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| Ọbatala | |
|---|---|
Creation of the Earth and humans, King of the Oriṣa | |
| Member ofOrisha | |
 Statue of Obatala in Costa do Sauípe,Bahía | |
| Other names | Obatala or Obatalá; Ooṣala or Ochala or Oxalá; and Oriṣanla or Orichalá or Orixalá |
| Venerated in | Yoruba religion |
| Symbol | Opasoro, white doves, white cloth,Crown[1][2] |
| Color | White |
| Region | Yorubaland,Latin America |
| Ethnic group | Yoruba |
| Genealogy | |
| Spouse | Yemowo (Ile-Ife, modern-day Nigeria); Yemaya (Americas) |
| Offspring | Oloja of Iranje-Idita, Olufon, Obalesun, Obalale, Ogiyan (of Ejigbo), Akalako or Apetumodu (of Ipetumodu) and numerous others |
Obatala (listenⓘ; or Oriṣanla) is anoriṣa in theYoruba religion that is believed to have been given the task to create the Earth but, in some versions of the story, failed the task by being drunk onpalm wine and was outperformed by his little brotherOduduwa. He was instead given the job of creating human beings. This was authorized by the Supreme Deity,Olodumare which gave Obatala the name "sculptor of humankind".[3]
"Now Olodumare [the supreme being] once called on Obatala and told him that he would love him to assist in creating human beings that would live in the world he was about to create. This is because as he (Olodumare) said further he would not like the world he was planning to create to exist without human beings."[3]
Obatala had worked on his task with the assistance ofOṣun. He is believed to be successful at creating human beings with water and clay.[4]
According to the oral traditions of Ife, the mortal Obatala was the founder andking of Ife during its classical period. His position as the King was challenged by Oduduwa who assumed leadership of the town for a brief moment. However, Obatala was able to emerge victorious in the contest and it led to the murder of his rivalOduduwa and the retrieval of his throne.[5]
While there exists an Obatala in the Yoruba pantheon, the understanding of the qualities of the deity Obatala was merged into the human Obatala that ruled in Ife upon his posthumousdeification. Thus, the human Obatala who was the king at Ife was admitted to the Yorubapantheon as an aspect of the primordial divinity of the same name.[citation needed]
According to Yoruba mythology, Obatala is the oldest of all of the orishas and was granted authority to create the Earth. Due to Obatala being drunk,Oduduwa took this opportunity to show his worth to his father. He took the satchel that Olodumare had given Obatala to aid him in creation and used it to create land on the primeval ocean. Oduduwa did such a great job that Olodumare granted him the title "God of the Earth."[6]
Obatala was then given the task to create human beings. With this task he took a "long gold chain, a snail's shell filled with sand, a white hen, a black cat, and a palm nut"[7] and climbed down to the end of the chain.
He released the white hen which spread the sand from the shell onto the ocean to create mountains and valleys. He also planted the palm nut to create a forest.
After being content with what he created, he started to mold human beings from clay. During this creative progress, he was drinking a large amount of palm wine, created from the palm nut forest, which caused him to create deformed figures in his drunken state.
When he became sober and realized what he had done, he vowed to never drink again and protect people with disabilities.
After he successfully created the human being figures, they were givenase, a copper knife, and a wooden hoe. They were able to prosper.
According to the tenets of theYoruba religion, Obatala is the oldest of all of the orishas and was granted authority to create the Earth. A tradition states that before he could return to heaven and report to Olodumare,Oduduwa usurped his responsibility (due to Obatala's being drunk at the time). He took the satchel that Olodumare had given Obatala to aid him in creation and used it to create land on the primeval ocean. A great feud ensued between the two siblings. However, an assessment of Yoruba traditional religion shows that each of the 201 deities are understood by their descendants and adherents to have carried out the creation of the earth.[8] This suggests the beginning of the world is an aspect of Yoruba cosmogenesis associated with numerous deities in Yoruba pantheons beyond Obatala or Oduduwa.
Oba Obatala was the founder and the King ofIle-Ife, hence the appellation, Olufe. His reign was disrupted by an usurpation led by Oduduwa and his supporters such as Obameri, Obadio, Aloran, Ejio and Apata. However, Obatala was able to facilitate the death of Oduduwa and retrieve his throne as the king of Ile-Ife with the assistance of his support base consisting of Oluorogbo, Orunmila, Akire, Obalufon Ogbogboinrin (Obamakin), Owa Ilare and numerous others. This is re-enacted every year in the Obatala festival in Ife and the coronation rites of Ooni which indicate Obatala's ownership of the crown, throne and authority.[9] Ultimately, following the war between Obatala on the one hand and Oduduwa on the other, the latter lost and his support base dispersed, leading to a rotated rulership between the lineages of Obatala and Obalufon Ogbogbodinrin (Obamakin) who succeeded him. This was in effect till a coup conducted by Lajamisan, a descendant of Oranfe, disrupted the ruling structure.[10]
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Obatalá is the oldest "orisha fúnfún" ("white deity"), referring to purity, both physically and symbolically as in the "light" of consciousness. InSantería, Obatalá is syncretized withOur Lady of Mercy andJesus Of Nazareth. Obatalá is said to have an equal number of male paths as female paths, but more often crowns women in part because men are traditionally crowned inIfá in many lineages.
In Candomblé, Oxalá (Obatalá) has been syncretized with Our Lord of Bonfim; in that role, he is the patron saint of Bahia. The extensive use of white clothing, which is associated with the worship of Oxalá, has become a symbol of Candomblé in general.[11] Friday is the day dedicated to the worship of Oxalá. A largesyncretic religious celebration of theFesta do Bonfim in January inSalvador celebrates both Oxalá and Our Lord of Bonfim; it includes the washing of the church steps with a special water, made with flowers.
The snailAchatina fulica is used forreligious purposes in Brazil as an offering to Obatala. It is seen as a substitute for the African giant snail (Archachatina marginata) that is used inYorubaland because they are known by the same name (Igbin, also known asIbi) in both Brazil and Yorubaland.[12]
In terms of offering to orishas, female orishas (Iabás) "eat" female animals, while male Orishas (Borós) "eat" male animals. However, Obatala is the only male orisha who "eats" in the Iabás circle, thus accepting sacrifices of female animals in his honor. Bastide,[13] commented on theandrogynous characteristics of Obatala as an explanation of why this orisha accepts female animals as offerings. According to some priests, however, Obatala does not have a sex, since, according to the myths, he is the Father of Creation. Obatala is therefore the equivalent ofGod in the catholic syncretism who also does not have a specific sex.[12]
Unlike other Orisha, Obatala only accepts offerings cooked inhoney, as he has a distaste fordende oil.[12]
Like any other Orisha, Obatala does not specifically eat the offering himself, but consumes the energy of the offering, orAxé. The expression "eat" is used as a symbolism for a spiritual form of feeding. Orishas do not "come down" from the spiritual plane to eat (literally speaking) the animal being offered.[12]
Traditionally speaking, forsacrificial offerings to Obatala, considered an orixá-funfun (literally "white orisha"), the animals or their parts should be completely white, such as the white blood of the mollusk called Igbin (Achatina fulica).[12]
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