HISTORY OF OYA

Who Is Oya?

Oya's winds help sustain life after the waters of Osun and Yemaya have already given life its meaning and purpose. Her winds carry pollen from one plant to another, and she is the very air we breathe — providing the correct balance of oxygen to keep all life alive and functioning. Without air, we would suffocate; no living thing on this planet, not even fish, can survive without it. Even the plant life of the sea, especially seaweed, depends on the oxygen Oya provides. Oya is, quite simply, everywhere.

Oya and Chango

Also known as Yansá, Oya is the inseparable and faithful companion of Chango — she follows him everywhere and fights at his side in every battle, often wielding two swords as his right arm. She is also known as the "evil wind" — the whirlwind, waterspout, and devastating windstorm. She was once wife to Oggún, whom Chango took her from in an act of vengeance. She was queen of Koso, crowned and celebrated, but also fierce, sharp, and unafraid to wound.

Oya is owner of the cemetery, living at its gate or nearby, and is always found alongside Obba and Yewá. Together with Elegua, Orula, and Obatala, she governs the four winds.

Sign, Day, and Colors

In the Diloggún, Oya speaks through Osá (9) — her saying holds that "your best friend is your worst enemy." In the Obí, she speaks through Oyekún and Okana, and through Mariwanga (10, 13, and 14) in the Nkobos. Her number is 9, her day is Friday, and she wears every color except black.

Her Names

Oya is known by many names across her paths: Oyá Bí, Oyá Funkó, Oyá Dumí, Oyá Mimú, Oyá Obinídodo, Oyá Ayawá, Oyá Odó, Yansá Oriri, and Oyá de Tapa. She was also queen at Koso and has a sister, Ayaó, who remains eternally virgin and is never seated in initiation.

Attributes and Tools

Oya's attributes include the iruké, lightning, the cemetery and its burials, and a skirt fashioned from handkerchiefs in nine colors representing the rainbow. She governs storm winds, the reincarnation of ancestors, and forgetfulness, and is called with the rattling sound of framboyán seeds. Her nine-pointed crown carries nine tools: hoe, pick, Ochosi's lightning bolt, scythe (guadaña), walking stick, hoe blade, rake, and axe. She wears nine copper bracelets.

Necklaces and Clothing

Oya's necklace is strung in scarlet and brown matipó beads with black and white stripes, or in lilac beads with yellow stripes — sometimes alternating in groups of nine black and white beads. Her skirts are traditionally made from dried yagua palm fronds at her seating ceremony, trimmed with mariwó fringe, alongside a separate, movable nine-colored skirt worn with a flowered gown and a multicolored headband.

Traditional Offerings

Oya cannot eat mutton or palm oil. She is offered white rice with eggplant and black-eyed pea fritters, along with young goats, doves, hens, and guinea fowl — all in black.

Honor Oya

Whether you're beginning your path with Oya or deepening a lifelong devotion, Nelstar Services has provided authentic Santeria and Lucumı́ supplies since 2003. Explore our Oya beaded necklaces, find her sacred scythe, or find full guidance in our Orisha Center.