NOTE : I AM A FRENCH-SPEAKING STUDENT IN ECONOMICS. ENGLISH IS OUR SECOND LANGUAGE. I DO MY BEST TO TRANSLATE THIS TEXT FROM FRENCH TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES.
(You can send corrections to vozkoffi@gmail.com)
In one of my previous articles entitled Holy Scriptures of Voduism, I have mentionned the importance of Fa making in people's lives. In fact, Fa is the central element of voduism which shows people how to behave, which vodu to worship and how to practice vodu in general. Most of us believe that, people can choose which vodu they want to worship: this is WRONG!! Indeed you can choose a vodu like Alafia to whom you can easily adhere because you will be baptized; but we have different types of vodu. There are vodus we are born with and such vodus can only be identified by our Kponli or Du (Odu). Everybody has his kponli determined by FA or IFA during a particular ceremony called Hand of Orunmila. What is the process of Fa making? What is a kponli? what are the different steps of Hand of Orunmila?
 |
| AGBASSA : Letekpo place |
What are the different steps of Fa making?
The step of Hand of Orunmila depends whether the concerned is a man or a woman. If the concerned is a man, the ceremony lasts three days whereas for women, the ceremony takes two days. Men usually go to Zu (forest of reborn) at a different place from AGBASSA (Temple of Fa) to "draw their Kponli"; but women directely perform their "kponli drawing" in the Agbassa. Many Ifa priests agree that women don't go to Zu. The process we are going to describe is a combination of men and women Fa making processes. At every step, we will mention who (man or woman) is concerned with it.
 |
| Pic1:My Godfather SODOLO and me |
Step 1: Preliminary initiations : in Ewe we say " Xᴐɖoɖo" or" Ameƒoƒo de xᴐ"
This step is for men and women. It is the first time the concerned (with blindfolds on his eyes) is introduced to his Godfather who will bring him to the Ifa priest (Pic1). The godfather must convince the Bokongan (High Ifa priest) to make Fa for the concerned. Tradition goes that the Bokongan should refuse several times to make Fa for the concerned on the basis of wrong reasons. Here is the tradition :
Godfather: Ago (Toc toc) in Bokon's House
Bokongan: Who is that?
 |
Pic2: My first contact with the LETEKPO
|
Bokongan: Why are you knocking my door this night?
Godfather: I am looking for safety, health and prosperity and I was told to look for Fa. This is why I am knocking your door to help me.
Bokongan: I am tired, I can't do anything for you.
Godfather: I beg you Bokongan, I need your help.
Bokongan: OK, do you have 16 sheeps? 16 liters of Gin? 16 Fa nuts? 16 ataku? 16 Evi? 16 metters of Aklala? 16 liters of Red Oil? 16 liters of palm wine? 16...
Godfather: Yes all of those stuffs are ready.
Bokongan: Will Vozz Koffi respect laws of Fa?
Godfather: Yes he will do it.
Bokongan: If Fa asks him to eat poop, to drink urine, to jump from the top of a moutain, to kill his father and his mother, will he do it?
Godfather: Yes, Koffi will do everything Fa wants him to do.
Bokongan: Ok, I realise that Koffi is suffering from a real problem. Come in!
Now, the concerned is introduced to LETEKPO (Pic2), a small plank with the 16 main kponlis (Odus) on it. Bokongan takes the hand of the concerned and touches every Odu by saying their names one by one. From time to time, Bokongan, starts a song for the ceremony. After that, the concerned will spend the rest of the night,trying to get used with Fa nuts practice (Pic3).
Now, the concerned is introduced to LETEKPO (Pic2), a small plank with the 16 main kponlis (Odus) on it. Bokongan takes the hand of the concerned and touches every Odu by saying their names one by one. From time to time, Bokongan, starts a song for the ceremony. After that, the concerned will spend the rest of the night,trying to get used with Fa nuts practice (Pic3).
 |
Pic3: Training for ZU (reborn forest)
|
Step2 : Zuyiyi (Going to Zu)
This is exclusively for men.
 |
| Kponli before going ZU |
This step begins in the morning after the night of xᴐɖoɖo ( Preliminary initiations). Bokongan asks Fa the Du (Odu) that will bring the concerned to Zu ( Reborn forest). For that, he needs to consult Fa. In my case, the Du (Odu) was TULA-LOSO (OTURA-IROSUN). The Du says in Ewe " Aguda yovowo wᴐ tu vᴐa wo me nya tua fe xome o; tu wu na tutᴐ"that mean "Arabs (whites) has made gun but they don't know what is in the gun's womb; gun can kill its owner".
 |
| Pic4: My Godfather SODOLO bringing me to ZU |
Zu part 1:
 |
Pic5: Zu Part1 : First contact with my Fa nuts
|
As I explained it, Zu is the reborn forest. ZU is the place where people "te na kponli" i.e "draw their kponli (Odu)". It is the godfather who will bring the concerned to Zu and perform the same tradition like in Step1. When Bokongan finally asks the godfather to enter Zu with the concerned, Bokongan performs many rituals in order to prepare the concerned to be in touch with his destiny. The concerned will reveal the "contract" he had signed with MAWU(Olodumare;God) before his birth in the place called in Ewe Sefe (Place of flowering). Bokongan shows to the concerned, 18 Fa nuts and asks him "What is that?". Usually, the concerned says "palm nuts" and then, the Bokongan will correct him by saying "they are your Faku (Fa nuts in Ewe). The concerned puts in his hands the 18 Fa nuts and must touch his forehead and chest. After performing these movements, he puts the Fa nuts in his akpaku (a kind of calabash) 6 Fa nuts by three times: He must say respectively: Bolu, boya, bokitse!
Zu part2
 |
| Pic7: Zu part2: Close contact with my Fa nuts |
Now the bokongan will bring the concerned to another place where he will touch his Fa nuts with his feet. Nuts are put in a sandpile and the concerned puts his right foot on them. Bokongan and other assistant bokons will put their right food on the foot of the concerned. Bokongan starts a song saying:
Te lele, te lele Ogbe medzi te lele
Te lele, te lele Yeku medzi te lele
Te lele, te lele Woli medzi te lele
.... ... (all of the 16 Odus are sung)...
Te lele, te lele Otse Medzi te lele.
Te lele, te lele Ofun Medzi te lele.
The concerned will put his left foot on the nuts and the same song will be sung. At the end, the concerned will be asked to pick up quickly the Fa nuts.
Zu part3:
Bokongan and the concerned return to the first place mentioned in Zu part1. Now, it is time for the concerned to draw his kponli (Odu). In my case, Bokongan TOVIGNO start to invoke MAWU (God) and Fa spirits. He asked them to assist me in my Odu drawing; He asked MAWU to send the right message about my "star" or my destiny. He asked Fa Lomina (Orunmila in Ewe) to guide my hand and fingers draw the correct Kponli. He asked me to collect my Fa nuts with my two hands. Then I was asked to show the nuts to East, West, North, South , Sky and Earth. I showed them my Fa nuts by saying "Me tsavalu mi lo" (Your honor in Ewe) and they answered "Elatse" (Good luck). At the end, my kponli was ...[CONFIDENTIAL]...(Pic 8)
 |
Pic 8: Finding my Kponli (Ori) in ZU
|
Zu part4:
When the concerned has finished drawing his kponli, Bokongan continues consulting Fa to know whether the kponli is favorable/future (Exᴐ Vo) or defavorable/past (Eŋe Vo). The Bokongan then search for the Vo which is a symbol for many voduïds. Frequent Vo are : Dᴐ (sickness), Eku(death), Agbetase(long life), Mᴐdumᴐgba(prosperity), hᴐe(culpability), vodu (deity), ...Finally, the bokongan will look for the Odu which can bring you back to Agbasa. After the reading, the concerned is asked to have a special bath with mystical herb mixture. This bath makes the concerned born again. It is the reason why he is asked to shave his head (he can accept or refuse) before the bath and wear "white clothe" after the bath (Pic9).
 |
| Pic9: ZU part 3: Bokonvi (New bokon) |
Note: Hand of Orumila is capital to study Fa. It means, nobody should learn Fa whithout doing that ceremony. My case is special ( I had learned Fa before doing my Hand of Orunmila) because I am born in a VODU house and I have "picked" Fa knowledges before doing the ceremony. To say, I started learning Fa before making my Hand of Orunmila. But those Fa knowledges would harm me if I didn't have my Fa made.
 |
| Vozzphoto |
Step 4 : Return from Zu
 |
| Pic 10 : Return from Zu |
From Zu to Agbassa, there are rituals to perform. First of all, the Dou which bring the concerned back to Agbassa, has a great importance since it may be a source of a particular attention. In my case, the Dou was...[CONFIDENTIAL]...but it made the Bokongan do some rituals. When we were coming back, on our way, Bokongan blocked the passage and my godfather was obliged to pay some coins to pass. This happened three times. After that, we went to "denudo ne voduwo" ie "honor vodus". Those vodus were: the Fa Legbas, Egun, Aholu, Adzafi...Apeli was the last vodu we denudo to. With Apeli, we sang and I was asked to dance for him.(Pic 10)
Step 5 : Women introduced to the process
Women's hand of Orunmila takes only two days and the preliminary initiations are the same as for men. The sole difference is that, women don't go to Zu; it means, the Zu of women is not the same as for men. Bokongan asks Fa the Dou which bring the concerned (woman) to Zu. After that, the woman perfoms Kponli finding in the Agbasa.
 |
| Pic11:Introduction of women to the process |
Step 6 : The Bath of Fa
The new Fa needs to have bath in order to introduce the new born Bokon in his new life. FA cleaning is the Bokongan’s affair. In pic 12 we can see Bokongan Tovigno giving bath to our Fa nuts. The Fa nuts are cleaned with authentic African sponge and soap. The usual song is : “Fa yi to dze ge, kaglan!”
 |
| Pic 12: Bokongan TOVIGNO performing Fa washing |
Step 7 : The bath of the new-borns
 |
| Pic13: Head washing after Fa washing |
After Fa cleaning, the new-borns must have bath too. We should normally say “head cleaning” instead of bath because it is the new-born’s shaved head which is cleaned. A special water is overturned on the Bokonvi’s head and he/she is asked to sweep it down with his/her hands. See pic 13 and 14.
 |
| Pic14: Head washing after Fa washing |
Step 8 : Welcoming the new Fa
 |
| Pic 15: DIfferent animals for Fa welcoming |
 |
| Pic 16 Communion with Fa |
Step 9 : Vosa “Sacrifice”
People don’t know that Vodus are different parts of Mawu (God). Vodu cosmology teach us that Vodus work together. What really happens when we feed a Vodu? In fact, the Vodu doesn’t eat solely but He share his food with other Vodus. In our particular case of FA, Fa makers make sacrifice to a Special Vodu: The Dulegba. Bokongan perform a special Fa reading to determine which Dulegba would receive the sacrifice. This occurs at night.
 |
| Dêpopo : Praying |
 |
| Fa feeding |
Step 9 : Agbasa
The third day. Early in the morning, the concerneds are asked to fetch their Fa. This means they must pick their Fa nuts from the blood put on them (Fa nuts) the eve of Agbasa.The new-born begins his/her new life as Bokonvi. He/she must know what his/her Kponli means and find the Dou that brings him/her to the new life. The Bokonvi is also informed about what he/she can eat or not according to his/her kponli. The Fa reading performed in this situation is called Agbasa.
According to Custom, it is Agbasa which closes the ceremony technically because, after Agbasa, the Bokonvis are asked to go to farm and market. Those last actions are aimed at reintroducing the new-born to the Agbegbome (Life on Earth).
 |
| Fa nuts fecthing |
Tsetula TSAGLI
No comments:
Post a Comment