Chief Yeye Gbogbo Adetutu Ọ̀súndémiládé pays homage to the woman who saved her tribe’s Sacred Groves.
ADUNNI OLORISA: Susan Wenger (also known as Adunni Olorisa) was a very notable Orisa priestess whose efforts to preserve the Osun River must be remembered by all…especially now.
She was an Austrian Artist who upon traveling to Nigeria for work fell sick with tuberculosis. At this time, she turned to the religious practices and medicine of the Yoruba which cured her completely. During her time in Nigeria, she noticed that people had begun to lose respect for Osun’s sacred grove and the river. People were hunting and fishing in the grove and desecrating the river, which Olosun know is extremely taboo.
Osun possessed Susan Wenger during this time and gave her a very specific assignment…to stay in Osogbo permanently…to be a messenger for her and to protect the river and the grove…which she did. She became an initiated priestess and lived there in Osogbo until age 93. She is now buried in the grove. She never left. Many of the carvings we see in the grove today are images of different spirits that she witnessed during the nights she spent sleeping in the grove. She reconstructed many of the ancient Orisa shrines there, and her effort and influence were so profound that in 2005, @unesco named Osun Grove a protected world heritage site.
Today, the Osun River is in danger once again. Her sweet waters have been polluted with high levels of cyanide, lead and mercury to the point where it has become unsafe to drink or bathe in the river. We are now faced with the task of continuing on the difficult work of Adunni Olorisa…only this time there are more of us. This time (thanks to technology) we are operating on a global level and ALL of Osun’s many children around the world are coming together to protect our Great Mother. This must be the last time we have to fight this kind of battle. If you haven’t already, please go to the link in my bio and sign the petition to save the Osun River. Ore Yeye Osun Osogbo ooo
Happy Ose Ifa and Osun
About Chief Yeye Gbogbo Adetutu Ọ̀súndémiládé
Chief Yeye Gbogbo Adetutu Ọ̀súndémiládé is a distinguished cultural leader and advocate for Yoruba traditions and spirituality. She holds the revered title of “Yeye Gbogbo,” signifying her status as a mother figure and custodian of Yoruba heritage. Her name, Ọ̀súndémiládé, reflects her deep connection to Ọ̀ṣun, the Yoruba deity of love, fertility, and rivers, symbolizing her role as a spiritual guide and cultural ambassador. As a Chief, she is actively involved in preserving and promoting Yoruba customs, language, and religious practices, bridging traditional African spirituality with contemporary global contexts. She is known for inspiring others to reconnect with their roots and celebrate Yoruba culture, and her contributions have made her a prominent figure in the global recognition of African indigenous knowledge systems. Follow @ifa.says
