Orisha Oko

Oko, oko!

The Yoruba language is tonal, consisting of a high tone, a mid tone, and a low tone which change the sound of letters and meanings of words. This has given Yoruba people a special gift for making meaningful puns that is demonstrated throughout their language and culture. The Oko, depending on how it is pronounced, can mean man, husband, farmer, plough, and penis! It is over this domain that we find Orisha Oko, the phallic farming deity of the Lucumí!

Orisha Oko brings to the world the fecundity of the earth. From dirt, he creates life, from life he creates food, and eventually back to earth it all eventually returns. It is not hard to see why he is an Orisha of prosperity, or why he is also connected to death and the dead. His symbol is the ox-driven plough, as well as the phallic tubers that usually adorn his shrines.

In different stories, both Yemayá and Oshún fill the role of his wife. And the red and white pattern his implements are painted in remind us of his connection to Shangó. But it is in Obatalá’s fields that we find Orisha Oko most at home.