Stock image from Google
If you’ve read my fantasy romance novella Abiku: A Battle Of Gods, that I wrote under the name Elizabeth Salawu, you should be able to guess that Sango is one of my favourite Orisas. Sango represents what a true man is to me (apart from his polygamous nature). He’s strong, powerful and protective and his followers know that he’s always got their back. Sango is the Yoruba god (Orisa) of thunder and fire.
What is an Oriki?
Oriki is the Yoruba word for praise poetry. Yoruba’s pay homage to everything and everyone, including food. In my book Yetunde: An Ode To My Mother, I wrote the praise poetry for a mother (Oriki Iya). Most (if not all) Yoruba families have their own orikis.
One thing I especially love about Sango is that he took his 3rd wife Oya with him into battle. To me it shows that even with his strength, he acknowledges the strength of the woman in his life. A prosperous man, in my opinion, is one who can work with his partner and not try to dominate her.
Oriki Sango
There seems to be different versions on Sango’s Oriki and seeing as I’m not a devout follower, I couldn’t tell why I came across several versions.
Be that as it may, here’s one version from NairaLand.com:
ORIKI
Sango Olukoso
Akata yeri yeri
Arabambi Oko Oya
Alaafin, ekun bu, a sa
Eleyinju ogunna
Olukoso lalu
Ina l’oju Ina l’enu
A ri igba ota, sete
O fi alapa segun ota re
And here’s one version I got from a Yoruba page on Facebook:
ORIKI SANGO
SANGO, A WA SE RE
SANGO WE ARE HERE FOR YOUR CEREMONY
MAA JE KI A RE IBANUJE O
PROTECT US FROM BAD FORTUNE
JE KI A LE SI, MAA JE KI A PEDIN
LET US INCREASE IN NUMBER AND NOT DECREASE
MAA JE KI ARI AISAN O
PROTECT US FROM ILLNESS
MAA JE KI A DARAN IJOBA
PROTECT US FROM BREAKING THE LAW
MAA JE KI ARE EPO O
SPARE US FROM COURT CASES
MAA JE KI ARI RE O
DON’T ALLOW US TO SEE YOU IN YOUR BAD MOOD
MAA JE KI ARI IJA SANPONNA
DON’T LET US SEE SANPONNA’S ANGER
MAA JE KI ODO O GBE WA LO
DON’T LET A RIVER CARRY US AWAY (SAVE US FROM DROWNING)
MAA JE KI A KU IKU INA
DON’T LET US DIE BY FIRE
TUTU TUTU NI KI O JE KI A MAA RI
LET US EXPEREINCE THE CALM AND GENTLE THINGS OF LIFE
MAA JE KI OWO IKA O TE WA O
DON’T LET WICKED HANDS TOUCH US (SAVE US FROM WICKED PEOPLE)
BA WA SEGUN OTA O
HELP US DEFEAT OUR ENEMIES
BA MI WO OMO MI
HELP ME LOOK AFTER MY CHILDREN (HELP PROTECT MY CHILDREN)
MAA JE KI NDARAN ARA ILE
DON’T LET ME COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
MAA JE KI N LU OFIN OLODUMARE
DON’T ALLOW ME BREAK ANY LAWS OF OLODUMARE
MAA JE KI N RIN ARIN FI ESE SI
GUIDE MY FOOT STEPS
MAA JE KI N SORO FI ENU KO
PREVENT ME FROM COMMITTING OFFENSE BY THE WORD OF MOUTH
ASE ASE ASESE-O
ORIKI SANGO
ONE WHO SCATTERS THEM WHERE THE ARE CONSPIRING
ONE WHO PUNISHES THE WICKED BY RUBBING THEIR MOUTHS ON THE GROUND
ONE WHO LOOKING IN VAIN FOR TROUBLE, DRAWS TO HIMSELF DIFFICULT PROBLEMS,
ONE WHO ESTABLISHES A FARM, NEAR THE MAIN ROAD IN ORDER TO FORMENT TROUBLE WITH PASSERBY
HE SAYS; IF YOU GREET LADOBO THERE WILL BE TROUBLE.
IF YOU FAIL TO GREET LADOBO, THERE WILL STILL BE TROUBLE
THE EVER QUARRELSOME EWEGBEMI, SON OF OWONRAN, WHO DESTROYS TROUBLE GETTERS OF DEATH
ONE WHO IS BY NATURE RESTLESS
WHO TEARS DOWN PEOPLE AS COBS OF CORN ARE TORN DOWN
SANGO DON’T QUARREL WITH ME, I AM NOT ONE OF THEM (OF THOSE WHOARE AGAINST YOU)
LOGBOOKUN THE SIZE OF WHOM IS LIKE A MOUNTAIN OF CORN
JA’MU JA’MU IS A POWERFUL EGUNGUN
SANGO YOU ARE A POWERFUL MAN
THERE ARE TWO SOLUTIONS TO A PROBLEM
SANGO PLEASE RESOLVE THEM
IT IS NOT UNTIL SOME PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN TROUBLE THAT THEY WILL ACKNOWLEDGE SANGO AS THEIR ONLY SAVIOR.
A DREADFUL SPIRIT WHO BECOMES IRRITATED WHEN DRENCHED BY RAIN
THE FEARSOME ONE WHO FRIGHTENS A MUSLIM SO THAT HE URINATES IN THE MOSQUE
ONE WHO FRIGHTENS THAT BABALAWO SO MUCH THAT HE RUNS AWAY LEAVING HIS IFA DIVINING CHAIN BEHIND
BOTH IN RAINY SEASON AND THE DRY SEASON
THERE IS NO ONE WHO CANNOT BE KILLED BY SANGO
ONLY THOSE WHOA RE INSANE AND THOSE WHO ARE BEING TEMPTED BY ESU CAN AFFORD TO ATTACK ESU PR SANGO
ONLY THOSE WHO WISH TO BE KILLED BY SANGO WILL DO THAT
SANGO ONE WHO FALLS UPON PEOPLE LIKE THE BLACKSMITH HAMMER
***
If you can forgive the quality of the video (there aren’t that may Yoruba heritage videos online) here’s a video about Sango. Happy viewing!
Disclaimer: I can admire Sango without being his worshipper, so no, I am not a Sango worshipper!
With that out of the way, what do you think of Sango’s oriki? Please leave a comment below
Hello, I am very interested in Sango’s oriki even oya’s as I am currently working on a fantasy series with them as my lead characters. Anything, stories, anecdotes, songs, you can share with me would be most appreciated
hiya, you would need to ask more specific questions and I will see if I can answer them. in the meantime, I totally recommend you get a copy of Abiku: A Battle of Gods. Here’s the link on Amazon https://amzn.to/2SVKDZy It features Sango as one of the main characters mixing both fiction and Yoruba traditional beliefs. I would like to know what you think of it
Hello I’m interested in witches oriki full one please thank you