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AJE OLOKUN THE WEALTH GODDESS ORIGINATION AT AJE FESTIVAL 2020 IN ILE IFE….as Iyalaje of the Source, Chief Dr. Toyin Kolade takes Aje Festival to greater heights.
We cannot talk about Aje without tracing her origination. In IFA corpus Olokun married 200 wives who could not bear him children. Olokun became worried, so he consulted IFA through the IFA priest for reasons behind his childlessness. IFA divination revealed to Olokun by the IFA priest was that Olokun should provide 200 rats, 200 fishes,200 birds, 200 goats, 200 cowries and all materials sacrifice should be in 200 fold each. Olokun complied with IFA’s order and in meantime,all his wives gave birth to a child each. All Olokun children are two hundred in number.
Aje was the first born of Olokun, Aje is a female goddess as most of other river goddess are female too. Each of this female goddess married in their place of residence. Ori-Destiny created Aje at Ode Ibini as other deity were created in their different abodes. When all Olokun children lived their life and completed their journey in their various destiny as destiny created them, they all returned to Olokun who is their father, Aje also returned to her father. When Aje,s mother, Tenisa died and was about to be buried at Apa Okun Ilameji Tosa, Aje bursted and her body parts splited, some went inside Water, Palm tree, some on leaves, some on animals, sands,stones,and soil where people dig till today for gold, diamond and so many mineral resources.
The parts on palm tree gives palm oil,broom, and basket. These are economic backbone for life since those days till now. The reason why most people mentioned AjeOlokun regarding wealth, Olokun is Aje’s father. Aje’s fame got to the white people, the white people came in ships with hand made product to entitled forefathers in exchange for Aje in our domain. When the whites people arrived they first docked at Apa, a place close to Badagry but before their arrival the monarch of Apa, Oba Alapa had consulted IFA for divination of unforeseen circumstances. IFA instructed him to make sacrifices. The white came to Apa immediately after the sacrifices were made and gave Oba Alapa of Apa kingdom so much gifts. This is the reason why it been said that “Oyinbo wole Apa O, Ewa wo Ide, Ewa wo Ileke”. The IFA priest who consulted IFA for Oba Alapa at that time was “AFIJAGIDIGIDIGBERU” according to the IFA corpus.
IFA corpus on Aje state…
Ewe ju lori isu,
Akuro ju lorun ebe,
Adifa fun Aje,
Aje nti Ile orun bo waye,
Adifa fun enia onti Ile orun bo waye,
Adifa fun Omo tuntun, Omo tuntun nti Ile orun bo waye,
Adifa fun Irinwo Irunmole Ajikotun,
Adifa fun Igba Irunmole Ajikosi,
Adifa fun Oba, Oba nti orun bo waye,
Won ni ki won kara nile, ebo ni ki won se,
Aje o iwo ni iya Oba,
Aje o iwo ni iya eni,
Aje o iwo ni iya omo tuntun,
Aje o iwo ni iya Orisa,
Aje jowo ye o, gbogbo wa to dobale,
Aje mabo lodo mi, mi ole nikan sele aye,
Ero Opo, Ero Ofa,
Sebi ere Aje lan sa kiri,
When Aje was delivered at Olokun abode through Olokun’s wife called Tenisa who is the mother of Aje. In times of old, Aje claimed other human being cannot live comfortably without her as this resulted to competition. Aje the goddess of wealth competed furiously with other human beings and afflicted them with penury that time, no money for feeding, body grooming and clothing.
Human being became hunger stricken, sickly and death started taking them one by one. Even an infant competed with Aje claiming superiority, precious and valuable than Aje, when infant parents could not care for an infant to live properly, infant died.Kings could not get Aje due to his ego on Aje that he is more superior, the king died. Ogun contend with Aje, Ogun could not get money to buy dog likewise Sango could not get money to buy ram. They inquire from Orunmila what the problem was, Orunmila consulted IFA Oke Ipori and got revelation that Aje was furious. Orunmila informed those that could not get money to make sacrifice with beans cake, honey, White sheep, white pigeon, white clothes and banana to appease Aje the goddess of wealth. Aje was appeased and ceased from fury. Aje is very essential in the life of everyone and in most cases they appease Aje’s father Olokun before offering sacrifice to the goddess of wealth for better results. That’s the reason many called Aje together with her father name, AJE OLOKUN THE WEALTH GODDESS.