Ọba (orisha)

Ọbà (known as Obá in Latin America) is the orisha of the River Oba, the source of which lies near Igbon, where her worship originates.^[1] During the wars of the 19th century, her centers of worship moved to the more secure town Ogbomosho.^[2] She is traditionally identified as the senior wife of Shango (the third king of the Oyo Empire and an orisha). Oba was tricked by Oya or Oshun into cutting off her ear and trying to feed it to Shango.^[3] She is syncretized with Saint Catherine of Siena.

At her center of worship in Ogbomoso, Oba is described as the partner of Ajagun and is praised as "Oba, who owns parrot tail feathers and fights on the left".^[4]

Oba is held a festival in odo-oba town in ogbomoso

Oba's humiliation by a rival co-wife is one of the most well-known tales associated with this Orisha. While William Bascom's study identified several unusual variations of it, the most popular myth found in West Africa, Brazil, and Cuba has Oba cutting off her ear to serve to her husband Shango as food, because one of her co-wives (most often Oshun) has convinced her this will secure Shango's attention. Once Shango sees the ear and realizes Oba has mutilated herself, he chases her from his house and into permanent exile. Bascom notes that though this story is known in many parts of Yoruba country, it was not recognized by her priest in Ogbomosho.^[5]

There are a few variations of the myth in Cuba where Oya rather than Oshun tricks Oba. Another Cuban variation excludes the wifely rivalry entirely, explaining Oba's self-mutilation of both ears as an effort to feed Shango after they run out of goat and he is in need of food for his struggle against Ogun.^[6] By comparison, in the verses of Ifá, the story is inverted somewhat. Oba cuts off her ear at the advice of Ifá and the measure successfully ties Shango to Oba, until Orunmila himself steals Ọba from Shango.^[7]