BENIN OLOKUN SYMBOLISM:TO BE OR NOT TO BE
Toyin Adepoju
Ikadele ene n'Osalobua ya-d'agbon yi
The four pillars with which God holds up the world
Ikadele enene (ene) no da agbon yi
The four cardinal points that hold the world
igha-ede
to share or divide the day
ada nene
four junctions
crossroads
Uhien, avbe ada mwen aro
Even the junctions have eyes
duality in nature
the balance between positive and negative elements
in the face of constant change.
Ekpen vbe orie laho, ghegun mwen deyu unu agbon
East and West, I beg you; do not let me fall into the mouth of the world
All verbal text from " Chalk Iconography in Olokun Worship" by Norma Rosen in African Arts, Vol. 22, No. 3, 1989, pp. 44-53+88.44.
Images
Image 1
The central image of the design represents the ever-flowing nature of water and water currents: A yan
bu eze a i won ame oren fo (You go to the river, though one can never finish thewater)
Image and text from " Chalk Iconography in Olokun Worship" by Norma Rosen in African Arts, Vol. 22, No. 3, 1989, pp. 44-53+88.44.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3336778
Image 2
Igiohen Madame Aigbovia, Chief Priestess of multiple deities, draws daily with white chalk for her shrines. In the Igha-ede (the cross-design), she is finishing a symbol of the sun which is opposite from the moon and series of stars which she later completed. Oredo Local Government Area,
Nigeria.
Photo: Norma Rosen, 1986
From
"Impermanent by Design: The Ephemeral in Africa's Tradition-based Arts"
Christine Mullen Kreamer
African Arts
Images
Image 1
The central image of the design represents the ever-flowing nature of water and water currents: A yan
bu eze a i won ame oren fo (You go to the river, though one can never finish thewater)
Image and text from " Chalk Iconography in Olokun Worship" by Norma Rosen in African Arts, Vol. 22, No. 3, 1989, pp. 44-53+88.44.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3336778
Image 2
Igiohen Madame Aigbovia, Chief Priestess of multiple deities, draws daily with white chalk for her shrines. In the Igha-ede (the cross-design), she is finishing a symbol of the sun which is opposite from the moon and series of stars which she later completed. Oredo Local Government Area,
Nigeria.
Photo: Norma Rosen, 1986
From
"Impermanent by Design: The Ephemeral in Africa's Tradition-based Arts"
Christine Mullen Kreamer
African Arts
Also blogged at Olokun Waters
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