40, 41 & 42. YEMAYA

Fetish:
Yemaya resides in a blue and white soup toureen painted with large flowers.

Ornaments:
Her fetish is surrounded by a sun, a full moon, an anchor, a life preserver, a boat, seven oars, seven silver rings, a key, and a star. All of these objects are made out of silver or white base metal. Her altar is decorated with nets, sea shells, sea horses, starfish and anything to do with the sea.

Power objects:
An agbegbe, a peacock or duck feather fan decorated with mother of pearl and cowrie shells. A horsetail whisk with blue and white beads. A bell is rung when her worshippers call.

Collars:
Crystal and blue. Repeat pattern: seven crystal beads followed by seven blue beads. Then, crystal and blue alternate seven times.

Clothing:
Yemaya wears an embroidered crepe mantle. She waves her agbegbe. Her dress is navy blue and has blue and white streamers, with little tinkling bell sewn all over it. A wide cloth belt with a rhomboid stomacher goes around her waist.

Offerings:
She likes watermelons, banana chips and pork cracklings. Lamb, duck, fish.

Dances:
When Yemaya "comes down", she breaks out in loud peals of laughter. Her body moves like the waves of the ocean, first gently, then agitated as if by a storm. She proceeds to turn like a waterspout. She may mime swimming and diving into the ocean and bringing up treasures for her "children". She also mimes rowing. The other dancers circle around her. They make wavelike movements that grow faster and faster until they begin to twirl.

YEMAYA 1

so ku ta a ni/bo/a gua se/si/
e gui ma a se/re/o lo o mi/de.../

We cannot move. We come to the water.
You do good. Come.

Repeat as desired

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S           S          |S           S          |l okon.
|        O           O  |        O           O  |r

|      S           S    |      S           S    |l itot.
|O           M          |O           M          |r

|S           S          |S           S          |l iya
|    M   O       O   M  |    M   O       O      |r

Alternative (iya):

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S           S          |S           S          |l 
|    O   O       O      |    O   O       O      |r

YEMAYA 2

guo li yo a/yo ye ma ya/
guo li yo a/yo o lo mi/(rest)/

See her. We swim to Yemaya.

Repeat as desired

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S           S          |S           S          |l okon.
|        O           O  |        O           O  |r

|      S           S    |      S           S    |l itot.
|O           M          |O           M          |r

|S       S     S     S  |  S     S     S     S  |l iya
|            M          |M           M          |r

Alternative (iya):

|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &|
|S       S              |S       S              |l
|                  O    |                  O    |r

YEMAYA 3

bo da a se/su/o ki ye e ma/ya/
bo da a se/su/o ki ye e ma/ya/a
bo de pke le be/o/a gua se/si/
gue re gue re/a cho e gue/gue re gue re/
a cho e gue/gue re gue re/a cho e gue/

She creates water
Hail the mother of the fishes.
Water is mother of the fishes.
Long life to the one that flows.
We come to the flowing one dressed in leaves.
Dressed in leaves, fast.

Same as Yemaya 2