The hand of orula, is one of the greatest Yoruba ceremonies, in which the person is initiated into the secrets of religion and refers to Orula or Orunmila, great fortune-teller and witness of creation.
The woman within the cult of Ifá plays an important role in our religion, they have a special link with the Orisha diviner.
The woman who has the Ikofá (hand of Orula in women) can be considered the fortune teller's appetite.
But What does Apetebí mean?
The word apetebí means "wife" and is part of the Yoruba language.
Who are the Apetebí de Orula?
As we explained previously, women who have the Ikofá de Orula (hand of Orula in women) are already considered wives of it, as the babalawos are also priests of Orula.
Currently there is a great discrepancy about who are the apetebí of Orula.
Patakies (legends) have also been taken into account that indicate that only Oshun y Yemaya They were able to access the secrets of Ifá by having been Orula's wives.
So, the controversy revolves around the fact that only the daughters of Yemayá and Oshún are I wanted Orula.
Functions performed by the Apetebí de Orula
The Apetebí will have responsibilities that will help the babalawo, whenever the rules allow it.
- The Apetebí acquires great commitments, since it is responsible for the custody and careful attention of Orula and the babalawo in charge, that is, she is the absolute secretary of the Babalawo.
- Responsible for cleaning, organizing and keeping everything in order within the Ifá room next to the Awo.
- You can collect the ewes (herbs) and place them on a mat.
- Depending on the ceremony to be performed, Orunmila must be placed in his place.
- The afoshe (dust) of Iré are prepared by the Apetebí because the woman gives life and procreates.
The appetite must respect two fundamental rules
The I wanted They must not disobey Orula's orders, they must be loyal to their marriage and never disregard the babalawós.
Among its prohibitions are:
- Never use Ifá's powers and divination tools.
- Never look at Odú or Olofín, you are not even allowed to enter the room where these powers are kept, since Olofín only communicates with the babalawós and Odú was one of Orula's wives who asked him that no other woman he had look at her face.
By mandate of Orunmila, Apetebí was named and said:
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