Diloggún Tales of the Natural World By Och’ni Lelle

DescriptionDiloggun Tales of the Natural World: How the moon fooled the sun and other Santeria stories By Och’ni LelleSince ancient times Yoruba of West Africa created sacred stories- patakis- to make sense of the world around them. Upon arrival in the New World, the Yoruba religion began to incorporate elements from Catholic and native traditions, evolving into Santeria, and new patakis were born, adding to the many chapters already found in the odu of the Diloggun – the sacred oral teachings and divination systems of the Yoruba, Lucumi, faith. Comfortable to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and rich with jewels of wisdom like the AI Ching, these Santeria stories are as vast as the Hindu Vedas and as culturally significant as the parables of the Torah, Talmud, and Christian Bible.Diloggun Tales of the Natural World presents more than 40 patakis that shed light upon the world view of Santeria. Each story in this collection, reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, is centered on a spiritual principle in nature: the waxing and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of shooting stars, the separation of sky and earth, and the origins of the animals and birds who play key roles in Santeria’s symbology. Revealing the metaphysics, theology, and philosophy of the Yoruba people, this volume shows these stories to be as powerful and relevant to day as they were in the ancient Yoruba who once safeguarded them.Och’ni Lelle (1966 – 2019) was immersed in the underground cultural of Orisha worship in 1989. He made oak Cha in 2000 and was crowned a priest of Oya. His other books include Teachings of the Santeria Gods, The Secret of Afro Cuban Divination, Obi: Oracle of Cuban Santeria, and the Diloggun: the Orishas Proverbs, sacrifices, and prohibition of Cuban Santeria.Diloggun Tales of the Natural World Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction: the importance of patakísChapter 1: Patakís from the composites of Okana The Separation of Heaven and Earth The Separation of Sky and Earth The Story of Maja Obatalá’s Favorite Dove, or, How the Cat Lost His Dinner The Birth of the Dead Sea How Osain Became an HerbalistChapter 2: Patakís from the Composites of Egyok The Story of Rain and Drought The Birth of Rain The Sickness of the SwampChapter 3: Patakís from the Composites of Ogundá Why the Cat is Chased but not Caught How the Cat and the Ferret Became Enemies Where the Foat was First SacrificedChapter 4: Patakís from the Composites of Irosun The Sun, the Moon, the Fire, and the Water The War Between Fire and Water The Cat, the Rat, and the FishChapter 5: Patakís from the Composites of Oché Poverty and Hunger The Birth of Menstruation How the Humming Bird was Born Even a Woman can HuntChapter 6: Patakís from the Composites of Obara The mountain Money is Trouble, and Trouble is Death How the Rosary Bead Plant got its Ashé The Kingdom of Earth, the Kingdom of HeavenChapter 7: Patakís from the Composites of Odí Iroko, the Tree of Life How the Birds Got Their Wings How the Maraca was Born The Pact of the Hand and the AnusChapter 8: Patakís from the Composites of Unle The Rock and the Cactus How the Moon Fooled the Sun and Saved the Earth The Waxing and Waning of the Moon Ekún fails to Make Ebó The Tail of Cotton The Calabash of AshéChapter 9: Patakís from the Composite of Osá How the Frog got its Poison The Birth of Red Blood Cells How the Turtle Won the Race Why Butterflies Stay in the Country Why the Sea is SaltyChapter 10: Patakís us from the composites of Ofún How the Pigeon was First Sacrificed Why Orúnmila Eats Hens, and Not Roosters Ananagú: How Osogbo was Freed in the WorldChapter 11: Patakís from the Composites of Owani The Old Woman and the Leopard The Osogbos (Misfortunes) and the Àkùko (Rooster) The Earth and the WindChapter 12: Patakís from the Composites Ejila Shebora The lands of Lesa and Mogue The Hunter and the Leopard The Tale of the SpidersGlossary Index