The Kpólí Fá and the Sacred Science Rooted Therein: Authentic African Vodun Teachings
(From my book “Kpólí Fá of Afrikan Vodùn“…first work ever of its kind ©2020 – 2024)
In Afrikan Vodùn, what the Yorùbá refer to as the Odù Ifá, the Ajã people (Benin, Togo, extreme SW Nigeria, and Southern Ghana) call Kpólí Fá. The same 256 Odù Ifá chapters that the Yorùbá have are among the Ajã. However, in many cases they are expressed differently. There are verses and stories that appear in the Kpólí Fá that do not appear among the Yorùbá.
Each Kpólí has a marked sign. As in the case of the illustration above, this Kpólí Fá sign is called Aklan Méjì (Òkànràn Méjì for the Yorùbá). When using the 16 sacred palm nuts called Fáděkwín in Vodùn and Ikin Ifá among the Yorùbá, each of the eight marks of the sign are marked one by one on the Fáte (Fá divination board) until the eighth is reached: right to left, top to bottom. When the sacred divination chain is used, agŭmaga for Vodún and opẹlẹ for the Yorùbá, it is cast by the Fá priest in front of them is read as mentioned above: right to left, top to bottom. Also, the sign is read from right to left.
In order to grasp the mystical scope and the deep meaning of the Kpólí Fá (also called Fádù), it is very important to remark on the elemental aspects of the four marks of a leg of a Kpólí Fá, a concept applying to both legs, and how they relate to the four ancient natural elements which are zo, jɔhɔn, sin, and ayi (fire, air, water and earth respectively), whose combination is the source of all manifestation in the terrestrial world. The legs are simply the two columns. The two marks at the top of the Kpólí leg are referred to as zo and jɔhɔn respectively representing yɛ (spirit) and those two bottom ones are sin and ayi respectively representing jánján (matter). Our earthly world and life being nothing other than a combination, a fusion of these four elements, we will find these four elements in different proportions here below. Each human entity, each human situation represents an addition, a combination and a fusion of these four elements in different proportions symbolized by the various Kpólí Fá. In other words, each human is a manifestation of the sign to which he or she is governed by. The sign thus makes it possible to reveal the human type, her/his peculiarities, her/his faculties, his/her destiny, taboos, honté. Thus we say “Un na yi bɔkonɔn do Fá yíyí ce. – I am going to the bɔkonɔn to receive my Fá.” Meaning this person is going to the Fá priest so that they may know their personal Kpólí and their destiny.
The fire, air, water and earth concept is known by the acronym of FAWE. This concept is unique to the Aja Vodún aspect of the Fá oracle and does not appear in the ̀Iṣẹṣẹ of the Yorùbá. It allows the bɔkonɔn (Vodùn Fá priest…can be female or male) to get a much deeper overstanding of the dynamics of a reading when a Kpolí Fá appears.
Every Máwùfɛnugbeto (Ajã word for “Afrikan person) has a Kpólí that governs their entry into, progression through, and leaving this world. Thus, we say in Ajăgbè (Ajã language), Kpolí le wɛ jo wɛ, bo nù le vɛ wè – You are born under this particular sign. A culture who goes by such adages will measure the character and behavior of individuals based on what they know about Kpóli Fá. When a person acts outside of the gbεsù, or divine laws of the universe, you may hear a phrase like E ka yi àgbasa n’i à – Has he/she been through the àgbásá rite? This is in reference to a behavior that counters the order that Vodún teaches and mandates. For those who unfortunately have not, we say E do kpoli é ji à – the messages of the oracle does not support their life.
It is quite interesting that in the Ajã (the Fɔn being a subgroup) language the word Kpólí means “destiny”. In this sense, it is the container that reveals one’s destiny and purpose at any given moment. It is the system we consult to maximize blessings, avert or minimize negativity, and elevate in our destiny. It contains all the answers to life’s endeavors: mundane and spiritual.
A few reasons why would consult the Fá oracle through a bɔkonɔn:
* When a child is born
*Upon the death of a person
*Marriage consideration (is the couple compatible, the parameters, rituals and other things needed pre-marriage, kek)
*starting a business and other business decisions
*to achieve peace and balance
*school choices
* Career direction
*Averting the negative machinations of enemies whether human or spiritual
* To know what to do to eliminate negative spirits from an area
*Before, during, and after initiation
* To find out one’s Afrikan family lineage in detail
* To find out one’s sponsoring ancestor
* To heal ancestral curses and wounds
*To find out which spirits are closest to and/or govern you
The above is not an exhausted list. It’s just a small sample. Later I will be posting actual verses from the Kpólí Fá. The reason I’m doing this is because many New Afrikans are curious about Afrikan Vodùn and want to know its deeper teachings. And primarily because there are no published verses from Kpólí Fá/Fádù outside of my work. Yet, we need to know our original deep teachings. These are the very teachings that the victims of the Clotilda captive ship followed before they were captured and sent to Mobile, Alabama.
What are Fágbesisa?
Fágbesisa are incantations or chants. It is like what we call ese, or verse, in the Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ tradition of the Yorùbá people. The term is a morpheme made up of “Fá” plus “gbesisa“- incantatory speech. The term “gbesisa” or gbesa formed by elision means “the voice of effective speech”. This is the mantra. It is the effective, active, activating and amazing speech of Fá. It’s an incantatory poem, a noema, a motto or a moral maxim.
Fágbesisa 1
ߦߍߞߎ߫ߡߍߖ߭ߌ Yɛkúmɛ́zì (the 2nd of all the 256 Kpólí Fá. Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì among the Yorùbá)
Yɛkú Mɛ́zì wɛ nyi Mɛtɔlɔnfin sin vĭ mɛxo
Bɔ Gbe Mɛ́zì wa jɛ nɛgbé tɔn Mɛtɔlɔnfin wa ylɔ yĕ gbeɖokpo
Eé yĕ ɖo ali jɛ nɛgbé tɔn
Yɛku Mɛ́zì ɖɔ nu Gbe Mɛ́zì ɖɔ ni zɔn
Lé mi na ze nŭɖé ɖo zunkan mɛ
Xɛsi wɛ zé é ka ɖi
É wa ă kaka
Bɔ Gbe Mɛ́zì ɖokpo gbɔ yi
È blo tɛnkpɔn ni
Kpo Lɛgba kpo hùn lɛ kpo
Bɔ e ɖu déji
Eé Yɛku Mɛ́zì wa é ɔ
It’s Yɛku Mɛ́zì who was Mɛtɔlɔnfin’s (the Creator) eldest
Then Gbe Mɛ́zì the youngest Mɛtɔlɔnfin called them one day
On the way Yɛku Mɛ́zì told Gbe Mɛ́zì to continue Pretexting that he was going to look for something in the bush Gold,
he was afraid
He stayed there for a long time
At the point where Gbe Mɛ́zì went alone to Mɛtɔlɔnfin
He was put to the test With Lɛgba and the deities (his authority is challenged since he was youngest)
And he came out victorious
As Yɛku Mɛ́zì arrived
Gbe Mɛ́zì had already become chief (the head of all 256 Kpólí in rank)
Tínmɛ̀ὲ – (translation/interpretation)
Simply put, Yɛku Mɛ́zì lost her birthright to Gbe Mɛ́zì because of fear. But the deeper meaning is how far perseverance and determination can take us. It reminds us to always be ready even if all the odds seem stacked against us. Yɛku Mɛ́zì was the shoe in. But not!!! And Gbe Mɛ́zì did not allow that idea of Yɛku Mɛ́zì being a shoe-in stop him from following his destiny. Gbe Mɛ́zì followed divine law and prevailed. He did the proper spiritual work before embarking on the journey, but his sister did not. If she would have, the Fá priest would have told her what to do when confronting with her fears. Because she did not follow divine law, she is the oldest of the two that has to play second.
Fágbesisa 2
Loso Lɛ̀tɛ̀ (Ìrosùn Ìrẹ̀tẹ̀ of the Yorùbá)
So na yi ji
The hill must go up
Bɔ ajinakugéli gbɛ
But the elephant is against it
Bo nɔ gbidi i do do
And sunk it into the ground
Titigweti ma sɔ atin bo xo ajinakugeli
The small Titigweti bird does not even reach a twig but has defeated the elephant
Nukun é mɔ so
The eye that saw the hill
Nɔ mɔ so kudo mɛ à
Will not see the tomb from the hill (the person will live long and their enemies won’t see them in fall or die. On top of the hill is where the person will be)
Agidigbanwun nɔ xò àjà mlă só bo nɔn kú a
The guinea pig that rents the hill does not perish (as long as the person swears allegiance to the spirits of its ancestors, it will always be out of danger)
Zan ku bɔ dodo nɔn jiwu
At night the holes are scary (watch for the traps of your enemies)
Hwe wɛ vi jɛ ayi ɖo Alangba The fish falls (from the sky) into Alangba
Alangba vi lɛ ɖɔ ku wɛ
The inhabitants of Alangba exclaimed that it is death! (they received a reading declaring they were in trouble due to self inflicted actions and saw that as a sign)
Fá Ayìdègún ɖɔ mi sɔ hwe nɛ bo ɖa ɖu
Fá Ayìdègún declared that we should take the fish, cook and consume it (the fish was one of the items of the vɔ or sacrifice/offering)
Kú de de mɛ ã
There is no death in there (Reminder of the blessings we have on the table, not to squander them, but also a metaphoric way to say avoid superstitions and thoughts that can thwart our progress)
Lines 1-3 are speaking about self sabotage. No matter how heavy an elephant is, it should never be able to sink a hill. However, in this allegory, hill did not do what it was supposed to, and that lack of self duty created an unnatural weakness. On the flip side, the small bird defeated elephant because it did do all the work it needed to do to go into certain environs and triumph when it wasn’t supposed to. This titigweti bird is in reference to the small oxpecker birds that you see on elephants. So the titigweti bird figured out how to make a giant subservient to them)
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