Obia
Healing and protective force, and the person who applies it.
Obia is the counterpart to wisi: the healing, protecting side of supernatural force in the Winti tradition.
An obia-man or obia-woman specialises in restoring balance, with herbs, baths and ritual. Where a dream leaves an unease that keeps returning, this is where the tradition would ordinarily send you.
What happens there differs by person and by line, and is not something a description can convey.
Related terms
- Kra The soul or life force of a person in the Winti tradition.
- Yorka The spirit of someone who has died; in dreams often a visit from an ancestor.
- Winti Both the Surinamese spiritual tradition and the forces recognised within it.
- Apuku Forest and nature spirits, often tied to trees, animals and wild places.
- Mama Aisa Goddess of the earth and head of all winti pantheons.
- Anana The Creator in the Winti tradition, source of all winti.
- Djodjo The supernatural parents who protect you from birth.
- Tata Bosoe Head of the water winti, ruler of rivers, creeks and the sea.
- Kromanti Warrior-like, protective force among the sky winti, tied to courage.
- Loko Winti of trees and earth, carrier of wisdom and authority.
- Bakru Small, powerful spirit beings that can protect or harm.
- Wisi Harmful magic, the opposite of obia.
- Winti-fjofjo A disturbance in the contact between a person and their own winti.
- Wintiprei A winti ceremony in which winti are honoured through song, dance and trance.
- Tata Opete Head of the air pantheon; the only winti with free access to Anana.
- Srama The divine potency of a winti; determines how close it stands to Anana.
- Bere The family line within which winti are inherited and ancestors are served.
- Boen-sé en ogri-sé The benign and harmful side that every winti carries.
- Trefu A prohibition from your winti, usually on certain food, differing from person to person.
- Takroe-sani Lower beings in which the harmful aspect dominates, used in wisi.
- Luku A consultation with a lukuman or lukuvrouw, a Winti diviner.
- Wasi A ritual herbal bath in Winti.
- Hebi watra A heavy cleansing bath that removes burden, hebi.
- Swiet watra A sweet bath with flowers, for blessing and new starts.
- Prati watra The separation bath after a death, so the yorka lets go.
- Kra tafra A meal or bath to strengthen the kra, the soul.
- Tapu Spiritual protection in Winti, for body, house or yard.
- Pai An offering to a winti.
- Sreka and teri Honouring a winti, often by giving it its clothing or jewellery.
- Bigisma The elders and ancestors, who often speak in dreams in Winti.
- Asi The person who carries a winti; literally the horse.
- Kroi In Winti, the manipulation of a partner by ritual means.
- Duman A Winti healer and expert in baths and rituals.
- Calabash A hollowed-out gourd, used in Winti to pray with water.
- Pimba White clay, used in Winti for cleansing and tribute.
- Poku The music and song of a Winti ceremony.
- Leba The winti of street and crossroads, gatekeeper and cleanser.
- Fodu Snake spirits of the earth, also called papa winti.
- Ingi The spirits of the Indigenous peoples of Suriname.
- Kotomisi The Afro-Surinamese dress of koto, jaki and angisa, and the woman who wears it.
- Angisa The starched, folded head tie worn with the koto, whose fold carries a message.
- Pangi A rectangular, colourful cloth wrapped around the body; in Winti its colour can refer to a winti.
- Apinti A carved Afro-Surinamese drum that calls the winti and once carried messages.
- Kankantri The kapok tree, in Winti a sacred tree and dwelling place of winti.