ODUDUWA

ABORU  ABOYE.

ODUDUWA ACCORDING TO THE FIRST TRADITIONS WAS DESCRIBED AS A MAN WHO FOUNDED THE YORUBA RACE DURING THE PRE-HISTORICAL METALLURGY ERA DURING THE ERA OF OGUN.

IN FACT, THERE IS A MYTH THAT SHOWS THAT OGUN MARRIED ONE OF THE GRANDDAUGHTERS OR DAUGHTERS OF ODUDUWA   BEFORE THE STONE-AGE ERA. HIS WIFE WAS NOT NAMED BUT ODU OGBE-MEJI TESTIFIED AND SUPPORTED THIS ASSERTION. 

OKANBI WAS DESCRIBED AS THE  ONLY SON OF ODUDUWA. OKANBI MARRIED AND HAD SEVEN CHILDREN THAT  FOUNDED THE PRESENT YORUBA GREAT CITIES. THE CHILDREN ALSO BECAME KINGS OF THESE  GREAT CITIES OF THE YORUBA NATION.

THE TITLE NAMES OF THE KINGS AND THE NAME OF THE CITIES ARE OLU POPO (THE TITLE NAME OF THE OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF POPO.

• ALAKETU (THE TITLE NAME OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF KETU.
• ALARA (TITLE NAME OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF ARA.
• AJERO (TITLE NAME OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF IJERO.
• OWA OBOKUN (TITLE NAME OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF IJESA.
• ALAFIN (TITLE NAME OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF OYO.
• OBA-ORANMIYAN (TITLE NAME OF THE KING) OF THE CITY OF BENIN.

THESE WERE THE CHILDREN OF OKANBI, THE NAME OF THE CITIES THEY FOUNDED AND THE TITLE THEY HOLD AS THE  FIRST KINGS OF THE CITIES.

ODU OSETURA AMUKEKE, DESCRIBES  ODUDUWA AS A WOMAN, WHO LATER MARRIED OBATALA, (OBATASA, OBA TAKO TAKO NI ILU IRANJE). INDEED, THE UNION BETWEEN THE TWO GAVE RISE TO MANY CHILDREN. 

THE CALABASH WAS A VIVID REPRESENTATION OF THE MARRIAGE BETWEEN OBATALA AND ODUDUWA. THE COVER HEAD OF THE CALABASH REPRESENTED THE ONE AND ONLY OBATALA WHO REPRESENTS THE SKY-FATHER.

THE LOWER PART OF THE CALABASH WAS REPRESENTED BY ODUDUWA WHO REPRESENTS THE MOTHER-EARTH. 

USING THE CALABASH AS A REPRESENTATION OF THE UNION, MEANS THE ENCLOSURE OF THE PHYSICAL WORLD THAT IS CALLED AYE AKAMARA AND THE UNSEEN WORLD KNOWN AS ISALORUN OR ORUN IN THE YORUBA MYTHOLOGY AND MYSTICAL DESCRIPTION  OF THE UNIVERSE.

THE ROUNDISH NATURE OF THE CALABASH IS SEEN AS A SYMBOL THE CIRCULAR-CYCLICAL NATURE OF UNIVERSE PROCESSES AS WELL AS THE SPIRITUAL PROCESSES OF THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUL LEADING TO SUPERNATURAL CLEANSING. 

THIS ENCAPSULATES THE MEANING OF THE BIRTH, DEATH AND REBIRTH OF THE SOUL WHICH IS DESCRIBED IN THE SACRED MYSTERIES OF THE CULTS OF EGUNGUN, EGBE, IGUNNUKO, ORO, ABIKU AND OTHER MYSTERY SCHOOLS OF INITIATION AMONG THE YORUBA. ALL OF THESE MYSTERIES INVOLVING THE SOUL ARE REVEALED AND EXPLICATED IN THE UNIVERSAL WISDOM TRADITION OF IFA. 

THOSE WITH THE SPIRIT OF OBATALA MUST MAINTAIN PURITY, DISCIPLINE, SELF-CONTROL AND FIDELITY TO ATTRACT THE BEST FROM THE DIVINE REALM OF PURE ENERGIES. 

WHILE THE COMING INTO THE WORLD, REPRESENTED BY THE SPIRIT OF ODU TO DA IWA. THAT IS, THE ODU  THAT CREATES  IWA (GOOD-DIVINE-GENTLE CHARACTER). 

ACCORDING TO EJIOGBE, IWA IS ONE THE FIRST BEINGS OR POWERS OF THE UNSEEN WORLD WHICH ORUNMILA BARA AGBONNIREGUN WAS ADVISED TO MARRY IF HE WANTED TO EXCEL IN LIFE UPON THIS EARTH. 

THE ODU THAT CREATES CHARACTER WAS LATER TRANSFORMED INTO THE NAME WE CALL ODU TO DA IWA. WHICH WAS SHORTENED TO ODUDUDWA AS IT IS KNOWN TODAY. 

ODUDUWA WAS SEEN AS A  WOMAN WHO LATER BETRAYED HER HUSBAND OBATALA. OBATALA WAS AN EXTREMELY PURE, DISCIPLINED AND HONEST BEING. BECAUSE OF THE SHAMEFUL ACT OF ODUDUWA SHE WAS SENT AWAY  FROM THE HOUSE OF HER HUSBAND AND THE SHAME DEEPLY TOUCHED HER  SOUL. 

SHE  LATER WENT ON HER WAY OUT OF HER HUSBANDS HOUSE. SHE TRANSFORMED AND TRANSLATED TO THE DIVINE WORLD BEYOND.  

ODUDUWA IS THE FEMALE SPIRIT (DIVINITY) OF FERTILITY, REPRESENTED BY THE EARTH.  OBATALA IS THE MALE DIVINITY IN CHARGE OF THE CREATION AND MAINTENENANCE OF THE ENTIRE CREATION, REPRESENTED BY THE SKY.

IN REALITY ODUDUWA IS MORE OF A UNIVERSAL DIVINE NAME THAT TRASCENDS SEX DESIGNATION OF MALE OR FEMALE. THAT IS THE REASON WHY THE DESCRIPTIVE NOUNS 'HE' OR 'SHE' ARE NOT PECULIAR TO THE THE IFA-DIVINE DESCRIPTION OF ODUDUWA.

ODUDUWA IS A DIVINITY. DIVINITIES HAVE NO SEX CLASSIFICATION. THEY DO NOT HAVE SEX CLASS. THEY ARE JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE CREATIVE ABILITY OF THE INFINITE BEING CALLED OLODUMARE . THEY ARE ABOVE SEX CLASSIFICATION AND CATEGORY . DIVINITY IN THEMSELVES NEVER ASSUME SEX. DIVINITIES ARE UNIQUE IN THIS MANNER. 

IT IS HUMAN BEINGS THAT CLASSIFY THEM INTO GENDER CATEGORIES, TO ATTACH ONE IMPORTANCE OR THE OTHER TO THEM FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR OWN PERSONAL COMPREHENSION AND UNDERSTANDING. ODUDUWA IS NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE. 

ODUDUWA IS AN UNIQUE DIVINE CREATION THAT DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE HUMAN CATEGORIES AND CONCEPTIONS OF MALE OR FEMALE. ODUDUWA IS SOMETHING AND SOMEONE ENTIRELY ORIGINAL AND UNIQUE AS A CREATION OF OLODUMARE. 

ACCORDING TO OUR NEEDS AND CIRCUMSTANCES THE DIVINITIES TAKE FORM AND MANIFESTATION IN WAYS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE AND COMPREHENSIBLE TO US.

ODUDUWA (HE OR SHE,  ACCORDING TO HOW ODUDUWA CHOOSES TO APPEAR FOR OUR BENEFIT) IS A DIVINITY FROM THE DIVINE REALM OF OLODUMARE. REMEMBER, THAT THERE IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRRFECT AND PURE DIVINE REALM OF DIVINITIES AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLD OF SPIRIT BEINGS IN WHICH THERE ARE GOOD AND EVIL BEINGS OF VARYING DEGREES OF GOODNESS OR MALICE. THE BEINGS OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD ARE UNDERGOING TRANSITION, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. THEY ARE STEADILY MOVING TOWARDS PERFECTION AND PURITY ACCORDING TO THE DIVINE LAWS OF PROGRESS.

ODUDUWA DOES NOT BELONG TO SPIRITUAL REALM BUT TO THE PURE DIVINE REALM. ODUDUWA CAN ALSO BE A METAPHORICAL NAME OR SYMBOLIC PERSONALITY THAT MAY NOT EXIST IN A REAL WAY BUT IS USED AS A SYMBOL OF DIVINE PRINCIPLES TO SHOW THE MEANING OF FERTILITY AND CREATION IN THE UNIVERSE. 

ODUDUWA WAS A REPRESENTATION OF THE RACE CALLED YORUBA. ODUDUWA ALSO REPRESENTS THE SYMBOLIC NATURE OF GOD  AMONG MEN. 

WITHOUT A FIGURE, SIGN OR SYMBOL OF THE DIVINE TO BEHOLD, MEN WOULD LOSE THE ATTACHMENT TO THE UNSEEN AND TO THE OLO-DU-MA- RE-RE, THE INFINITE BEING THAT DOES ONLY GOOD. THIS HOLY NAME OLO-DU-MA-RE-RE WAS SHORTENED TO OLODUMARE.

HENCE ODUDUWA BECOME THE EXTENSION OF OLODUMARE IN THE PHYSICAL STATE. IT IS ALSO A SURE REPRESENTATION OF THE DIVINE MYSTICAL WORLD WITHOUT A FIGURE  OR IMAGE.

ODUDUWA IS A MYSTERY REPRESENTING OLODUMARE.

THE WORD ODU WAS COINED FROM ODUDUWA AND OLODUMARE. THE WORD ODU IN THE NAME ODU-DU WA APPEARS FIRST. THE WORD ODU APPEARS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOLY NAME OF THE SUPREME BEING OLO-ODU-MARE or OLODUMARE. ODU IS THE OFF SHOOT OF ODUDUWA AND OLODUMARE.

ALAFIA.