Aboru Aboye,

The Araba Agbaye has released the following statement:

I Araba Aworeni Awoyemi Adisa do not permit the unauthorized use of my name, image, or words to be used. Anything having to do with my name must be authorized by me especially when used to gain notoriety or money by the user.

It has come to the Araba Agbaye’s attention via the World Wide Web or internet that his name is being used as a means to gain money and notoriety. The Araba Agbaye has neither divined, given ebo instructions or authorized this to be done on his behalf in Venezuela. The advertisement of these services is false and is being done without his authorization.

Ake ko kumo enikokan

Ika kumo eniyan

Bi eniyan ba yo leda

ohun gangan a ma yo won se

A difa fun etutu ti se omo

Ikofa orunmila ni ojo to ba ni aya sun

Iro ti lo

Otito ti de o

Odabo

We are sorry for the passing of the beloved father Obalale Obatala. Our condolences to the Dosu family, all of the Itapa family and the people of Ife. He transitioned on December 18, 2009, the funeral rights will begin on the December 19.
Obalesu will taking over the postion as the head of the Itapa.

Ojo ajina sira o ase
Awo ki sunkun iyere leku awo
A ki gbo awo iku awo sun ni
Ki awo rere ma je ni moore agbada.

An Apetebi is the name given to wife of Orunmila. It is also the name Orunmila gave to the wife of a Babalawo.

In the Odu Ifa Ogbe Sa, Ifa gives the story of how the Apeeibi became the wife of Orunmila. Ifa relates that Orunmila went to war in the town of Ilu obirin after all the efforts of the other Orisha were unsuccessful. Orunmila consulted Ifa, made the proper sacrifice and subsequently was able to defeat the uprising in Ilu obirin. The town of Iluobirin was inhabited by only women. These women were tied together with rope and taken back to the town where Orunmila resided. Once they arrived in town Orunmila’s advisers wanted to kill all of the women. Instead of killing the women Orunmila decided to make them Apetebi.

The difference between an Apetebi and an Iyanifa (female Ifa priest) is that an Apetebi is not necessarily initiated to Ifa but is a wife of a Babalawo. Whereas an Iyanifa is not only initiated to Ifa but is a learned Ifa priest.

After a woman marries a Babalawo, she is required to clean the area and house of Ifa every 5 days. It is necessary to keep the area where Ifa rests clean. She is always to take water to visitors when they arrive in the home. She must also honor her husband and cannot be rude. She should be respectful of all her husband;s omo Awo. She must be the keeper of her husband’s secrets and be careful of her words outside the home.

A Babalawo’s duties to an Apetebi include treating his wife with respect. He cannot beat or use harsh words towards her but must be cool tempered and patient. If a problem arises between a Babalawo and his his it must be solved amiably.

When feeding Ifa the Apetibi should bring Esin and use these materials to pray. There are many songs specific to Apetibi. In the Oketase temple in Ile-Ife, the Apetibi have Aro, which are roles specific to Apetibi in the Agboniregun and Ifa festivals. When Odu is being carried out Apetibi have Orin that is sung specifically at that time. During each occasion there are many necessary assignments and duties the Apetibi must perform. Through these many tasks the wives of Orunmila receive the blessings of Ifa.

Respect that is given to a Babalawo is also given to his Apetibi. The Apetibi has power. She was given cowries by Orunmila to divine for his clients in his absence. The Apetibi can divine with erindilogun. She has access to all of the Orisha houses. However she can never into the house of Odu or Oro. These places are forbidden to female. The Apetibi will wear Ide Ifa and traditional cloting. Another babalaow can never sit in the place where an Apetibi has just vacated.

The Apetebi is a valued member of the Ifa community.

Omo ti a fi etebi ki a ma pe ni Apetebi

Lubedo siko aya mi no

Ajagbakira aya mi ni se

Eri mi e dasi yayaya

Edo koyaya

O to ka daesi doko nu ka wa sere gba yi o

Emorora ka o emo ku aribo ode o

Ifa ati Orisa a gba wa o ase

Orisa Nla Shrine, Ile-Ife

Obatala is a messenger for Olodumare. He created human beings by forming their bodies an facial features. However, it was Olodumare that gave human beings the breath of life. White people were created with red clay while black people were created using black clay. When Obatala was quickly creating human bodies, he created handicapped humans. He created them in order that humans may know the different facets of life and appreciate what they are given. Because of this the handicap are children of Obatala and worship him.

Anyone that is to take the crown of Ooni (king) must first be given the crown by Obatala. Obatala is the Orisha that wears the crown.

Obatala has many praise names, they include but are not limited to the following:

Obatakuntakun Lode Iranje, Eni To Nsoju To Nse Owo, Orisa Ni Maasin, Onileji Oje Oji, Orisa Nla Je Eeyan Pataki

Obatala is known for granting prayers for women to bear children, for making childbirth easier, for having good children and for obtaining money. Yemoo Oboboniba is the wife of Obatala.

Obatala has a strong relationship with the Aje Funfun. Yemoo, his wife, is Aje Funfun. The aje associated with Obatala are called Aje Obatala. The relationship of Obatala to the other Orisa is that he is their Elder and the ower of the Ase. Obatala often appears as an old man.

Obatala likes to dress in white. He likes to eat eku, eja, igbin, 6-toed cock. His taboos are emu (palm wine), aja (dog), day old pounded yam (can only eat fresh yam), he cannot eat on a stool, and he cannot walk on an overgrown path.

The Obatala Festival is held in Ile-Ife at the Itapa Temple in January.

Chief Posi Egbewole Obaluru Obatala is from the Iranje Orisa N’la compound in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He was born into an Obatala family. He is a priest of a Obatala and an herbalist. He holds the title Iwarefa in the Ogboni Fraternity.

The Odun Elefin festival for the Araba Agbaye was held Tuesday, June 23, 2009. This is the festival of Orunmila where the Araba Agbaye will pray for all Ifa devotees. During the celebration the Araba became the Ekun Orisa, where he symbolically transformed into a leopard. The symbol of the leopard can only be represented by the Araba Agbaye.

Mo po ju wo eyin kin ri oba Araba da amotekun odese odieranko abifinlara

This proverb is for the Araba Agbaye and says to look back to see the King, the Araba has turned into the leopard. The Araba looks like the animal with spots, he is the leopard.

The Araba emerged from the chamber of Ilebora at Oketase and went to the Origi.

At the Origi the Araba performed many rituals and chanted adura for all the people gathered.

Next, the Araba and all the people gather proceeded to the Ooni’s Palace. On the way to the Palace the Araba and all the Awo did many spiritual rituals.

All the Ojugbona sang and chanted adura at the Palace. All the Awoolodumerindinlogun consulted Ifa when at the palace. Then they went to the Araba Agbaye and recited the Odu that fell. Because of the secret nature of the true consultation, all the Awoolodumerindinlogun when asked by the Araba in public they replied Eji Ogbe, Ire Aje, etc. This is from the Agbongbon to the last of the Awoolodumerindinlogun.

The Odun Akara (bean cake) festival was held Tuesday, June 16th in Ile-Ife.  In this festival all the babalawo and the ojugbona paraded through the streets of Ile-Ife to many the local shrines including Origi and other Orisha shrine.s  The people of Ife made Akara (bean cake) to eat, feed the babalawos and deities.

After this ritual they babalawos performed the Ojumamaworire that night until the  morning of the following day.  This took place in each individual compound.  Singing, dancing and chanting adura continued all night through the next day.  Each Orisha was called using ritual language.

The Araba Onisese Agbaye, the head of all the Awos in the world was recently interviewed by the Nigerian Compass newspaper. The Nigerian Compass is a widely distributed newspaper in Nigeria. The Araba Agbaye was interviewed by Kayode Falade and Yemisi Adeniran on the akudaaya phenomena.
The akudaaya is a person that is dead, but has not gone to heaven. They go to another town away from all who knew them in life and live like regular human beings, which includes marrying and having children.

According to the Araba,
“[It] is not everybody that dies that becomes an akudaaya. When someone dies untimely, they are usually seen here and there as they roam around. At times, they are also re-born but mostly they go to other places different from where they had dweled to continue their lives. These are the beings Yoruba refer to as akuda or akudaaya. Whenever their covers are blown, they re-locate to other places.”
The akudaaya are basically ghosts that have turned to another thing and dwell on earth in towns other than where they lived when alive.
“[The akudaaya] would never make themselves known to anybody who knows them before. But he or she may appear to those who know they had died in dreams but not physically. They may appear to those ones as apparitions but never face to face and physically.”
The akudaaya live normal lives eventhough they have died. They do almost everything a live human does and they are very difficult to recognize.
There used to be a place where the akudaaya gathered, this was many years ago. In the town of Ajiran, they would cogregate at a market held at night, but they didn’t necessarily live in this town. The Araba also spoke about the places where the akudaaya congregate:

“There is even another like that here in Ile-Ife. It is called Oja Ejigbomekun. In the days of yore, the market held in the dead of the night. It would begin around 10p.m. and reach its fullest around 1.00 a.m. The site is just there (pointing outside) where the Chief Obafemi Awolowo statue is mounted. But now, because of Western civilisation, it no longer holds in the night. The whole of the area then was filled with Odan trees but they have all been felled.”

When the Araba was asked about a particular place where one can find their relative that had passed on he replied:

“No, there is not. I told you, you cannot. Even if you meet him, you can never recognise him or her. It is possible that he or she is there but you would not recognise them even when you come across each other. Unless one employs supernatural powers that will make you see extra terrestrial beings. But again, that is very dangerous as one begins to see so many things without being able to tell anybody. In fact, one must not tell. It is sacrilegious. Any attempt to do that turns one into one of them. That is why babalawo do not seek that type of powers. (wi we oju) opening the third eye. Anybody who does that will be seeing all sorts of things and beings. As you were entering here, you might have stepped on some beings but they would not take offence because they knew that you have no third eye to see them. But if you had seen them and still stepped on them, the action may be your last.”

The Araba was then pressed on the point of seeing the beings that are not normally seen with normal human sight. The interviewers wanted to know again if it is possible to see a dead relative. To this the Araba replied more firmly:

” I told you they cannot be seen. May Olodumare never allow you to see them because if you do, the consequences would be disastrous. May death not claim you now because that is the only time you can see these beings.”