Yemaya/Yemoja (please add to this thread)
Eoghan Ballard
In article <34e58cb1...@news.pipeline.com>, deol...@pipeline.com
(Denise Oliver-Velez) wrote:
> Meaning of Yoruba name -" Yeye mo oja" - Mother of the Children of
> Fishes
In Las Reglas de Congo there are a number of different names for Nkisi
that are often associated with Yemalla. These include
in Congo:
Mboma, Mama Kalunga, Pongo, Kasimba, Mama Umba, Mbumba Mamba, Nkita
Kiamasa, Nkita Kuna Mamba, Nkita Kuna Maba, and Cuatro Vientos.
in Kimbisa and Brillumba:
Baluande, Lunganfula, and Madre de Agua.
A quick look in Natalia Bolivar Arostegui's book "Los Orishas en Cuba"
(Habana 1990) will net some more info on various caminos of the popular
Orichas as well as some very rare and seldom mentioned Orichas.
Nsala Maleko,
Eoghan
--
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kutu kani kuditi, kalendi vioka ntuko.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ebal...@sas.upenn.edu
Denise Oliver-Velez
Meaning of Yoruba name -" Yeye mo oja" - Mother of the Children of
Fishes
Spiritual Principle - motherhood, the birth of life on earth
Element - ocean/salt water (For the Yoruba - the Ogun River)
Colors - (main) blue and white, blue and crystal
Feast Day - September 7th
Day of the week - Saturday
Syncretized with: La Virgen de Regla
Number: 7
Gender - female- there are no masculine caminos of Yemaya
Foods/animals: duck, turtle, goat, black-eyed peas, rats, waterbugs,
watermelon, molasses
Emblems - fan, sea-shells
Paths/caminos - 7 or 12 (depends on which sources you use) (please
add-on and give any descriptive info you have):
~~~Yemaya Awoyo - the oldest, who crowns herself with a rainbow
~~~Yemaya Okute/Ogunte ( a warrior camino of Yemaya) In this camino
was the wife of Ogun, and she carries a knife. The rat is her
messenger. She inhabits coastal waters, reefs, rivers and lakes in
the forest as well as the ocean.
~~~Yemaya Asesu/Asesun - "Yemaya who is the Gush of Spring"
Her elekes are light blue, coral and sea-glass green. she is known as
the Messenger of Olokun
~~~Yemaya Mojelewu/Mayaleo/MayelewoMayelegun (there are so many
different spellings - I will put all of the ones I can find in - and
let the scholars debate about them) Her elekes have turquoise beads.
she lives in the forest. She is the water that feeds wells. In her
shrines she sits in a basket and is surrounded by plates. She is an
old medicine woman with much knowledge of herbs and healing
~~~Yemaya Asaba/Ayaba (Yemaya the Queen, Wife of Orunmila - controls
floods and tidal waves. According to John Mason she was the wife of
Orunmila, but they had to break up because she knew as much as he
did". She uses a divining chain-"opele" and tray-"opon Ifa".
~~~Yemaya Konla - Yemaya who reaches far and wide", "Yemaya who lives
in the Foam on the Surf" - the sea foam. She is a navigator and her
herramientos include a propeller and rudder.
~~~Yemaya Afrekete or Agaana-- the Mother of Fish who always Walks '
The flow of waves against the shore. Uses a snake as her messenger.
Her children wear a long eleke worn diagonally across their torsos.
Yemaya is said to have given birth to many of the other orisha among
them: Shango
Dada
Ogun
Olokun (this is debated)
Oya
Oshun
Oba
Osanyin
Babaluaiye
Ibeji (others say Ibeji are Oya's or Oshun's but raised
by Yemaya)
to be continued (please feel free to add-on, make corrections, etc)
Maferefun Yemaya mi madre
Alafia,
Denise
Denise Oliver-Velez
Good - this will start the Palo FAQ, though should there be
subsections - one for Mayombe, one for Kimbisa and Brillumba,
or should we just keep it simple and use Palo as the header?
It should also be added to Yemaya FAQ in the syncretism section I
think
Denise
On Thu, 12 Feb 1998 23:07:00 -0500, ebal...@sas.upenn.edu (Eoghan
Ballard) wrote:
>In article <34e58cb1...@news.pipeline.com>, deol...@pipeline.com
>(Denise Oliver-Velez) wrote:
>
>> Meaning of Yoruba name -" Yeye mo oja" - Mother of the Children of
>> Fishes
>
E. C. Ballard
In article <34e8d4c3...@news.pipeline.com>, deol...@pipeline.com
(Denise Oliver-Velez) wrote:
> Good - this will start the Palo FAQ, though should there be
> subsections - one for Mayombe, one for Kimbisa and Brillumba,
> or should we just keep it simple and use Palo as the header?
>
> It should also be added to Yemaya FAQ in the syncretism section I
> think
>
> Denise
I would favor "Las Reglas de Congo" myself. It defines both the
distinctness of the tradition from Yoruba culture, places it
geographically and culturally, while at the same time pointing out that
there are various "denominations" within the tradition that possess
individual histories.
Further, I for one would be happy to see a greater presence of other
languages here. Most of these traditions do not operate to any great
extent through the medium of English. The majority of the faithful both in
Africa and the Americas (if one takes into account the widespread use of
French and Portuguese in the Congos and Angola) use one form or another of
the Romance languages and the liturgical languages are Yoruba (Lukumí) and
Bantu (Kikongo primarily). Using that header at least takes a step toward
acknowledging this reality.
Nsala Maleko,
Eoghan
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
E. C. Ballard
ebal...@sas.upenn.edu
Nzambi a bubote wasa mukutuvanga!
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
Denise Oliver-Velez
Will check with Usenet Netiquette Guide Re: use of language other than
English in header - I remember reading something that indicated that
that was "bad form" in a ng generated from USA but I am fuzzy on this
one...will dive into my old guides, and see what I find.
Personally I think "Las Reglas de Congo" is good header for the
thread.
Have already gotten several responses to Yemaya thread on Orishalist -
am waiting for permission to post them here.
Alafia,
Denise
Eoghan Ballard
In article <34e4c1df...@news.pipeline.com>, deol...@pipeline.com
(Denise Oliver-Velez) wrote:
> Will check with Usenet Netiquette Guide Re: use of language other than
> English in header - I remember reading something that indicated that
> that was "bad form" in a ng generated from USA
from the academic and practical standpoints, I say that simply represents
the monoglot "English only" mentality and ought to be ignored. We are
after all dealing with cultural forms here. But that's my 2¢ worth.
Blair Whitmer
Alafia Denise! I applaud your efforts! Of course, as with all things
there will be disagreements, and I hope my 2-cents worth is taken in the
spirit it is given, as a contribution. Also please keep in mind that I'm
still a very young santero, and there's a lot I haven't been exposed to
yet.
Also, you refer to when you're a Iyawo, has it happened yet?
Congratulations either on the event or the eminent occasion! Please let me
know. Ok, my 2-cents worth:
In article <34e58cb1...@news.pipeline.com>, deol...@pipeline.com
(Denise Oliver-Velez) wrote:
<snip>
>Foods/animals: duck, turtle, goat, black-eyed peas, rats, waterbugs,
>watermelon, molasses
Hmm...I've never heard about a turtle. I thought that was exclusively
Chango's. Also, Yemaya shares Chango's ram. I don't remember if Yemaya
gets a he-goat or a she-goat, I think a he-goat. I've heard differing
stories about who gets duck. Some say that only the camino Yemaya Asesu
eats duck (and Olokun), and that a duck is at the ocha just in case the
camino comes out Asesu. Others say that all roads of Yemaya eat duck.
Also, a biggy for Yemaya is pork, esspecially fried pork rinds. I've also
heard of yams offered, orange ones as opposed to white yams for Obatala.
She also likes a confection of shredded coconut bound in carmelized sugar.
I think it's also important to differenciate between what the Orisha is
said to eat versus what is OFFERED. I've never seen nor heard of offering
Yemaya rats or waterbugs or cockroaches.
<snip>
>Paths/caminos - 7 or 12 (depends on which sources you use) (please
>add-on and give any descriptive info you have):
>
>~~~Yemaya Awoyo - the oldest, who crowns herself with a rainbow
>
>~~~Yemaya Okute/Ogunte ( a warrior camino of Yemaya) In this camino
>was the wife of Ogun, and she carries a knife. The rat is her
>messenger. She inhabits coastal waters, reefs, rivers and lakes in
>the forest as well as the ocean.
Specifically, she carries a machete or 2 or 7. I was told she lives on the
cliffs overlooking the ocean. Her eleke is dark blue and white with a very
little bit of red.
>
>~~~Yemaya Asesu/Asesun - "Yemaya who is the Gush of Spring"
>Her elekes are light blue, coral and sea-glass green. she is known as
>the Messenger of Olokun
My Mother... She is the foam at the beach and the whiteness of the surf.
She is manifests as an older woman (as opposed to Okute who is young), and
said to be hard-of-hearing. She is slow to respond, but I was told that
that is because she is very thorough. Her eleke is light blue (either
solid or transperent) and either white or clear. I have heard of Asesu
being connected to Olokun, but haven't heard about the use of green in her
eleke. And I believe coral is only used for Acheba (and Olokun), but I may
be wrong.
>
>~~~Yemaya Mojelewu/Mayaleo/MayelewoMayelegun (there are so many
>different spellings - I will put all of the ones I can find in - and
>let the scholars debate about them) Her elekes have turquoise beads.
>she lives in the forest. She is the water that feeds wells. In her
>shrines she sits in a basket and is surrounded by plates. She is an
>old medicine woman with much knowledge of herbs and healing
She is not a common road, and I didn't know anything about her, until now :)
>~~~Yemaya Asaba/Ayaba (Yemaya the Queen, Wife of Orunmila - controls
>floods and tidal waves. According to John Mason she was the wife of
> Orunmila, but they had to break up because she knew as much as he
>did". She uses a divining chain-"opele" and tray-"opon Ifa".
Her eleke is also light blue, but no white. Just solid light blue with a
little bit of coral, or so I was taught.
>~~~Yemaya Konla - Yemaya who reaches far and wide", "Yemaya who lives
>in the Foam on the Surf" - the sea foam. She is a navigator and her
>herramientos include a propeller and rudder.
I can't refute this because I don't know anything about Yemaya Konla, but I
was always told it was Asesu that was the foam.
>~~~Yemaya Afrekete or Agaana-- the Mother of Fish who always Walks '
>The flow of waves against the shore. Uses a snake as her messenger.
>Her children wear a long eleke worn diagonally across their torsos.
Another road I'm not familiar with.
>Yemaya is said to have given birth to many of the other orisha among
>them: Shango
> Dada
> Ogun
> Olokun (this is debated)
> Oya
> Oshun
> Oba
> Osanyin
> Babaluaiye
> Ibeji (others say Ibeji are Oya's or Oshun's but raised
> by Yemaya)
>
>to be continued (please feel free to add-on, make corrections, etc)
I'm in the camp that beleives that Olokun was there before Yemaya birthed
the world, and that the Ibeji's were raised by Yemaya but not birthed by
her.
I hope this little bit is a positive contribution to your worthy endeavour.
AchŽ for you!
I second your sentiment of:
Maferefun Yemaya!
Alafia,
Omi Ire'lokun (aka Blair Whitmer)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maferefun gbogbo Orisha!
Moyuba gbogbo Egun Ara Onu!
Bendecion Iya mi, Olo O–i Iya
Bendecion Ajugbona mi, Obafun
Alafia!
Moon...@webtv.net
Actually, i think and english only rule is very racist, but then again
considering the sexism on this NG it doesnt suprise me.
Loooooooooooooooooooooosey
Denise Oliver-Velez
Bendicion Omi Ire'lokun,
Good to see you posting here again. PLEASE put in more than 2 cents
worth...I am an aleyo, and I can only put in my less than 2 cents
worth (grin). No I am not Iyawo, yet. Will let you know when it
happens. This has been an 18 year process...which will continue, as
you well know.
I should have made a distinction - as you correctly stated between
offerings, and what the Orisha is said to eat or like. I forgot about
the pork rinds (and platanos too) The rat in the list has been
mentioned as a messenger of Yemaya, an animal sacred to her, not as
food. Similar to mice and Elegua. Will edit.
The big yams I only knew of as offerings to Orunmila. Hmmm
The shredded coconut confection I forgot. And I have prepared this
for her. (I'm getting senile at 50)
Will add in the addtions to the caminos sections asap. Thanks!!! The
song to Yemaya Asesu is my very favorite...I find myself singing it as
I do work around the house, or when I am preparing ademu. Afolabi has
a picture of several elekes to Yemaya Asesu on his web site...have you
seen them?
Alafia,
Denise
On Fri, 13 Feb 1998 16:34:57 -0800, bl...@best.com (Blair Whitmer)
wrote:
Denise Oliver-Velez
Was happy to receive permission to repost this from a response on
Orishalist from Babalosa, Oni Yemaya Okute:
"In my Ita, when I asked who She was to me, Yemaya said that She was
MORE than the Mother of the Fishes, or the Mother of the Ocean, but
that She was the Mother of all living things -- and the Master Witch!
It was She who taught her daughter, Ochun the art of "women's work",
and when an 5-7 is born, they are entitled to receive special "pots"
for such works. The two Orishas, when united in a work are
unstoppable, because what element is so pliable and
yielding as water? Yet when it is gathered together, what force on
earth can stop it?
From Mama Ibu Ana was born my Sweetness, but from Mama Okute -- Ogun
presented Her with His very own machete, because it is She who "stands
between Her children and danger". From Her, was born my commitment to
safeguarding the young ones -- AT ANY COST! And from Her, was born my
commitment to the Universal Law of Hospitality -- FIRST AND FOREMOST!
Nobody ever leaves my home, hungry or thirsty. She has blessed me
with more than enough with which to share. Her gifts keep on coming
like one wave after another.
She requires loyalty of Her children, and asks that we keep our Holy
Taboos.
She is not quick to anger, but will respond quicker than the speed of
light, when provoked. She is the eternal Mother, whose Heart weeps
for all of those who are hurt, sick, and dying. Remember that the
cemetery was once Hers.
When exalted, there is no other Orisha that Obatala would choose to
share his lofty realms with. When in detriment, She retreats to the
dark arms of Olokun, and turns Her waves loose in your head.
Please include in your FAQ, that Her's is the title of "Mother of All
Living Things". Just as Her daughter Oya is the "Mother of the
Ancestors", and as such joins when they join forces, you get to deal
with the Hurricane, which takes people from the realm of the living to
the realm of the dead very quickly. I believe there is too much talk
about the separateness of these two Orishas. In my life, They
function beautifully together.
Her favorite Virtue is "being faithful to your spouse". A wedding
ring is Yemaya's "Stop Sign". This may keep someone out of a Tidal
Wave experience!
All of the possessions of life eventually make their way down through
the earth into the primordial waters of Yemaya-Olukun. That's why She
is known as the "Great Giver of Gifts", or "She who returns that which
taken away wrongly".
She frequently speaks in Ita, that one day She will send someone to
you, and that you are to help that person. I have heard this from
many, many Priests.
It seems so insignificant, and is easily forgotten, but She NEVER
overlooks it. She has eyes like a cat, and Mama never forgets
anything. Her Grace and Poise are a wonder to behold, but Her
Displeasure is like the old saying, "An ounce of prevention is better
than a pound of cure".
Hers is the salt water that Life is born in, and She treasures the
tears that Her children weep for the losses in their lives. She
symbolically owns all of us, whether we are born of Chango
(Cabiosile), Ochun, Orishanla, Oya, or Whomever. She's like the "Big
Mama" Grandmother Archetype that so many of us turn to for our deep
hurts.
When you want something that Yemaya rules, take a little trip back to
see your Mother and treat her to something nice. Yemaya loves it when
we do these sentimental and seemingly small things for the Mother
figures in our lives.
Buy an old homeless woman some Kentucky Fried Chicken, and sit down
with her and enjoy the meal. Chances are, Big Mama will speak
something of great value to you while you're there!
To Her, it's the little things that mean a lot.
She is, after all one of the Royal Orishas, and as such, owns a piece
of most everything on the planet. This is one reason She goes to the
Head in Aciento (for Omo Oya, to the shoulder).
She loves watermelon, cantaloupes, honeydews, squash, and most of all,
molasses!
She and Ochun share many, many things. It is frequently said that
"Yemaya begins in Ochun and Ochun ends in Yemaya".
In 48 years or so, I may be able to contribute more. For now, I hope
this helps.
BTW, Mama never tells ALL of Her secrets, of which there are untold
millions!
To aspire to know Her is noble indeed, as Her Kingdom is vast and She
rarely turns a person out, and then only after very clearly warning
them."
Onareo
Babalosa
Oni Yemaya Okute
The Kaos Project
I'm currently seeking further information on Pomba Gira, and I
am hoping that someone here can add to what I already know.
Pomba Gira and her sisters are the female companions of Eshu.
Pomba Gira means "spinning pigeon” because at when she appears,
the person possessed begins the manifestation by dancing and
spinning drunkenly.
The character of the Pomba Gira is primarily lascivious,
promiscuous, pleasure-loving and free of all inhibitions.
She has quite a lot in common with the succubus of European
demonology but without the sinister overtones. She has also
been equated with the Mesopotamian goddess/demoness Lilith.
She likes alcohol and sex and both can be indulged in her
honor or used as an offering. She can be called upon to bring
about the satisfaction of love, lust and vice, and also to
cause others to lose control and disgrace or ruin themselves.
Long terms work with her has been said to inspire transvesticism in men.
On top of this I have a veve for her and an invocatory chant.
Does anyone have any further information on her, or have any experiences
working with her that they would be willing to share?
Please reply by private e-mail to hec...@lineone.net as well as to
the newsgroup.
Thanks,
Kat
---Z(Node) SS 333---
The Kaos Website: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3384
AGLI I VAOAN OD TOLGLO NOALN
nothing is truth and all things can be
E. C. Ballard
> I'm currently seeking further information on Pomba Gira, and I
> am hoping that someone here can add to what I already know.
>
> Pomba Gira and her sisters are the female companions of Eshu.
> Pomba Gira means "spinning pigeon" because at when she appears,
> the person possessed begins the manifestation by dancing and
> spinning drunkenly.
This is an interesting folk etymology. By "folk etymology" I mean a
rationalised explination for a name that is not really understood or which
is assumed to mean something else. In this case, the original Kikongo
"mbumba nzila" (subject to several different orthographic variations)
which means "crossroad" ie Nkuyu mbumba nzila or the "spirit of the
crossroad" has been corrupted and then "recognized" as a completely
unrelated portuguese phrase which, having no really meaning must then be
explained. In the context of Congo derived religious possession, just
about any possessing spirit could be said to spin.
Nsala Maleko,
Eoghan
鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢
E. C. Ballard
ebal...@sas.upenn.edu
Nzambi a bubote wasa mukutuvanga!
鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢鼢
Eoghan Ballard
In article <eballard-170...@cgsmac45.sas.upenn.edu>,
ebal...@sas.upenn.edu (E. C. Ballard) wrote:
> unrelated portuguese phrase which, having no really meaning must then be
> explained. In the context of Congo derived religious possession, just
> about any possessing spirit could be said to spin.
Sorry for the cut and paste typo. it should have read "no real,
contextually relevent meaning" not "no really meaning". Such are the risks
of posting while in the middle of troubleshooting calls.
Nsala Maleko,
prs...@yahoo.com
Please help me in anyway you can...
Thank you
Iyabo in need!!!
prs...@yahoo.com
little...@gmail.com
> In article <34e58cb1...@news.pipeline.com>, deol...@pipeline.com
> (Denise Oliver-Velez) wrote:
>
> > Fishes
>
> In Las Reglas de Congo there are a number of different names for Nkisi
> that are often associated with Yemalla. These include
>
> in Congo:
>
> Mboma, Mama Kalunga, Pongo, Kasimba, Mama Umba, Mbumba Mamba, Nkita
> Kiamasa, Nkita Kuna Mamba, Nkita Kuna Maba, and Cuatro Vientos.
>
> in Kimbisa and Brillumba:
>
> Baluande, Lunganfula, and Madre de Agua.
>
> A quick look in Natalia Bolivar Arostegui's book "Los Orishas en Cuba"
> (Habana 1990) will net some more info on various caminos of the popular
> Orichas as well as some very rare and seldom mentioned Orichas.
>
>
> Eoghan
>
> --
> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Kutu kani kuditi, kalendi vioka ntuko.
> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ebal...@sas.upenn.edu
Pena - Rodriguez Familia