In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

29 Walo-Wila Two Queens Once there were two queens. Two Lucumí queens.1 They lived across from each other. One’s name was Eléren Güedde, and the other Oloya Gúanna. Eléren Güedde was an excellent cook. Both were quite rich, but Oloya Gúanna didn’t like to spend her money. She would go to her friends’ houses to eat. She often ate with Eléren Güedde. But finally one day Eléren Güedde got tired of being taken advantage of. “Listen to what I have to say,” said Eléren Güedde, “listen, Oloya Gúanna: The person who shares always thinks it is a lot, even if it is not much at all. But the person who is on the receiving end always thinks it is not very much, even when it is a lot. That I know for a fact.” So, one day, the queen Eléren Güedde stood at her door, and when the queen Oloya Gúanna showed up singing Eléren Güedde guola tóa, Eléren Güedde guola tóa! she said: “Uguaka Maka! Just wait till I smash your face in!” And she beat her silly. The result? A real war. But Queen Oloya Gúanna no longer comes to have dinner with Queen Eléren Güedde, and every day they face off and scratch each other’s eyes out. That’s the story of Queen Eléren Güedde and Queen Oloya Gúanna. 1. In Cuba the word Lucumí refers to the Yoruba people and their culture and religion. See Jorge Castellanos and Isabel Castellanos, Cultura Afrocubana (Miami: Ediciones Universal, 1988), vol. 4, 28–29. ...

Share