YamsCornPalm oilThe first fruitA share of the harvest
Invocation Approach
Tone
Plain and steadfast
Address
Orisha OkoLord of the FarmOwner of the Field
Relationship
The one who makes the soil answer
Warning
He does not bless a field nobody works
Resonance
Farmers gardeners those who live by the harvest
Symbols
HoeYamFarmThe heap of yamsThe first fruits
Mythology Summary
Orisha Oko is the orisha of agriculture and of the farm, the owner of the field and the one offered the first fruits of the harvest; the hoe and the yam are his. In Cuba he is Oricha Oko, syncretised with San Isidro Labrador (15 May), the farmer saint, and his cult there is small and rural. The tradition's account is that the field must be worked before it is blessed, and the first fruits belong to him. He is one of the orishas who own the earth.
Modern Practice
Orisha Oko is served at the field with yams, corn, palm oil and a share of the harvest, and his practice is the first-fruit offering and the blessing of the farm. The Cuban feast of San Isidro (15 May) is his public observance in the diaspora. He is called on by farmers and gardeners, not for 'abundance' in general.