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 Ogou is an amazing lwa, and one of my personal
favorites. While Ogou isn’t my met tet, he was the first
lwa to possess me and he is also the lwa who takes my
head the most often, therefore he has a very special
place in my life. Ogoun is a very complex mystery and is
widely known through out almost all of the African
diasporic religions. Among the Yoruba people, he was the
spirit of fire, metal, and more specifically ironwork.
Therefore he was strongly associated with the forge and
metal smiths. Nevertheless, he manifested differently in
Haiti. While he kept his association with metal, he
isn’t strongly associated with ironwork per se. He is
however, the master of the machete and is a powerful and
dynamic warrior. However, because of Ogoun’s association
with metal he has become the lwa of cars, machinery, and
surgeons (because of their metal tools).
In Haiti, Ogoun is part of the Nago nation and for the
most part (with a few exceptions), Ogoun is also a Rada
lwa. Many of the Orisha of the Yoruba people manifested
in Haiti as an Ogoun. For example, in Haitian Vodou we
have Ogoun Batala (from Obatala) and Ogoun Shango (from
Chango). These manifestations of Ogoun in Haiti, to
some extent reflect their previous incarnations as
distinct Yoruba Orisha. For example, Ogoun Batala is an
old man, and is among the calmest calmest and most peaceful of the Ogouns
– an obvious reflection of the Orisha, Obatala. Because
of this strong connection to the Yoruba Orisha, nearly
all Ogouns are greeted with the proclamation “Aroche
Nago! Aroche Nago! Aroche Nago!” If you note the
linguistic similarities between “Orisha” and “Aroche”,
you will see that this stylized greeting reflects
Ogoun’s previous status among the Yoruba people as an
Orisha.
The “Ogoun Group” of lwa is vast and complex group of
lwa. While some people will suggest that “All Ogouns are
Ogoun”, the Ogoun group of lwa are much more complex
than that, and to assume homogeneity in the Ogoun lwa is
reductionism at its best. Here is a brief listing of
some of the more common Ogoun lwa, including some of
their defining characteristics as individual lwa.
Ogoun Feray – Ogoun Feray is the quintessential Ogoun.
His possessions are often fierce and aggressive. He swings his machetes with great precision and
he is often seen bending his machete against the
delicate body of his horse. He is the embodiment of
masculinity and is an obvious warrior. In fact, he often
slaps people with his machete in order to imbue them
with his power and protection. He is associated with the
image of St. James the Greater, and is honored on July
25th. Ogoun Feray is also served with even
distributions of red and blue. Most people who serve
Ogoun Feray offer him two machetes instead of one; this
enables him to put on a more impressive display during
his possession performance. He is married to
the lwa Erzulie Freda, therefore it is not uncommon for
those people who serve Ogoun Feray to also serve his
wife. Ogoun Feray is perhaps the most commonly married
male lwa by
mortal devotees.
Ogoun Badagris – Ogoun Badagris is the more peaceful
brother of Ogoun Feray. While he is served wit h a
machete he is less likely to be been swinging it around
and making a public spectacle by bending the machete
against his stomach -- although he can. He often
holds the machete in a less aggressive fashion and is served with
red and
military khaki. If Ogoun Feray is the warrior then Ogoun
Badagris is the diplomat, the politician, and the
strategist. Ogoun Badagris is usually associated with
the Catholic image of St. George, and is honored on
April 23rd.
Ogoun Balinjo – Unlike all other lwa who are strongly
associated with fire, Ogoun Balinjo is associated with
water, and is thought my some to be an escort for the
lwa, Met Agwe. But like nearly all other Ogoun, Ogoun
Balinjo is also associated with war and as a result he
is best thought of as a “Combat Medic”. With the power
of fire and water Ogoun Balinjo can perform amazing
medical feats. He is a exceptional healer, perhaps the best
among the Ogoun group, and like most other Nago lwa he
is honored on July 25th.
Ogoun Sen Jacque – Think of Ogoun Sen Jacque as the
cavalryman. He rides a horse and normally carries a
sheathed machete. Like all other Ogouns, he is served
with the colors of red and blue. While spending time in
Haiti I heard at least two Houngans suggest that Ogoun Sen Jacque is married to the lwa, Erzulie Dantor.
Nevertheless, like all other Ogouns Ogoun Sen Jacque
drinks rum, however, any
serious service to Ogoun Sen Jacque should also include a
creamy corn drink called akasan, and to that akasan
should be added a small amount of cane syrup (akasan ak
siwo). And of course, Ogoun Sen Jacque is represented by
the image of Saint James the Greater and is honored on
July 25th.
Generally all Ogouns are served on Wednesdays with
varying degrees of red
and blue, with the exception of Ogoun Badagris who is
served with red and khaki. All Ogouns are served with
rum and machetes. Because they are almost all symbolized by
their association to rum and machetes, neither can harm
them. They can’t get drunk and they can’t be harmed by
the blade of the
machete. This is why during an Ogoun possession, he will
often drink copious amounts of rum and bend the blade of
his machete against the stomach, waist, or even throat
of his horse. Using nothing by sheer force, thereby
proving his awesome power, this of course makes them formidable opponent
in any
battle. Ogoun should also be given red beans and rice,
yam, red roosters and of course red bulls. When offering
bulls to Ogoun you should make sure the bull is in fact
a bull, a castrated bull will only anger Ogoun. Ogoun
likes his bulls to be large, strong, and fertile.
Because of Ogoun’s aggressive warlike personality he is
fiercely protective of his children. This is exemplified
in the following song, which I have heard sung in
peristyles all over Haiti.
Ogoun bebe o fawo!
Ogoun bebe o fawo!
Sa ki fe mwen byen,
bay yo lavi pou mwen!
Sa ki fe mwen mal,
lese sang yo koule!
Ogoun bebe o fawo!
Ogoun is dumb o fawo!
Ogoun is dumb o fawo!
Those who do me good,
give them life for me!
Those who do me bad,
let their blood run down!
Ogoun is dumb o fawo!
This song really illustrates Ogoun’s desire to protect
and defend his devotees. There really is nothing like
having an Ogoun on your side when you are in trouble.
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