ɛdo [ ˥ \ ˥ ] or [ ˥ ˥ ˦ ] Benin City;
oɽ-ogiso [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] “town of Ogiso
[ ˩ ˩ ˥ ]”: bright side of a cloud
(small children are told that
Ogiso’s town is of a similar
beauty); oɽ-egwi [ ˥ ˥ ˦ ] “town of
tortoise”: dark and ragged side
of cloud (told to small children,
probably because it is rough like
the shell of a tortoise). (2) street.
(3) outside (the house).
oɽeɽe [ ˩ \ ˩ ] a certain animal,
roots corn out a few days after
it is sown; it is believed to pray
to God by standing on its hind
legs and rubbing its fore-legs; a
hunter shooting at it at this
moment is supposed to miss it.
oɽi [ ˥ ˥ ] corncake (usually wrapped
in a big leaf); oɽi‿olɛ [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] a ball
of mud with a hole at the top
representing a servant of Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila
[ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ], the god of palm kernels
and divination.
oɽiwo [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] a shrub, “bitter-leaf”,
Vernonia amygdalina; leaf used
in a soup, v. unwɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]; oɽiw-
eni [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˦ ] (eni [ ˩ ˥ ] “elephant”)
a tree, Vernonia conferta; bark
used in the preparation of a
soup; v. unwɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
oɽo [ ˩ ˥ ] a coral bead hat, pointed
in the middle, worn by the Ɔba
and Ezɔmɔ [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ]; some other
chiefs (Osuã [ ˥ ˩ ] and Ɔsa [ ˥ ˩ ])
substitute a woven hat (from
the uɽua [ ˩ ˩ ] palm) for it; the
latter wear the oɽo every time
they go to the Ɛguae [ ˩ ˩ ].
oɽo [ ˥ ˩ ] secret practices (referring
e.g. to such practices in witch-
craft, the worship of gods, ugie
[ ˩ ˩ ], and to the “bull-roaring”
as practised by the Ɔvia [ ˩ ˥ ]-
society); cf. Yor. oro [ ˧ ˩ ].
