The parrot feather, known as ekodide, is an important part of the ceremony of the fetish that represent the gods, and all initiates must wear it upon their foreheads.
According to a legend, there was a time long ago when the Orixas ( Gods) wished to determine who amongst them was supreme under God.
So they all went to heaven in search of the answer, each bearing a sacrificial offering atop their head.
All of them, except one.
Eshu had first gone to Ifa, the Orixa of divination, honoring Ifa with a sacrifice.
Eshu (a trickster divinity) asked what he should bring to heaven as a sacrifice for God.
Ifa ( divination divinity ) told Eshu that he should take only a single red parrot feather, ekodide, positioned upright upon his forehead, symbolizing that he was not to carry burdens.
The red parrot feather was full of Ashe, ( Sacred Power ) .
It was in this manner that Eshu went before God. Seeing this, God recognized Eshu's supremacy amongst the Orixas, and granted him the force to make all things happen.
After receiving his powers and dominion over the others, Eshu humbly offered a huge commemorative feast to show respect for God and all the Orixas.
But he warned them that those who did not recognize his status would be bent like the string upon a bow, or crushed like a shell.
The Congo African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus) is a medium-sized parrot of the genus Psittacus, endemic to primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa, and is one of the most intelligent birds.
It was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original name of Psittacus erithacus.
It is the only currently accepted species of the genus Psittacus.
The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek psittakos (ψιττακος), "parrot."
About 33 cm (13 in) long, with light grey feathers, cherry red tails, and an all black beak.
The Congo grey parrot is found on the islands of Príncipe and Bioko and is distributed from south-eastern Ivory Coast to Western Kenya, Northwest Tanzania, Southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Northern Angola.
In aviculture, it is often called a "CAG".
