and egungun). Oya is actually the opposite of
death; she is symbolic of the air that humans
breathe, and she can perpetuate life or death
with her wrath (i.e., hurricanes, tornadoes).
Practitioners of the religion believe she is Olofi’s
(Oludumare: God in the Yoruba tradition) secre-
tary, informing him of all Earthly events. Because
this is the aspect of Oludumare that governs the
affairs of man, Oya is also a master of disguise.
Occasionally, she is masked, allowing her to play
numerous roles in her relationship with humans
and the egun (ancestors). A common disguise is
that of a buffalo.
Because the Yoruba tradition has spread to the
Caribbean as well as South, Central, and North
America and was preserved by enslaved and
free Africans, Oya can be found in the Western
Hemisphere manifested in Santeria, Lucumi, and
Candomble. In the Western Hemisphere, she may
bereferredtoasOdoOya,Yansa,Yanza,Yansan,
Oya Odu Oya, Oya Funka, or Oya Bi, as well as
several other names. A multiplicity of colors and
the number 9, symbolizing transitions and com-
pletion, represent Oya. Of the seven primary
orisha, Oya is considered one of the warriors. In
the context of ancient Kemetic worship, she has
been known to be equated with Aset.
Veneration of OyaGod (Oludumare, Olofi) in the Yoruba tradition
manifests through the orisha, and each orisha
represents an aspect of nature. Oya is the mani-
festation of the wind, fire, and the thunderbolt.
Those initiated into the priesthood (ocha) under
Oyahaveoneofthemostelaborateceremoniesin
the religion, followed by several days of ritual
andceremony.BecauseoftheEuropeantradeand
enslavement of Africans to and in the Western
Hemisphere, the Yoruba tradition and the vener-
ation of Oya as one of the seven primary orisha
has survived and planted itself in the Americas
as Lucumi, Santeria, and Candomble. Oya is still
recognized as one of the elder female orisha,
younger than Yemonya, but older than Oshun.
Among the seven primary orisha, she is the only
“female”warrior.Toappeaseher,practitionersof
the religion have been known to make offerings
of eggplant; pigeon peas; rice with fish, corn, or
sesame seed; black beans; yams; grapes; okra;
pomegranates; and cornmeal. However, offerings
of palm oil and ram, Shango’s sacred animal, are
not made because it is believed that Oya hates
them. Her festival day, on the continent of Africa
and in the Americas, is February 2.Divination
IntheYorubatradition,theorishaspeakthrougha
process calleddivination. The divine communicate
withthelivingthroughtheOduIfa,whichare256
configurations (odus), in which the orisha advise
humans in all of their affairs. This process takes
placewhenapractitionerspeakstotheorishausing
a divination tray. Each odu is referred to as a
“path” given by a specific orisha; Oya speaks in
manyoduswiththenumbers9,5,and11.
Each orisha has a method to remedy the prob-
lems and affairs of humans; these would be ebbos
(sacrifices). Practitioners of the religion can
receive help from Oya to dispel evil, acquire
money,orcleansethemselvesandobtainblessings
byexecutingvarioussacrificesthatrequireprayer,
offerings, and ritual.Legends and Paths to Oya
In the context of the Yoruba, Santeria, and
Lucumi traditions, there are many legends that
detail Oya’s relationships with other orisha and
her acquisition of power. These legends are often
referred to aspatakiorapatakiwhen they appear
in the Caribbean and South American contexts of
Santeria and Lucumi. One primary legend details
how Oya obtains the ability to spit fire like
Shango; this ability is a key characteristic of both
orisha. The legend states that, after observing
Shangoforsometime,Oyarealizedthatthesecret
to Shango’s ability to spit and breathe fire was
contained in a gourd given to him by another
orisha,Osain.Oyasecretlylocatesthegourd,tast-
ing its contents, which allows her to breathe and
spit fire like Shango. Shango returns to discover
that Oya has uncovered the source of his secret
and commences to have a battle with the female
orisha. Another legend states that Oya is the one
who lends the ability to spit and breathe fire and
wield the lightning bolt to Shango.
OyaistheotherloveinterestofShango;Shango
stole her from Ogun. They are counterparts: He isOya 515