Whose Creation?
Yoruba traditions disagree about the creation, and the disagreement is part of the story's history. In many tellings, especially those associated with Obatala's worshippers, Obatala himself spreads the land. In the Ife tradition followed here, Obatala fails through palm wine and Oduduwa completes the task, becoming the first ruler of Ife and ancestor of the Yoruba kingdoms. Samuel Johnson's The History of the Yorubas (completed 1897, published 1921) also records an Oyo tradition that brings Oduduwa from the east. None of these is the single correct version.
In the beginning, there was only water—endless, dark, primordial waters stretching in all directions. Above sat Olodumare in the heavens with the Orishas.
Olodumare summoned Obatala, the wisest Orisha, and gave him a golden chain, a calabash filled with soil, a five-toed chicken, and a palm nut. "Descend," said Olodumare, "and create dry land where humans may live."
Obatala began his descent, but along the way he stopped at a feast where palm wine flowed freely. He drank deeply and fell into a stupor, his sacred mission forgotten.
Seeing this, Olodumare sent Oduduwa to complete the work. Oduduwa took the chain, the calabash, and the chicken from his sleeping brother and descended to the waters below. He poured out the soil onto the waters and set the chicken upon it. The bird scratched and spread the soil in all directions, creating vast expanses of dry land.
Where Oduduwa first touched the earth became Ile-Ife, the sacred city, the navel of the world. There he planted the palm nut, which grew into the tree of life. There he established the first kingdom, becoming the ancestor of all Yoruba rulers.
When Obatala awoke and discovered what had happened, he was filled with shame. Olodumare, in mercy, gave him dominion over the creation of human bodies—though he must never drink palm wine while doing so.
Ife Today
The Ooni of Ife, the city's king, is regarded as Oduduwa's successor, and Ile-Ife remains the spiritual centre for Yoruba people and for many Orisha devotees across the Atlantic. Oduduwa's association with kingship explains why so many Yoruba rulers traced their authority to his sons, who were said to have founded the other kingdoms. Obatala's prohibition on palm wine, and the white cloth of his worshippers, keep the memory of his failure and his forgiveness alive in practice.