Shokunin - an active attitude to your skill and craft.

I really like the Japanese idea of Shokunin, where you practice your craft with diligence and precision, striving for you to work your best for the betterment of the person and the process.

“The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning.  The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people.  This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.” – Tasio Odate

Mazo for Oshalufon

This is a large and ornate mazo for Obatala Oshalufon. It has eight houses, each featuring a different mother of pearl centre bead. Oshalufon is the Obatala that is married to Yembo. He is one of the four guardians enlisted by Olofin in the creation of the earth. The mazo uses Czech glass beads in white, "soap" (alabaster), silver, silver-lined crystal beads, mother of pearl and bone. 

Akuaro, Okuti and Oshagriñan elekes

These are some elekes I made for a friend in California. 

The first is a double stranded Oshun Ibu Akuaro necklace.

Ibu Akuaro

Ibu Akuaro

Ibu Akuaro

Ibu Akuaro

Ibu Akuaro

Obatala Oshagriñan / Oshagyian/ Osha Ogiyan

Oshagriñan

Yemaya Ibu Okuti / Ogunte

Yemaya Okuti

Okuti

Okuti

Okuti

Net for Shango

This is a huge net ("maya" in Spanish) for Shango's bowl and mortar. It is approximately 45 inches tall and was made with multiple strands hanging from the diamond shapes made by the beaded strands in the net.

Inshe Osanyin Oshun and Osain

This is another post in the series on inshe Osanyins. The first is a beaded gourd in honour of Oshun Ibu Ponda, and the second is a small inshe for Osanyin/Osain himself, hence it is beaded completely in multicoloured beads.

Asohano's Ha and Kacha

Asohano - Babalu Aye uses a straw broom to clean people and restore health. The ha (ha is a Fon word meaning broom) is made from palm fibers. Within the beaded handle part is an elaborate concoction that is wrapped in cloth imbibing the straw broom with the power to heal. The ha is handled and manipulated in different ways. The kacha is a a wristband that also contains a sacred bundle of medicine that is wrapped in burlap and goatskin and then decorated with beads and cowries. It is consecrated, along with the ha when receiving Babalu.

The ha and kacha here are beaded for the path of Asohano called Asunege or Osunege.

Inshe Osanyin

Over the course of time you may see this blog being biased on things for Inle. He is my head orisha and  I make a lot of things for him not often seen. Below are "inshe Osanyins" for Inle, specifically for children of Inle, or Inle de cabecera, the extras that accompany the orisha. An inshe Osanyin litterally means a "working of Osanyin/Osain" the orisha of flora, medicine and magic. They are ritually prepared bundles of organic materials, often called "medicine" comprising of things such as herbs, roots, gems, seeds, feathers, pinches of dirt from various places, water collected from the sea, lagoon and so on. The ingredients are housed in a gourd, sealed with virgin beeswax and beaded in the colours of the orishas and with sections for Osanyin (the multicoloured parts). They are then "washed" and "fed" and live with the orisha. Osanyins can be made for specific purposes. Sometimes an orisha will require that one is made for him or her through divination. Some specific paths of the orisha will require inshe Osanyins, or charged dolls as part of their religious coterie.
Often, a person that has been initiated as a priest will learn more about their particular paths / caminos of their own orishas as revealed through ita and then set about, over time, making the items that the specific paths require. Examples that come to mind: Oshun Ibu Kole requires a gourd that hangs either above her vessel or at the front door. Some roads of Elegba require charged wooden statues, Ogun requires a charged horn, Obatala Alaguema requires a charged statue and so on.

Agogo Oduduwa

This is an agogo (sacred bell) used in the worship of Oduduwa. Oduduwa or Oddua is an orisha funfun (white orisha), he is the closest Lucumi deity we have to Olodumare. The difference between Oduduwa and Olofin in the Lukumi religion is that Oduduwa set foot on the earth, Olofin did not.
Odua's agogo is comprised of 8 bells, 4 on each end of a metal scepter. It is rung in a solemn cadence. I beaded the handle using bone, ivory and white and darker shades of real mother of pearl beads. The path of Oduduwa this agogo was beaded for also takes accents of black, red and green.

Oya's vainas

This is Oya's  sacred musical instrument, used to call the presence of the deity of transformation to be present. It is the seed pod of the flamboyán tree (Delonix regia) which has beautiful flame-red flowers when in season. The pod acts like an ashere (rattle) unique to Oya. 
I get a particular enjoy making these vainas as the colours are wonderful. Oya traditionally takes the maroon beads with white and black stripes. She also takes 9 colours, which can be of any hue. When I make a vaina, I select a seedpod that has a great sound when shaken. I then embellish the vaina in a velvety copper base colour. I then bead a tight net of beads that include Czech beads, copper metal, semi-precious and red coral beads. The finish vaina includes many glittering, highly polished beads that give the piece a lot of sparkle as befits Oya.

Oshun Akuaro ide

This is a new ide made for an old friend who is about to crown his second Oshun. Oshun Akuaro, also called Aparo or Acuaro is Oshosi's wife. She is a hunter and uses a net. She also takes the skins of birds, such as the quail and pheasant. There are several different ways of making the beads for this path of Oshun, my favourite is this one that incorporates mother of pearl and green. I think it is very elegant.

The ide is ten strands, Czech glass beads, gold, mother of pearl and red coral in various sizes