Ogúm

Introduction

Candomblé is a religion with its roots from Africa and was brought to Brazil during the times of slave trade. Although, Candomblé is not the main religion of Brazil it is given a lot of importance. The religion largely originates in city of Salvador, which is the capital of Bahia. Candomblé is practiced in Brazil but it is not limited to just that. It can be found in countries like Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, etc. In Candomblé many Gods are worshiped each with their own special powers and for specific reasons. These Gods are known as Orishas or deities and represent certain things. Each Orisha has a specific power; they have individual skills, personalities and rituals. The Orishas have different things that symbolize their powers. People who practice Candomblé believe that each person has their own Orisha and that Orisha controls his or her destiny and acts as a protector. It is believed that Orishas represent a certain force of nature and are connected to certain foods, colors, animals, material goods, and days of the week. A person's Orisha can be decided by their personality and character. There are Orishas for everything and are found everywhere, from hospitals to homes. The Orisha Ogúm presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics and war. He is also known as the Orisha of the 21st Century because he deals with metals, politics and war. Ogúm is known as the warrior Orisha and looked upon for help when in a difficult situation and the person cannot see a solution for the problem. He is known to clear the path of any obstacles.

Mythical Story

The mythical story about Ogúm is that he first appeared as a hunter and was sent upon earth to find suitable habitat for future human life. This may be the reason for why Ogúm is said to controller of nature and able to alter the natural environment. "Ogúm is believed to have wo ile sun, which means to sink into the ground not to die, in a place named Ire-Ekiti." Throughout his life Ogúm fought for the people of Ìrè. Ogúm was given authority over Ìrè by his father Odùduwá (Awolalu pg31). Ogúm has fiery and masculine spirit, like the spirit of Shango. Ogúm is also linked with blood, so people suffering from blood related diseases look towards him for healing.

A myth says that when the Orishas came to inhabit the earth they came across some thicket that they could not pass. Each of the Divinities tried to clear the path but none were successful, so Ogúm volunteers and uses his machete to clear the path. The consequence of this was that the Divinities all hailed him as great. By clearing the path of the Divinities Ogúm came to be known as the Orisha that clears and removes barriers from one’s life.(Awolalu pg 31)

Movements

Each Orisha has a dance dedicated to them that symbolizes their special powers. Ogúm's dance includes a machete which is the base step of his dance. It starts off as a slow with just the base movement and then turns into a fast pace with different rhythms and beats. The performance starts off with Ogúm cutting through the bushes and forest to locate the battle (Scott). In this part the machete movement is used. As he reaches the battle the music speeds up and in the middle of the battle is turns into a "saber and shield battle" (Scott). Ogúm is lead to this battle by Oxossi and with his help Ogúm finds the easiest and fastest way to the battle. During the battle some of the movements shown by Ogúm are similar to Oxossi; I believe this may be because Ogúm and Oxossi are related.

Symbolism

The movements that each Orisha does symbolizes things about their powers and for which reasons the people pray to them. Ogúm cutting through bushes with the machete symbolizes him cutting through obstacles. The forest and bushes are the obstacles between him and the battle, by using the machete he clears those obstacles. He cleared the obstacle between the Divinities and their quest to find a suitable place for human to inhabit the earth. People that believe in Candomblé, pray to Ogúm when things go wrong and they cannot do much to fix it. They pray to Ogúm so he can help clear their path just as he had helped the Divinities. Ogúm is known to provide prosperity to his devotees and make their path smooth.
Conclusion

The Orishas of Candomblé help devotees with the problems of everyday life. Ogúm, the warrior Orisha, helps his devotees to clear obstacles from their and path to make the journey smoother. Ogúm's symbol is the machete, which symbolizes him clearing the path.

Work Cited
Scott, Anna Beatrice. Choreostories and Decipherments: Towards an analysis of Black citizenship in Salvador, Bahia-Brazil. 2003.

Awolalu, Omosade. Yoruba Beliefs and Sacrificial Rites. London: Longman, 1979.