Oko (orisha)

Oko, also known as Ocô in Brazil, is an Orisha worshipped by the Yoruba people of Nigeria and the Benin Republic. According to stories, he was a strong hunter and farming deity, as well as a fighter against sorcery. He is associated with the annual new harvest of the Dioscorea cayennensis [subsp. rotundata|white African yam]. Among the deities, he was considered a close friend of Oosa, Ogiyan and Shango, as well as a one-time husband of Oya and Yemoja. Bees are said to be the messengers of Oko.
In Brazilian Candomblé, he represents one of the Orishas of agriculture, together with Ogum. According to Prandi, Oko songs and myths are remembered, but their presence in celebrations is rare. In his representation, he had a wooden staff, played a flute of bones, and wore white. Oko is syncretized with Saint [Isidore the Laborer|Saint Isidore] among Cuban orisha practitioners of Santería and Regla de Ocha.