In Process photos by C. Pennington
Not for Sale / Private Collection
Oshun has two bird forms; one is the beautiful Peacock with its tail of glittering eyes and amazing color. The other is the Vulture, plain and dark and flesh-headed. In an act of great sacrifice, Oshun helped to save her people from suffering and won the right to both her Peacock and Vulture forms.
Vulture is courage and sacrifice.
In the patakis (tribal stories) of Oshun it is told how great pain and suffering came to the people. Orixia after Orixa tried to fly up through the highest cloud layers to reach Oludumare, the Highest of all Powers, to seek his help, but none could succeed. At last, grieving for the suffering of her people, Oshun vowed to try. Up she flew, higher and higher and higher. Past the clouds she few, past the wind and rain, till all there was blinding, burning sun. And still she flew on. She would not give up, though the pain of her flight was devastating. And her strength and perseverance brought her at last to the seat of Oludumare, but at a terrible cost. Her glorious cloak of blue and green feathers was burned away.
She was black and bruised and her scalp was burned to pale pink flesh. Oludumare saw Oshun and marveled at what she had accomplished. He heard her pleas for the people and then, in honor of her sacrifice, he granted her both the Peacock of beauty and the Vulture of Strength to show the world what she was capable of achieving. In another story, Oshun would become Queen in truth, not just in her heart.
The feathers of Vulture’s wings were hand sewn in several layers, both back and front, following the color markings of a standard adult vulture: black on the outside, with patches of white on the underside of the wings, and just a hint of blue at the neck. The talons on her feet where sculpted of air drying clay and then painted and sealed with acrylic varnish. Her mask was molded to fit her face and then sculpted and painted into a shamanistic ideal of vulture. And finally her whole body was singed with flame to simulate the pain and effort of her flight through the heavens.
Vulture was blessed by an Avatar of Oshun during a Headwashing ceremony for an Oshun child in May 2007. Axe O’ Oshun!
