Owon omi Ian desun
Owo Iowan niwon nawo nini
Ounje lowon niwon peni iyan
Adifa fun onyowon
Tii soma oba leyo Ajori
Nijo tin Sukun Pohun ota won lebo ill koru
Esare wa raja omoba tewa tagba ni raja onyowon
Eyara waa raja omo ba.
Aboru Aboye.
Scarce water makes us treasure trickles.
Scarce money makes us spend the small cowries.
This was the reading message given to Onyowon.
The child of king Leyo Ajori.
The day she was lamenting of no sales in her products.
Let the people rush and patronize the king's child. The young and the old buy from Onyuwon.
Let the people rush and patronize the King's child. Aboru Aboye.
The reason this Odu is called Owonrin Meji stems from the fact that it is the Odu that deals with commerce. This is more clearly stated in the saying "Kini yii rna WON o!" which means "this thing is dare/scarce! WON in Yoruba means "Scarce or dare".
In the times of the Orisas, King Ajalaye was the reigning King that had no commerce of any sort in Ileaye. It was the daughter of King Ajalaye who started trying to buy and sell. Then people would usually go on long expeditions from Aye to Orun to look for whatever they wanted or needed because there was no market to buy or sell. So Ajalaye's daughter took some clothes, food, horses and other commercial materials to the crossroad of Aye (earth) and Orun (heaven), named Ojigbo Romekun, hoping that she can make people stop going back and forth in search of what they needed and wanted. Instead people distanced themselves from her and her wares and she never sold anything. She moved from Ojigbo Romekun to Ajojona, the abode of Irunmoles and humans, yet nobody asked her for anything. She became disillusioned and frustrated and so went to Orunmila to seek guidance and help in her quest to start buying and selling rather than for everyone to keep travelling from Aye to Orun.
Orunmila asked all the previous Odu before Owonrin if they knew anything about commerce, but they all replied no. So Orunmila himself went to Olodumare and lamented to him about the situation. Olodumare then sent Odu Owonrin to explain the process and act of commerce to Orunmila. Odu Owonrin then blocked the path that people take to Orun in search of what they wanted and needed and created the first market at the crossroad of Ojigbo Romekun where Ajalaye's daughter was the first person to start selling to people of Ile-Aye. OWON OHUN TI ARI "The availability of scarce/dare things" is called Owonrin. Aboru Aboye nile Ifa!.
