O ` ba in the Yoru .uns presence and power in .s the earthly and spiritual realms. In the divination verse above, the Creator-God has placed all the good things `s on earth in O .uns charge, making her the vital source as her name suggests. . `s Without O .uns sanction, no healing can take place, no rain can fall, no plants . ` ` r `s can bear fruit, and no children can come into the world. Granted that every o .a `s `s `s must have their own a .e . , one must wonder about O .e . .uns seemingly superior a . ` . Alternatively, it is ` r `s that was able to counteract the activities of her fellow o .a ` is inherently different from the male `s ` r `s conceivable that the a .a .e . of female o ` , and perhaps even antagonistic when they compete, with one (presumably, ` r `s o .a `s `s the female a .e . ), as appears to be the .e . ) neutralizing the other (that is, the male a case in this story. `s tradition that O ` ba There are a few hints in Yoru .uns gender, especially as the . ` ` r `s only female o .a of the seventeen that came to the earth at creation, must have had much to do with her power and inuence. It is, for example, considered good luck if ones rst child is female. Such parents are believed to start with o . wo . 8 ` ro ` , the hand of propitiation, perhaps better translated as the cool hand of e . . propitiation which ensures ease and success in any undertaking. For related reasons, perhaps, parents frown on prolonged bachelorhood. Even though they realize how difcult it is to sustain a marriage, parents, nevertheless, press their

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sons to get married because they believe that a mans successful life cannot really ` se verse from O points to this belief: ra start until he has a wife or wives. This Ifa . tu .
` ke sa n `n `nrin ko `s ob da la A .e e . ke sa n, enu ni a da la B yo . ni ` `n ` ra `n n e , a o N . jo . ` n ` ko `a ` lo `nrin b E to ` lo wo ko ka lor so n gba o O . ku . ja . `n a `s ` ` ra s o K .e . .eju ` ra `n a `s ko . (Ogunbo O .es .a . . wale 1966: 1) . Having no wife calls for positive action To keep quiet is to invite trouble and inconveniences Having a wife is as difcult as having none One without a wife Should cry and weep publicly in the marketplace It is neither an extreme action Nor an overreaction.

tradition, women are ` ba From the above verse, it would appear that in Yoru ` ` or odu ` r `s ` thought to be indispensable to men as O .a .un was to the sixteen male o .s at the time of creation. Disguised here, however, is the ambivalent attitude of `s men toward women. This can be attributed to the belief that, like O .un, women . ` je who possess e of any age are potential a . . ye . , the bird power. The fear of this extraordinary power has caused men to appease women as they do our mothers `s ` wo ` ), a term used synonymously with a ` ro ` nga ` je but often incor(a ya wa O .n ` .o . rectly translated as witches. 9 Consequently, in many social, religious, and political gatherings, men endeavor to placate our mothers and to pray to them to use their powers for the good of society. As a divine ruler, O . na . ba William Adeto kingdom of Ila-Orangun, while referring to the ` ba Aye . ni in the northeastern Yoru cluster of birds on his great crown, is reported to have said, Without the mothers, I could not rule. 10 Even though much of the traditional political power in Yorubaland today oral traditions and visual art ` ba seems to be located in the domain of men, Yoru do not provide much authority for assuming that this has always been the case. ` , the progenitor ` du wa For example, we are not quite certain of the gender of Odu ` ` ba race, since we have as much evidence for considering Odu ` du wa of the Yoru 11 ` s gender will make ` du wa feminine as masculine. The indeterminacy of Odu `s ` who could not be ignored ` r `s more sense when we know more about O .a .un, the o . by her peers, and the echoes of whose multifarious dimensions of feminine power culture and society. ` ba and presence continue to reverberate in Yoru `da ` 12 from I ` nre ` in On State ` do ` du wa Looking at the purported crown of Odu s ` of Nigeria, we are immediately struck by its similarity to another crown from Ile .a `s in O .un State, worn by women as recently as twenty years ago (g. 2.4). The . `da ` nre ` crown, though ancient and simple in appearance, is essentially complete. I It is roughly conical in shape and has all the important attachments which aid its . ` ba identication as a truly authentic symbol of divine authority among the Yoru William Fagg describes the crown:
It . . . consists largely of strings of red beads which are mostly stone but may include some coral. It also includes a rather miscellaneous assortment of beads. . . . It (the crown) is not very much like the Benin coral and carnelian crowns, but does look

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`s o . . un across the waters

` for r a s s ` , taken before ` n (crown) in Ile ` wearing ade 2.4 Priestess of O .oku .a . wa 1960. Photo from the collection of Reverend Father T. M. Ilesanmi.

Hidden Power like the ancestor of the falling curtains of seed beads on the crowns of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. (Fagg 1980: 12)

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` for s ` is called ade a s ` n, and it is worn by the most The crown from Ile .oku .a r ruler of Ijeshaland, where `, the third or fourth O senior priestess of O . wa . wa 13 ` `, O was a warlike, tempera` du wa O .un still has very active devotees. Like Odu .s . wa `je ` for `s ` oral tradition. The a s `n mental, and very powerful ruler according to I .oku .a ` in many ways. It is ` du wa crown also resembles the purported crown of Odu possible that they may have functioned in similar contexts. ` for a s ` n and the purported crown of Odu ` possess the os ` , a ` du wa Both ade .oku .u tuft or a kind of medicinal package with magical power, attached or sewn to the crowns. 14 Sometimes concealed under heavily beaded decorations ` ba top of Yoru ` must never be opened nor its conor disguised as bird motifs on crowns, the os .u tents revealed to the wearer of the crown. The vitality, force, and authority of a divine king would seem to be closely connected with the magical ingredients in `. this os .u `bo ` ju crown, is present in ), which is an important part of the Yoru ` ba The veil ( `da ` nre ` and Ile s ` examples. Intended to hide the identity of the wearer who the I .a ` , a divinity, the ` r `s `bo ` ju of the is supposed to operate from the height of an o .a ` ` for a s ` n suggests how the Ida ` nre ` crown may have looked in actual use. ade .oku r ` holds a white horse-tail whisk in her right hand and a twoThe priestess of O . wa piece wand of ofce in her left. She wears several rows of tightly packed beaded necklaces, along with a long and expensive neck chain which hangs down well past her torso. Flanked on both sides by her women supporters, the priestess displays her symbols of authority, power, and inuence. The crown with the veil is the most important symbol and conveyor of divinity in the institution of obaship. It also downplays gender differences through visual word o ` ba means, just as the Yoru . ba, (ruler) is not gender specic and cannot be taken to mean only king as many researchers have erroneously assumed. In fact, the following traditional greeting for an o . ba is inclusive of both genders:
b ` s ye Ka s Ala .e . ` r ` keji `-O ` `s E .a Iku ` ba -Ye ` ye Ba One whose authority cannot be challenged `s Who is endowed with a .e . ` ` r `s And ranks only with the o .a Death, the embodiment of nality Ultimate Father-Mother

concept of divine leadership is ` ba The most important element in the Yoru 15 ` as .e . , the essence of which is the energy or life force needed to control the physical world as well as to activate, direct, and restructure social and political pro`s cesses. Thus, it would seem totally unreasonable to exclude O .un from the insti. ` `s tution of obaship. After all, O .uns a .e . can always be used to a rulers advantage .s `s in the event of a power tussle. O .un in this context, however, should be taken . as a metaphor for our mothers as well as for feminine power and presence in general.16

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-Ife ` , the sacred city of the From available archaeological nds mainly at Ile . , the recognition of the important role of women would appear to be of ` ba Yoru `ta Yemo `o , Ile -Ife ` , in 1957,17 as great antiquity. The brass gure pair found at I . well as other terra-cotta heads found in the same city, give some indication of the women in the pre-colonial era. In the brass pair, the slightly ` ba status of Yoru shorter gure with narrower shoulders appears to be the female. Her cloth wrapper is tied high enough on her torso to partially cover her breasts, which is in women still wear their wrapper when they do ` ba agreement with the way Yoru (blouse). Her shoulder sash, made of bead or cloth, hangs diago` ba not wear a bu nally across the main torso with the tied end resting on the left hip. This diagonal shoulder sash is a mark of the womans status and possibly an indication of her cult afliation. This interpretation makes sense when we look at the attire of a ` wo ris `a ` in O ` which is less than one hundred miles female cult called Yeye Olo . . . ` . Here the cult members wear a bright red diagonal shoulder sash across east of If e . their chests. The female brass gure is dressed like an important chieftain with all the regalia of ofce equal to that of her male counterpart. , another major Yoru town situated some forty-ve kilometers ` do ` ba In On `nrin (fe -If e ` , there is the O bu ` n, otherwise known as O southeast of Ile . . . ba Ob . lo male ruler) (g. 2.5), who is in charge of the market and plays an important role `s ` we (the male ruler) of in the installation rites and ceremonies of the O .ema . She wears two white egret feathers in addition to a red parrot feather like ` do On her male counterparts in Yorubaland. She carries a white horse-tail y whisk to mark her high status, and wears an immaculate white outt every day of her life. She wears red tubular coral beads around her neck, wrists, and ankles according tradition. When seated on her throne, the O bu ` do ` n always has on the to On . . lo ground before her a calabash container, on top of which stringed white cowrie aje (the calabash of wealth) symshells have been placed in a special order. Igba bu ` n as the Lord of the market and the controlbolizes the important ofce of O . . lo bu ` n passed away in ler of all commercial transactions (g. 2.6). Until the O . . lo 1980, she actually visited the market several times each month, touching impor -aje ` pa (the staff of tant market stalls and commercial establishments with her o . wealth), which is her staff of ofce. Such rounds are believed to boost trade and improve the communitys economic situation. that the rst traditional ruler was a woman named ` do It is still recalled in On bu pu ` pu . Today the O ` n and her female chiefs hold very high and sometimes Pu . . lo the highest political positions and are inuential in campaigns for high ofces `s . At the installation of the O ` we in the late 1970s, the ` do in the town of On .ema bu ` n was the one who presented the o O . . ba-elect, Robert Adekolurejo, to the . lo . Similarly, during the installation rites, O bu ` do ` ns chiefs and people of On . . lo performed purication sacrices to pave the way ` do other high priestesses in On for a peaceful reign. Thus the role of women appears to be to neutralize malevolent forces and evil machinations, but they are ultimately more politically powerful than the ruler, being the power behind the throne.

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`nrin, Female Ruler) of On bu , 1976. ` do ` n, (O 2.5 The O . . ba Ob . lo

Photo by Rowland Abiodun.

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aje bu , O ` ns ritual calabash container which 2.6 Igba . . lo identies her as the Controller of all market transactions , 1976. ` do in On
Photo by Rowland Abiodun.

The hidden power of women is better understood when we examine the way gu n, the ancestral masking tradition in Yorubaland. The word it is related to Ee gu n refers to the concealed power of ancestors. Pierre Verger has suggested Ee gu gu n may have belonged originally to women.18 Ee n is also used as a that Ee euphemism for female genitalia because they are hidden. The clitoris in particular is traditionally regarded as possessing concealed power which women can ` ba use to accomplish whatever they desire. Additionally, it is noteworthy that Yoru tradition privileges female triplets (ato) when it comes to holding high positions gu n (for deceased ancestors). in the secretive and male-dominated Ee `s All these attributes are also associated with O .un and perceived to be integral . to her inuence, extraordinary insight, and ability to do things which the other

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`s ` could not do. Thus, O ` r `s o .a .uns concealed power has earned her the title of . 19 ` je ` acknowledge her excep . The following lines of her or k the leader of the a . tional ability:
She is the wisdom of the forest She is the wisdom of the river Where the doctor failed She cures with fresh water. Where medicine is impotent She cures with cool water. (Beier 1970: 33)

`s Many O .un priests, priestesses, and devotees literally believe in the power of . `s water to heal their ailments and problems. Water, O .uns main curative agent, is . ` ro ` (a softening agent/medicinal preparation of e ` ba an active ingredient in the Yoru . . preparation). Used ritually, water is believed to effect harmony and peace, to can be eliminate tension, and reduce heat. Thus, with cool water, a persons or improved or softened if it is considered hard (le), that is, attracting a series of ` medicine shows how wa` ro inexplicable disasters. The following incantation for e . . ter is perceived in traditional thought:
mu ooru ba B ` be ` ni `e be Abe . . . . ba a jo ina koko B `a pa a Omi la ` ge `n ma ` re ` , ina le omi lo O . . . . ` ge ` re ` O . . . ba n ina le omi B ` le ` pada `n omi ko y T . ` ro ` ` te ` pe E . . . . ` ge ma n ` , ina ` re le omi lo O . . . `s ` S . .e . .e ko ` `s ` le ` gbo s Ina .e . .e . . do . lee wo . (Adeniji, personal odo Ko . nu communication, 1976) When the weather is blazing hot It is the fan that pacies it. When there is a are-up, We use water to quench it. Deantly, re chases water, Sweeping past. If re chases water And does not turn back, Propitiation is the answer. Sweeping past, re is chasing water. Even with all its are, Fire dares not chase its glow Into the river.

10

`s In the above incantation, both water and the fan which O .un priests and . priestesses often use in their rites and ceremonies are the verbal metaphors for `s the soothing, disarming, and softening power associated with O .un. What is terri. fying about this power, however, is its noiselessness and lack of ceremony, making it extremely difcult if not impossible to identify its source or prevent its ` of our mothers captures the negak action. The following excerpt from the or tive side of such power:
Mother who kills without striking My mother kills quickly without a cry Mother who kills her husband and yet pities him. (Beier 1958)

Whatever enables our mothers to extinguish life in this manner, that is, without any visible or materially attributable force, presupposes their foreknowl-

26

`s o . . un across the waters

edge of the metaphysical principles of life, especially its source, which is what `s O .un is all about. This belief makes our mothers and all women indispensable . to normalcy, orderliness, increase, and progress in the traditional society. Consequently, women are not only feared, but their cooperation is also sought in all endeavors as the verse below shows:
n ` ba n ` n `a gbogbo ohun t e s O .e, ti ob ` ba `nrin ku ko n un, T n ` le `s ko s O .ee .e . . . n ` fu a `ba `nrin k wo n o ma n ob O . n ` fu ti ` `nrin, n ba t wo n ob ba O . a to ` ma ` ro ` . (Verger 1965: 218) aye y o Ile In anything we do, If we do not guarantee the place of women, That thing will not succeed. says,] we should acknowledge the power [Ifa of women, [And that,] if we acknowledge their power, The world will be peaceful.

And, in another divination verse, we nd the grave consequences of ignoring ` at creation: ` r `s our mothers, which was the mistake made by the sixteen male o .a
`s ` fu `yam `O `n ` ga n d fa n Wo .oro s `ko ` le ` run bo ` wa wo n n t o le aye ... T . . . . ` wo ta ` ba n le ni t ko n s Wo . . . .e, ` wo `a a ba je n o ma A . ., ` `; a ko `fun e ` n `a n o ma Awo . ` wo `; a je oju ` n `a n o ma e A . ` s ` n `ko ` kan. `n e n o gbo hu o Nwo . . n . . (Verger 1965: 218) `s `ya ` m ` ron `. ` ga `O It was divined for I .o Who was coming from heaven to earth; They said whoever refused to acknowledge them, They will afict him. They will take his intestines; They will eat his eyes; They will drink his blood and no one will hear a sound.

art it is not the faithful rendering of anatomical details such as ` ba In Yoru muscles that is supposed to convey the effect of power and action but the intelligent, creative, and skillful combination of forms by the artist. Movement is suggested through rhythmic forms and creative use of space. Faces conceal emo`s sculpture and function noiselessly like O ` ba tions in most Yoru .un and our . 20 mothers until all opposition toward them is dissolved. `s ` like O ` r `s ` ba Visual representations of female o .a .un have inuenced Yoru . aesthetic considerations and artistic processes far more than scholars have ac `ro (Ifa ke knowledged. To illustrate, let us examine the image of woman on an . . `ro consists usually of three sections: the topmost or ke divination tapper). The . . pointed-end section; the middle section; and third or bottom section, in order of importance. Elsewhere, I have suggested that the topmost part symbolizes the , while the middle section, usually a human head or a kneeling inner, spiritual or ) nude woman holding her breasts, symbolizes humanity choosing its destiny (or `ku ` -abiyamo nle in heaven.21 The woman is depicted in a kneeling position called . (the kneeling with pain at childbirth), which is intended to appease and soften . Equally effective in the gods and solicit their support in choosing a good or ` is the nakedness of the kneeling woman, which the Yoru ` r `s ` ba honoring the o .a `s man ` ba believe possesses the a .e . to make her wishes come to pass. Thus a Yoru

Hidden Power

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will be disturbed if his wife threatens to undress during a disagreement, fearing that her nakedness would give her utterances causative power. , S ` ngo , The gure of the kneeling woman carrying a bowl is common in Ifa .a 22 ` `bo ` r ` Ifa, and , it is known as agere Ifa or and O .un sculptural repertoires. In Ifa .s `s , meaning the one who ` ngo devotees, it is called arugba among O .un and S . .a ` . Essentially, the aru` r `s carries the calabash holding the ritual items for these o .a carries, honors, and beauties sacrices during the annual festivals. The aggba is used to store ikin, the sixteen sacred palm nuts of divination. In many ere Ifa examples of this sculpted container, the female gure elevates ikin both physically and symbolically, creating for them a tting aesthetic atmosphere.23 In other may take the form of olu ` ye me instances, the agere Ifa . , which is a kneeling woman . ` ` ` carrying a cock intended for offering to an ors .a. That women are preferred to men for bearing sacrices of such magnitude is further indication of their special `. ` r `s relationship to the o .a ` n or E ` fo In the helmet masks generically known as E . pa in northeastern Yoru. le . . baland, a common theme of the superstructure is that of a kneeling woman with ` to ` to ` n) (Figure ` fo ` n (O `n ` po ` ro ` , the pride of E ` fo `n ` po ` ro ` niy `E two children called O . le . le . . . . ` ba 2.1). She is an embodiment of all that can be considered beautiful in the Yoru ` to `n ` po ` ro ` is painted notion of womanhood, which includes the gift of children. O in black, red, yellow, and white to make her beauty visible even at a distance. ` we we ), and large, well-dened eyes to accentuShe has a very elaborate hairdo (o . . . ate her face. The long and beautiful neck is encircled by a choker and a string of beads, while decorative body paintings emphasize the roundness of the arms and divibreasts. References to similar aesthetic notions about women abound in Ifa nation literature:
` ey n Funfun niy ` gu ` ga `a ` ga ` niy `o ` n ga ` n; E . . ru ` mu `k `s ` ob `nrin. k s k niy s O . (Abimbola 1968) Whiteness is the beauty of the teeth; Just as a long, graceful neck And full, erect breasts make the beauty of women.

`s `e ` ge ` s , not The above lines remind one of the image of O .un, also called S . . . . .e ` (citation k only as the embodiment of grace and beauty as contained in her or ` in whose power it is to grant or reject the request ` r `s poetry), but also as the only o .a `s for the gift of children. Whereas non-initiates might appreciate O .un for her at. tractive physical attributes only, her worshipers are quick to recognize the visual ` s fecundity as the following song by suppli` r `s metaphorical allusions to their o .a cants demonstrates:
n ` tu `n o ou fo mo n gbo O . . jo . ` un o ` s ` gbo `n fo mo O . . po . ` un a ta ` ra n bosu `n O The supplicant prays that she may dance with a baby in her right hand; That she may sling a baby on her back with the left one; That she may immerse her velvet in 5 camwood [so that she may bear children];

28
bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` un a s ` ` jo wo O . ja 10 bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` un o dir ` we we o O . . . bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` ye bu lu m O . ye . ku . ` un a s ` me `n sin gu O .

`s o . . un across the waters

bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . That she may dance into the marketplace to proclaim her blessings, bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` we we That she may plait her hair in the o . . . style, bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` ye bu lu m O . ye . ku . That she may ride on horseback [that is, be seen as fortunate and successful] bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` ye bu lu m . O . ye . ku .

15

bu lu m ye Ku . ye . ye . ` ye bu lu m . O . ye . ku . (Adeniji, personal communication, 1976)

`s To recapitulate, O .uns power is complex. She has strong metaphysical con. ` ru ` su ` like Or ` r `s ` , and E , O nm `la ` , making her not only a nections with pivotal o .a . `a. Also, by sharing the same `wa tu ` r `s ` , cool tu resilient but an indispensable o . ` du ` (the Supreme Creator), O ` mare character with Olo .un increases her sphere .s ` . She emerges arguably as the most powerful o ` ` r `s ` r `s of inuence among the o .a .a `s pantheon. Beginning with O ` ba in the Yoru .uns profession as hair-plaiter, we see . , how that becomes a metaphor for her inuence on, and indirect control of, Or ` of the inner spiritual head or destiny of a person, thing, or deity and by ` r `s the o .a divine rulership which is modeled after the concept of or . ` ba extension, the Yoru ` ` nguns declaration, Without the mothers, I could not rule, is a stateThe O . ra ment never made in terms of fathers. This reveals the true source of power in traditional politics and government. `s ` ) who came to ` r `s ` (or o Even though O .a .un was the last of the seventeen odu . earth at the time of creation, she quickly became the most inuential one by ` that without her a `s ` r `s demonstrating to the remaining o .a .e . (power or life force), `s their mission could not succeed. In a different but related instance, O .un, identi. divination system, takes charge of, and able as the seventeenth ikin in the Ifa `s divination procedures. O r -ikin, otherdirects, all Ifa .un is probably this same olo . ` ` in the context of the initiation of Ifa priests `la nm wise known as the wife of O . ru grove).24 du ` (the Ifa at Igbo `s ` se `s (also known as E ra ` ), she consolidated her When O .un gave birth to O . tu .u . . power base by making her presence and inuence totally inescapable in the `s ` , the one who belongs to two opposearthly as well as in the spiritual realms. E .u ` most crucial to the ` r `s ing camps without having any feeling of shame, is the o .a maintenance of the precarious balance between the malevolent and the benevo`s lent powers of the universe. He is also the major link between his mother O .un . ` ` . In this role of power broker, Es ` r `s ` not only broadens and the remaining male o .a .u `s the power base of O .un, but also creates a situation whereby it is virtually impos. `s sible to accomplish anything without propitiating him or O .un. Thus, when we .

Hidden Power

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`s ` (cool water) to propitiate E tu ` , we are not only appeasing him, but use omi tu .u ` also soliciting O .uns support in our bid to eliminate friction in the world, heal .s disease, prosper, and bear children. Knowing, as she did, that she was the source of all good things as stated in the `s `. ` r `s literary corpus, O Ifa .a .un never needed to vie for position among her fellow o . ` ro ` je, ar `ngbe ` re ` saying, Asu tete ko ye mo ye re ` ba Her demeanor invokes the Yoru . . ni de le (One who walks slowly, that is, acts intelligently and gracefully, will bring e the [chieftaincy] title home, while the one who runs [that is, acts recklessly] `s `, O ` r `s misses the chance of enjoying a title). Compared with the other o .a .un rep. resents a higher and more inclusive religio-aesthetic concept whose canons can be immediately relevant to the solution of human problems, regardless of their origin, nature, or severity. Her presence and that of our mothers must be acknowledged at all major events, festivals, and celebrations of new seasons and the n a new year. Virtually all greetings on these occasions end with the prayer O . du yabo which is a wish for a feminine, productive, harmonious, and successful year, season, or celebration. This verbal invocation not only acknowledges the `s spiritual attributes and vital force (a .e . ) of womanhood which is epitomized in ` O .un, but is also a practical acceptance of the superior power of our mothers .s in helping the community to cope with all the challenges of a new season, year, or millennium. `s text on O In lines 7778 of the Ifa .un cited earlier in this essay, the relation. ` ` is stated explicitly. The remaining six` `s ship between O s un and her fellow o r .a .. ` , all male, had to go to the Creator to discover that . . . all (the reteen Odu `s ` were derived from you (O maining) odu .un). She had not told them. To better . amplify her power, she chose to keep this fact hidden.

Appendix
fu ` wo ta ` din gu lo fa n a ` Me n A d . n Odu . ` ` ` ` , ` Two . n ntko . le o . run bo wa sko . le aye ` ` ` Obnrin los .e ke . tadinlogun wo .n ` wo n de le aye , gba N . n lagbo Oro ` Wo . ` ` Oro wa nnu wo .n n lagbo O Wo . . pa, be be O .m . . pa m gu n, Wo n lagbo Ee . n te ` gba ` le ` fEe gu n Wo . . . `s ` wa s n O Wo .n o .efu .un . `e ` ge ` s o ` ya ` iyu Olo `n S . . . .e wa n ` un o ma a wo `o o O s t a wo e e e da B .n o .e s .e e

10

30
15

`s o . . un across the waters ` o ja ` re le E . s . ` ti or ` ye ` j `, O ` ku j E `ogbe me ` A . ` ` `ro ` r j j ` su j ` me `, Od Me `, I ` n me `, Iwo ` wo ` ba ` ka nr j ` ra ` me j ` nra ` n me j n me `, O `, O `, O . . . . ` gu ` sa ` ra , O , O ` ngu j ` ti be e ` be e ` lo nda n me `a O .. . . . . . . ` su ` ba mu de mo O Wo . n lo .n o . so . . ` un na a ` ba s `i da ke o N . ba n ` s o N .is .e . re . ma an d ni o ` Or wa n `o ` ya ` kan, o O ` mo a ` je ni, Wo .n o . pe . ` wo n ti n ` run bo `, to gba N . . . du ` ti yan gbogbo a ` wo ` mare LOlo . n ire, s yan ala te ` le wo ` wa O . . n, ` y un s ` ni ob `nrin. E la je `e ` `nrin gbogbo lo Ob . . `s ` wa mu O Wo .n o .un, . n s ` gu ` kan ko n Wo . .e gbogbo n n wa lagbo Ee gu n Wo . n ni Ee gu o gu n je n o Wo . . k me ` rin o gu igun aye n, Iwo . lo je . . re . o gu n o Je . ` da ` jo n wa lo ` gba `O ` mu A `, Wo . s . ` ` ni Oro Ey `wo ru ` ru ru `n de ` ba ` n, ` ba iku ` de `kan ni o I . . n . ni le wo Ba . n lo .o .o ` ` n ko ` n `sa san A wa bu re Yio . ge . de . ` se n wa lo do `o O Wo . . . so . . . . `, ro je jo `o Ko . . ko . . ` jo o ` ro ` O . . `s `O do n wa lo Wo .un . . so . . . ` rada ra wo O .un k . n da .s s n la lejo ` `s O .e wo . `s `t n o lee ` nu ki wo ` je `n han O `ju ko I .u . . . n ti fo ti tire ` se hin wo T . . wo . . . ` ru n wa ko n s o Wo . ju . . di o ` Olo du ` ` do ` mare O . . n n de ? k lo Wo . n n du ` lo fu Olo ` mare n wo Wo .n . n n ` t lo gba wo N . . n de le aye , ` t gba wo N . n s , gbogbo e ` da ra lo Wo . .e e . . y ` kan wa , Ni gbogbo nn ` s ` bamu mo Ko . , n pe n ba bi wo Wo . . . lo `o lo wa ? E . yin me

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

Hidden Power n n ` wo r gu a `nd nlo n ni Wo . . n me . un `n n n `e lo jo `gba Wo . n . . . ` yin me lo `o le E . . lo .? n n ` wo ta ` d gu a nlo n ni Wo . . n me . run wa n on r `k s ni y n O . . lo `kan te e h `n un, I . . yo . se . e ` ba lo `o pe `e wa , Te . . . . ` ro ` y ` n s n ko s O . .ee .e. . a n s e B . se ma .ee ` ma a ba ` je na a ` nu y o ` un. T . `s n wa lo do `O Wo . . so . . .un, . `ya n n Olo o ` ya ` Iyu I ` n, Wo . ` do `E da `a ba y w do ` lo Awo . le .n . . . `s ` s n ti yo ara O ` A . gbogbo Odu .un ni wo . .e . `ya ` ni y o je n, I . y `s ` ba mu e ti .O T .un s .e. . ko . n ba de Ode Aye , Ni wo . `s ma a mu ku O ` t o ` fe Awo .un lo . sode, . n Odu . . ` ` un o ` n a ba wo o ma O .un n . n lo . sode .s n ` un be oyu n t m ku `n o O . n a ba wo o ma Ni y . n lo . sode n un ba b to mo O ., o ba je ` nrin, o T . ku . a ni y a ` nrin na o ma O . ku ay de. n lo Ba . so ba s o ` je `nrin, T . ob ` un y ` h ` un s `n o yo e O . ti o . n n je ` un `. mo o gbogbo ohun t wo O . n . . `. n ti je ni o ` un , o ` ru mo aja ko wo Or . . t . ` se `s nu. bo `o le lo fo fo ` t ` n, O gba O N . . wo . . . hu .un fe . . . ` ` pe ` be ku n be ` yo ` wa Awo . . n Odu . `s b o ` nrin O K .un o . mo . ku . `e n wa n be Wo . . . `s b ` t mo gba O N .un yo ., . o ` nrin O b . ku ` se . n n s ra O ` so Wo . -tu .o . . .

31

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

Notes
` ndo bu , ` n of O I wish to express my gratitude to Pa Adeniji of Iwo, Pierre Verger, the O . . lo o du n (my mother), all of whom are now deceased, for sharing with and Madam V. S. Ab . `s ` O ` r `s me their knowledge and insights on the subject of women, and especially o .a .un. I . ` ju de A ` wo ` ba am also grateful to Professor Ba . n for reading through my translations of Yoru Oye ` la ra ` n, Natasha Staller, and Mei-Mei Sanford for their valuable texts, Professors Sope suggestions on my rst drafts, and to my wife, Lea, for textual advice. -inu (ori ), the inner head, the divinity (or 1. For a more detailed discussion of or ` ) of the head, see R. Abiodun, 1987. ` r `s o .a

32

`s o . . un across the waters

-or , because it was forbidden to 2. In the colonial past, income tax was called owo haggle or protest tax assessments. `s O .un devotees would wonder why it has taken until only recently for Western medical . `s `, O ` r `s science to recognize the all-pervading inuence of their o .a .un, outside of Yoruba. ` land. The news report below would only conrm what O .un worshipers have known for .s generations. Titled Science proves womens claim that hairdo makes them feel better, it states that Women leaving a hairdressing salon not only look better, but their health has measurably improved, says psychologist Tony Lysons. When a woman has her hair washed, trimmed and dried, her morale goes up, while her heartbeat slows and her blood pressure goes down by ve percent, Lysons said, commenting on research he carried out at University College in Swansea, Wales. He researched his conclusions by connecting electrodes to women as they sat at their hairdressers. (Toronto Star, October 5, 1987) 3. See F. Willet, 1967: Plate 29. my` ba 4. D. Badejo, 1996: 9497 also discusses the use of parrot feathers in Yoru thology. 5. See R. F. Thompson, 1971: p. 65, g. 4. 6. Pa Adeniji, personal communication, 1976. 7. B. Idowu, 1970: 81. 8. R. C. Abraham, 1958: 193. 9. See also Drewal and Drewal, 1983, and B. Lawal, 1996, for more discussion on `s ` wo wa (our mothers) in Ge `ya a .un. .n . le . de . ; and D. Badejo, 1996, in the context of O . 10. J. Pemberton in Drewal et al., 1989: 210. 11. See Lucas, 1948. 12. W. Fagg, 1980: Fig. 6. 13. I am grateful to Reverend Father T. M. Ilesanmi for calling my attention to this crown. 14. See M. T. Drewal, 1977. `s 15. For more on the concept of a .e . , see R. Abiodun, 1994. `s 16. Badejo notes that O .un as well as other women like her who possess innate kinetic . power reap benets from her action. (1996: 78). See also C. Odugbesan, 1969. 17. Willett, 1967: see pl. 10 and color pl. III. 18. See P. Verger, 1965. `s ` je . 19. Badejo (1996: 7780) also comments extensively on O .un as the leader of the a . . 20. For more on this aesthetic notion, see Abiodun, 1990: 7778. 21. Abiodun, 1975. 22. W. Fagg et al., 1982: Plate 15. 23. Abiodun, 1975: 447450. `s ` ru ` suggests that wis nm `la 24. Badejo (1996: 75) remarks that [O .uns] marriage to O . . dom and knowledge are qualities shared by male and female.

References Cited
Abimbola, W. 1968. Ijinle Ohun Enu Ifa, Apa Kinni. Glasgow: Collins. Abiodun, R. 1975. Ifa Art Objects: An Interpretation Based on Oral Tradition. In Yoruba Oral Tradition, ed. W. Abimbola, chap. 10. Ile-Ife: Department of African Languages

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and Literature, Obafemi Awolowo University. . 1987. Verbal and Visual Metaphors: Mythical Allusions in Yoruba Ritualistic Art of Ori. Word and Image 3, no. 3: 252270. . 1990. The Future of African Art Studies: An African Perspective. In African Art Studies: State of the Discipline. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African Art. . 1994. Understanding Yoruba Art and Aesthetics: The Concept of Ase. African Arts, July: 6878. Abraham, R. C. 1958. Dictionary of Modern Yoruba. London: University of London Press. Badejo, D. 1996. Osun Seegesi: The Elegant Deity of Wealth, Power, and Femininity. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press. Beier, U. 1958. Gelede Masks. Odu 6: 524. . 1970. Yoruba Poetry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Drewal, H. J., and M. T. Drewal. 1983. Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Drewal, H. J., and J. Pemberton III, with R. Abiodun. 1989. Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. New York: Center for African Art and H. N. Abrams. Drewal, M. T. 1977. Projections from the Top in Yoruba Art. African Arts 11, no. 1: 4349, 9192. Fagg, W. G. 1980. Yoruba Beadwork: Art of Nigeria. New York: Rizzoli. Fagg, W. G., J. Pemberton III, and B. Holcombe. 1982. Yoruba Sculpture of West Africa. London: Collins. Idowu, B. 1970. Olodumare. London: Longmans. Lawal, B. 1996. The Gelede Spectacle. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Lucas, J. O. 1948. The Religion of the Yoruba. Lagos: Church Missionary Society. Odugbesan, C. 1969. Femininity in Yoruba Religious Art. Pp. 201213 in Man in Africa, ed. M. Douglas and P. M. Kaberry. London: Oxford University Press for the International African Institute. Ogunbo . wale, P. O. 1966. Asa Ibile Yoruba. Ibadan: Oxford University Press. Thompson, R. F. 1971. Black Gods and Kings: Yoruba Art at UCLA. Los Angeles: University of California Press. Verger, P. 1965. Grandeur et Decadence du Culte de Iyami Osoronga. Journal de la Societe des Africanistes 35, no. 1. Willett, F. 1967. Ife in the History of West African Sculpture. London: Thames and Hudson.