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c h a p t e r t w o  Hidden Power O .̀ s .un, the Seventeenth Odù Rowland Abiodun From Òs .ogbo in O .̀ s .un State to Ikóro in Ekiti, from Ibadan in O .̀ yo .́ to Ìjùmú in Kwara State of Nigeria, and throughout the Yorùbá diaspora in the Caribbean, Latin America, and North America, the Yorùbá continue to venerate their most powerful female òrı̀s .à (deity), O .̀ s .un. The images alluding to her presence and power are as diverse as the people and the geographical locations where she is worshiped. Thus, the definition of O .̀ s .un’s identity extends beyond Òs .ogbo and many Yorùbá towns where she is believed to have turned into the O .̀ s .un River, and where festivals are held in her honor annually. Equally complex is O .̀ s .un’s 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 beliefs about O .̀ s .un, namely, that she embodies the very substance of the water we drink; with her fan, abe .̀be .̀, (a noun formed from the verb be .̀ [to beg]), she “begs” the air we breathe, she “cools and purifies it, neutralizing its negative contents”; and, by virtue of her profession as the foremost hair-plaiting expert in Yorùbá mythology, she affects the destinies of all beings and the òrı̀s .à in profound ways. A well-known orı́kı̀ (praise citation) introduces her: O .̀ s .un, S .e .̀e .̀ge .̀sı́, O .̀ s .un, (embodiment of grace and beauty) Olóòyà iyùn The preeminent hair-plaiter with the coralAdagbade ́bú Onı́mo .lè Odò beaded comb Elétùtù Èdı̀bò Èkó Powerful controller of the estuary Obı̀nrin gbádámú, Obinrin gbàdàmù Propitiator-in-chief of Èkó (the City of Lagos) Obı̀nrin tı́ kò s .eé gbá l’e .́gbe .̀ mu. (O . pe . A corpulent woman Onabajo, personal communication, 1985) Who cannot be embraced around the waist. Besides adding to the power and beauty of the human face and the head which is the focus of much aesthetic interest in Yorùbá art, hair-plaiting carries an important religious significance in Yorùbá tradition. The hair-plaiter (hairdresser ) is seen as one who honors and beautifies orı́ (orı́-inú), the “inner head,” the “divinity” of the head. One’s head is also taken to be the visible representation of one’s destiny and the essence of one’s personality.1 Hair-plaiting is thus highly regarded, as a good orı́ will, to some extent, depend on how well its physical counterpart has been treated. It is also primarily for this reason that most Yorùbá will be reluctant to haggle over the charges of a hair-plaiter or hairdresser.2 It should not be surprising that O .̀ s .un, “the preeminent hair-plaiter with the coral-beaded comb” is believed to have the power to influence the destinies of men, women, and the òrı̀s .à, and that O .̀ s .un’s presence is crucial to the sustenance of life and order on earth. Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Ife .̀, ancestral home of the Yorùbá, have revealed several terra-cotta heads of women 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 Ifá literary corpus about O .̀ s .un might have informed the creation of these terracotta sculptures. The persistence of certain hairstyles, particularly the o .̀we .́we .́ which is found on at least one ancient terra-cotta head from the Olókun grove,3 and its recurrence, with only very slight modification, in the Òtòǹpòrò E . pa mask carved by Fásı́kù Aláayè of Ìke .̀rin in 1976 is noteworthy (fig. 2.1). Still treasuring the important heritage of hair-plaiting and hairdressing, women members of the Yeye Olórı̀s .à society in O .̀ wo .̀ spend hours and sometimes days styling their hair elegantly for the annual Igógó festival to honor O .̀ ro .ns .e .̀n, another important female deity who was the legendary wife of O . lo .́wo...

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