ɽ̃ɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˥ ].
oɽ̃uʋ̃u [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] avocado-pear, Pachy-
lobus edulis; another sort (list
of Forestry Dept.): oɽ̃uʋ̃-ɛzɛ
[ ˥ ˥ \ ˩ ] “river-pear” Pachylobus
barteri; yet another sort is:
oɽ̃uʋ̃-ũxioxio [ ˥ ˥ \ ˩ ˩ ].
osa [ ˩ ˥ ] debt; v. ɽu [ ˥ ], ɽe 1 [ ˥ ],
ʋ̃ɛ [ / ].
Osa [ ˩ ˩ ] (1) the Bini high god,
creator of the world; his worship
seems to have developed mostly
since the times of the Ɔba Ɛsigie
[ ˥ ˦ ˩ ]; he has shrines and priests
in Benin City only; the cult
was stated to be a later out-
come of the early Portugese
missionary activity developed
after the departure of the Euro-
pean missionaries. The cross
plays a rôle in the cult: the
Osa [ ˩ ˩ ] shrine at Akpakpava
[ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ] street contains a cross
and a kind of rosary, the state
sword of the Ɔba (ada [ ˥ ˥ ]) that
is used when he goes to aɽ-
xxxxx
osa [ ˩ \ ˩ ], the Osa shrine, was
said to bear a cross, and the
badges worn by participants in
the new yam fast (agwɛ [ ˩ ˩ ])
which are distributed to them by
the oh-ɔ̃sa [ ˩ \ ˩ ], the Osa priest,
are in the shape of a cross. The
three shrines in Benin City were
said to stand on the sites of
early Portuguese chapels. Osa
is often called Osanobua [ ˩ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ],
Erhaʋ̃osa [ ˥ ˩ \ ˩ ], “godfather”,
and has also the names Oɣodua
[ ˥ ˩ \ ], Ododua [ ˥ / \ ] (?), Udazi
[ ˥ / ˩ ], and Itɛbitɛ [ ˩ ˥ \ ˥ ], which
have been taken over by Chris-
tian translators. Many names
containing the word Osa [ ˩ ˩ ]
seem to be used by Christians
