The Shine in the Eyes of the Naked

Isάn sά méjì ni nsά lù ra won péléngé-péléngéIsάn sά méjì ni nsά lù ra won pèlèngè – pèlèngèadífά fún Òwúnti kolè Òrun bo walé ayéwon lo se boÒwú rú boNje Òwú gbo, Òwú yeèrÒo wa wÒ omo Òwú lode

          Two strong ones scatter helter-skelter          bang each other to and fro, to and fro          These were the words told to Cotton          when coming from the spirit world          They said to perform sacrifice          Cotton performed it          So, Cotton has ripened, it has sprouted          look at all of Cotton’s children outside

In the luminal phase of Òwú’s creation it was determined upon divination that Òwú would have three strong hindrances on her maiden voyage to earth. The three obstacles included Rain, Fire, and the Earthworm. How would Òwú be able to overcome these nemeses? She was told to perform a ritual with three particular ingredients. Òwú understood the gravity of the threat and the importance of the voyage, so she performed the ritual.

Upon reaching earth, sure as the divination warned, Òwú encountered her first obstacle. Rain said that more trees were not necessary on earth as it was already a dense bush. Rain already had a difficult enough task irrigating the existing trees. It would simply be more work. Rain vowed to drown Òwú. However, since it had sacrificed an earthen pot spotted with holes, all of Rain’s malevolent efforts simply seeped away.

Òwú continued to grow till it began to sprout bulbs. They were bright green and shiny. These bulbs themselves then blossomed into a flower akin to the yellow rose. All these colorful changes attracted the attention of Fire. Fire was always drawn to shiny dancing objects like himself, like the wife he once lost to mist, and now Fire had eyes for Òwú. This, of course, was Fire’s downfall—it must consume whatever it is attracted to. Fire spread its way towards Òwú in the form of an ember, perhaps once a piece of dry white pine. However, since Òwú had sacrificed snails, and everyone knows a snail’s life is cool and wet, Fire could not get close enough to touch Òwú. Every time it would come close, Fire would sizzle in protest. Fire soon realized it could not conquer Òwú. It had to retreat to survive.

Soon the yellow flowers reached maturity, then gradually withered; soon a bright white ball of wool opened like a full moon. It seemed like Òwú was firmly established on earth. She wondered what other difficulty she was going to encounter. It wasn’t until she felt a persistent tickle -- you could even say a tingle in her root -- that she began to suspect something was awry. Òwú saw the large Earthworm trying to burrow its way into her roots. It tried to gnaw at one root unsuccessfully then moved to another and so on. This was the annoying tingle! Òwú noticed the Earthworm would try to burrow briefly on one spot then move to another. As if coming across a wall, the Earthworm would suddenly turn away, try another root, then turn away again. However, since Òwú had used ash as sacrifice, apparently every time the Earthworm would begin to penetrate a root it would crash into a ball of unappetizing ash.

Òwú continued to thrive. When it reached maturity, it developed a three-pointed leaf, almost like fingers, almost like counting the three obstacles it overcame. With these fingers she also warned all threatening characters:She conquered three powerful enemies, she blossomed, and still she shines.

In early 2002 I was invited to read some poems at a conference on African art and culture organized by African Art History professor David Doris at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. I heard that a Babaláwo by the name of Koláwolé Òshìtolá was going to be a special guest at the conference. I had been on the heels of this Babaláwo already for a few years...