In Yoruba spirituality, Oya is a force to be reckoned with. Known as the Orisha (divine spirits in the Yoruba religion of West Africa) of storms, winds, and transformation, she is a deity of immense power. Oya embodies resistance and renewal, capable of blowing away what no longer serves and ushering in the new. In my novel, The Wind on Her Tongue, the second standalone installment of the Daughter of Three Waters trilogy after my debut, Shallow Waters, I reimagine Oya as a young woman grappling with her place in a tumultuous 19th-century America, navigating personal and collective struggles with grace, strength, and fury.
But Oya’s energy is more than just a metaphor for change.
