Our Egun (ancestors)

Our Egun (ancestors)

In the Lukumi tradition, our egun (ancestors), be they of blood lineage, spiritual lineage, they are of the utmost importance. We acknowledge these because of them are the reason we are walking the earth today. It is because of egun that we have knowledge of the old ways and the ability to adapt to new ones.

The egun are the closest type of spirits to us because they themselves were once like us. They did what we do today and have the ability to bless or impede any of our endeavors. Egun are not in some far, unreachable place where they cannot hear us when we call to them. On the contrary, they are just as much a part of our lives as when they walked the Earth. They reside in a place called "Ara onu" (Realm of the Ancestors).

It is necessary that one continuously interact with one's egun. We call on them to bless our daily activities, to bless marriage, to bless children, our families, our homes, as well as our spiritual work. But, as we ask for these things, it is also important to understand that we must make offerings to them as well.

DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF EGUN VENERATION

There is a wide spectrum of ways veneration to egun can be performed. They range from simple to very complex and elaborate:

"We eat...they eat. We drink...they drink"

It is customary to offer the first serving of any meal to egun. If there is a shrine in the home, a plate of food will be placed to it before the people are served on certain religious occasions. In cases where there is no shrine, you can still make offerings. Placing a small portion of one’s meal to the side of one’s plate and dedicating that food to the ancestors will receive it received by them. Drink is also very important; usually it is water and liquor. Water is a necessary component to all forms of prayer in Lukumi tradition. We usually sprinkle a few drops in front of the egun shrine before beginning our prayers. We can also pour or spray (through ones lips) liquor onto the shrine. In the absence of a shrine, a prayer can be said and the liquor be poured on the ground. This can be done even in casual settings for it is traditional that our ancestors partake in drink even before us.

The Shrine

A shrine to the ancestors is a very simple looking one. It has two main components:

The first one is a bundle of 9 sticks that are tied together by red cloth. These cannot be just any sticks; priests knowledgeable in the rites of Egun must take them from the proper tree identifiable. Only after these sticks have been ritually prepared are they considered a valid shrine. It is to this bundle of sticks that all offerings are given to, be them food, drink or animal. There is a story (pataki) on how this came to be:

One day a man died and it was his son’s responsibility to organize his funeral. The son did not care much for tradition and did not want to spend the money to have the funerary rites done for his father. He took his father to the bush and left him at the base of a tree (people were not buried in the ground in the beginning, they were left at the foot of the sacred Iroko tree). Afterwards, everything in his life began to go sour. The son could not prosper or find happiness.

This went on for years until he could not take the despair any longer. He decided to get a reading with a diviner. The diviner told the man that his problems stem from his father, that he was unhappy with him (the son). He was advised to find the remains of his father and perform the necessary rites. When he went to the place where he had left his father, all he found were bones and some of his clothes. He gathered the bones and put them in a bundle and tied them with strips of his father’s tattered clothes, which were red. It was to this bundle that the son performed the necessary ceremonies for his father. Ever since then we use sticks from a certain tree to represent our ancestors. This story also goes to show how much influence our ancestors have over our lives.

The other component is the "Opasiku" or "Opakuku". This is usually a walking stick or a regular straight branch that is both thick and tall. The "Opasiku" is used during the invocation. A person, always a male, taps the floor with the staff as he or another person is invoking the ancestors. The slow tapping serves to get the attention of the ancestors so that they will hear the prayers of their children clearly. "Opasiku" is tapped on the floor because that is where are ancestors are buried (in the ground)

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There is praise for "Opasiku" in which we sing:

Opasiku oba cheleo Ile’le’le
Opasiku oba cheleo Ile’le’le

Opasiku, King that sifts the earth, earth, earth
Opasiku, King that sifts the earth, earth, earth

A basic offering to the shrine when doing prayer is as such:

• 9 small pieces of coconut with palm oil and a guinea pepper on each one is placed on a small plate in a circular fashion. In the center is placed toasted corn, dry fish and bush rat. Honey is then poured over the whole plate.
• 4 glasses or calabashes (jicaras). One containing water, one containing rum, one holds dry wine, the fourth one- coffee.
• 4 pieces of coconut suitable for divination and a calabash of water.
• In addition, most people will place unlit cigars and cigarettes.

Who Should Have a Shrine?

Egun shrines are not necessary in everyone’s home. Only initiates of Orisha usually ever get one. On the third day after initiation, it is usually told to the Iyawo (new initiate) if he/she needs to have a shrine. The shrine can be received at any point in a person’s life. Orisha priests who do spiritual work and initiations in their homes will usually have a shrine to the ancestors because they must be prayed to before doing anything with Orisha. A person who does not have a shrine but is in need to make an offering to egun can do so at another person’s shrine. It would usually be at the shrine of the person who recommended the offering, usually a Diviner or Elder.

Oro to Egun

When making offerings to our ancestors involving a fowl or a she-lamb, we perform what is called "oro". The word "oro" means "ceremony". In this case we sing many traditional Lukumí songs that are directed towards the ancestors. Some of the songs are praise, some explain theological concepts, and some will explain what is being done at that moment.

Honras (Honors)

The Honors are performed only for individuals who were orisha initiates in life and while alive made a significant impact on the society in which they lived. This ceremony is performed usually long after the individual has passed away (but not always). In this, the honored ancestor’s friends, family, acquaintances and community members come to play homage to the departed. This ceremony takes several days to complete. The first day consists of a large offering of cooked foods, drink and animal offerings. There is much singing. The next day a solemn ceremony is performed in the morning followed by a feast, which include drummers and singers. Here people dance in honor of the deceased and food is given to all.

PRAYERS

The proper structure of prayer in any occasion should begin like the following:

Water libation:

Omi tutu, ana tutu, tutu ile, tutu (name of the object of worship in this case, egun)

Moyuba Olofi
Moyuba Olorun
Moyuba Olodumare
Moyuba Ashe
Moyuba Akoda
Moyuba Aseda
Moyuba Baba
Moyuba Yeye
Moyuba Adasere to Colaba

Then to praise your ancestors you say:

Iba e ["I give praise"] (the name of the ancestors you wish to honor)

As worshippers of orisha, we are not only required to honor our blood lineage, but also remember the lineages that kept our faith alive through the slave times up to now. These are the names of some important ones:

Iba e "Fuche", "Atikeke", "Ayai", "Otonolu", "Adufe", "Bamboche", "Tiyako", "Oshailu", "Obilumi", "Alami", "Olowito".

Ma Monserate, "Obatero", Isabel Serate, "Obatayo". Fermina Gomez, "Ochabi".
Caridad Cuesta. Los Jimaguas de Palenque. Angarica "Obadimeyi". Susana Cantero, Fernando Cantero. Minga Latuan. Felix Palucha, "Oshun Nike".

SONGS

The first and last song to be sung in an oro is:

Aumba waori, Aumba waori
Awa osun, Awa oma, leri oma iyawo
Ara onu ca’we

Other songs:

Call: Confesoro confesoro

Response: Lagba lagba confesoro

Call: Tele mobantele, tele mobantele
Wayeke wayeke, iroso umbo, ara umbo
Wayeke wayeke bi o wayenye

Response: Tele mobantele, tele mobantele
Wayeke wayeke, iroso umbo, ara umbo
Wayeke wayeke bi o wayenye

Call: Baboniboche, baboniboche
Ikuloche nibocheleo

Response: Baboniboche

Call: Mandinga, Yesa nibocheleo

Response: Baboniboche

Call: Lukumi, Takua nibocheleo

Response: Baboniboche

Iba e ba e tonu gbogbo Egun ara onu timbelese Olodumare.

Praise, praise to all the ancestors in Ara onu that rest at the foot of God/Olodumare

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