prophecy and greetings to Okonkwo. and was about to say something when the old man continued:"Yes. and they ran for their lives.

as when she first set out
as when she first set out. saluted the spirits and began his story."Okonkwo has spoken the truth."You know what it is. was passing by the church on his way from the neighboring village. Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing. There was pounded yam and also yam pottage cooked with palm-oil and fresh fish. The cannon seemed to rend the sky.The last match was between the leaders of the teams. If they became more troublesome than they already were they would simply be driven out of the clan. ran out again and aimed at her as she clambered over the dwarf wall of the barn. If one says no to the other.Ekwefi was tired and sleepy from the exhausting experiences of the previous night. you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labor to clear. when his father walked in that night after killing Ikemefuna. waiting for the women to finish their cooking. He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough. Even the oldest men could only remember one or two other occasions somewhere in the dim past. He laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the ogene. At last the man was named and people sighed "E-u-u. and girls came from the inner compound to dance.

When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt.Mr. "Welcome. She hurried through Okonkwo's hut and went outside. The crowd followed her silently. What crime had they committed? The Earth had decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed."Unoka was like that in his last days. Soon it covered half the sky. Nothing wouldhappen to Ezinma."Take away your kola nut. And for many days this rare food was eaten with solid palm-oil." said Obierika's eldest brother. He woke up once in the middle of the night and his mind went back to the past three days without making him feel uneasy. and each hut seen from the others looked like a soft eye of yellow half-light set in the solid massiveness of night.As night fell.""Have you heard. Has he thrown a hundred men?He has thrown four hundred men. There was an immediate stir." roared Okonkwo."That will not be enough.The daughters of the family were all there.

Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. None of them was a man of title. But that was only to be expected."Leave that boy at once!" said a voice in the outer compound. Some of them were very violent." And he arranged the requisite rites and sacrifices.Nwoye's younger brothers were about to tell their mother the true story of the accident when Ikemefuna looked at them sternly and they held their peace.The drummers stopped for a brief rest before the real matches. Ani. He had felt very anxious but did not show it. Ofoedu ate slowly and talked about the locusts. and our clan can no longer act like one. How his mother would weep for joy. He searched his bag again and brought out a small. The bride's mother led the way. Another one was wailing near his right ear. The crowd roared and clapped and for a while drowned the frenzied drums. and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness. But in absence of work. and men. But it was impossible to refuse Ezinma anything.

unless it was one of the stubborn ones who returned. His eldest son." replied the white man. He sang the song again.Okonkwo sat in his obi crunching happily with Ikemefuna and Nwoye." said another. He sighed again.It was well known among the people of Mbanta that their gods and ancestors were sometimes long-suffering and would deliberately allow a man to go on defying them. He had fallen ill on the previous night. was marrying a new wife." Obierika replied sharply. She was Okonkwo's second wife Ekwefi." said Ofoedu. Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health. Then something had given way inside him. Today Okonkwo was not bringing his mother home to be buried with her people.The missionaries spent their first four or five nights in the marketplace. Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred. "What will the heathen say of us when they hear that we receive osu into our midst? They will laugh. dressed in garbs of war. sang for mercy.

The water began to boil." The three rose and went outside. "Life to you. "1 shall wait here. it would have been impossible to eat. a machete for cutting down the soft cassava stem. It might happen again this year. who had lived about two hundred years before. and so all the clan was at his funeral. Rain fell as it had never fallen before. and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. Then the metal gong sounded and the flute was blown. "who will protect us from the anger of our neglected gods and ancestors?""Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm."Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o! ??" Chielo began once again to chant greetings to her god. floated on the chaos. like a son. a thing set apart??a taboo for ever. The pit was now so deep that they no longer saw the digger. Ikemefuna came into Okonkwo's household. but to settle the dispute. and one almost heard them stretching to breaking point.

"Tortoise and Cat went to wrestle against Yams??no." Ezinma began." Ezinma said." he said."You are a big man now. the sun is shining. Unoka would play with them. "Your wife was at fault. Was it waiting to snap its teeth together? After passing and re-passing by the church. When they saw it they drove it back to its owner. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute. It was Chielo.The drums were still beating. He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children. It was a deep bag and took almost the whole length of his arm. facing the elders."He said something. He walked unsteadily to the place where the corpse was laid."Perhaps I have been away too long. also had a basket of plantains and coco-yams and a small pot of palm-oil.

Evergreen trees wore a dusty coat of brown. "It wounds my heart to see these young men killing palm trees in the name of tapping. Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. Last year neither of them had thrown the other even though the judges had allowed the contest to go on longer than was the custom. If you had been a coward. After a few more hoe-fuls of earth he struck the iyi-uwa. where he thought they must be. A man's place was not always there. "You look very tired. and who like a madman had cut the anklet of his titles and cast it away to join the Christians. All this happened many years ago.A strange and sudden weakness descended on Ekwefi as she stood gazing in the direction of the voices like a hen whose only chick has been carried away by a kite. "Yaa!". It was powerful in war and in magic.She had prayed for the moon to rise. That was the way the clan at first looked at it. It was a story of brothers who lived in darkness and in fear. "If you had been poor in your last life I would have asked you to be rich when you come again. and gave it to Ibe to fill. Because he had taken titles. and you are afraid.

Amalinze was a wily craftsman. too busy to argue. "it is this eyelid. But before they left each took back the feather he had lent to Tortoise."Everybody thanked Okonkwo and the neighbors brought out their drinking horns from the goatskin bags they carried. calling on her mother. The first day passed and the second and third and fourth. Near the barn was a small house. when he saw Nwoye among the Christians. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman. She just jogged along in a half-sleep. in a cleared spot. "that I shall bring many iron horses when we have settled down among them. beat him up and took our sister and her children away. and the smallest group had ten lines."Okonkwo brought the wine and they began to drink. and all the tragedy and sorrow of her life were packed in those words. and you can teach us the things of the new faith. I forgot to tell you another thing which the Oracle said. Some of them were accompanied by their sons bearing carved wooden stools. they take new names for the occasion.

And at last the locusts did descend."When this was interpreted to the men of Mbanta they broke into derisive laughter. Am I dead? They said I would die if i took care of twins." said another man. He had had the same kind of feeling not long ago. But this is a matter which we know. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him? Fortunately. Whenever the thought of his father's weakness and failure troubled him he expelled it by thinking about his own strength and success. Amadiora or the thunderbolt. Chielo's voice now came after long intervals. dressed in garbs of war. who were putting the last delicate touches of razor to her coiffure and cam wood on her smooth skin." His tone now changed from anger to command. If you turn against me when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. for as soon as the first rain came farming would begin. He was tall and huge. his back shining with perspiration. food and palm-wine. They faced the elders. and scorched all the green that had appeared with the rains.

he said to Okonkwo:"That boy calls you father. But before he could answer.These outcasts. Okonkwo came next and Ekwefi followed him. He would remember his own childhood. It was even said that they had hanged one man who killed a missionary. The rain became lighter and lighter until it fell in slanting showers."Whose cow was it?" asked the women who had been allowed to stay behind. Okonkwo was. who with his brothers and half-brothers had been dancing the traditional farewell to their father. If your death was the death of nature. sad and pleading. for as soon as the first rain came farming would begin. Nwayieke lived four compounds away."Bring me my bag. It is the law of our fathers. Chielo passed by. Was it not on an Eke day that they fled into Umuofia?" he asked his two companions. The glowing logs only served to light up vaguely the dark figure of the priestess. called round his neighbors and made merry.The metal gong beat continuously now and the flute.

her face streaming with tears. With the help of his mother's kinsmen he built himself an obi and three huts for his wives. Her suitor and his relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe. And such was the deep fear that their enemies had for Umuofia that they treated Okonkwo like a king and brought him a virgin who was given to Udo as wife. yet young people ran about happily picking up the cold nuts and throwing them into their mouths to melt. Of course they had all heard the bell-man. The women and children sent up a great shout and took to their heels. She was very friendly with Ekwefi and they shared a common shed in the market. Do you know how many children I have buried??children I begot in my youth and strength? Twenty-two. That showed that in time he would be able to control his women-folk. took out two leaves and began to chew them. carrying on their heads various sizes of pots suitable to their years." her mother warned as she moved near the fireplace to bring the pestle resting against the wall. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price. She nodded. gome." Obierika thought. unhappily. It all began over the question of admitting outcasts. and people came from far and near to consult it. and it was said that.

""Does the white man understand our custom about land?""How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad. What did they know about the man?" He ground his teeth again and told a story to illustrate his point. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes."It should be ready in four days or even three. We all know him.Okonkwo's prosperity was visible in his household. and because of their ash-colored shorts they earned the additional name of Ashy Buttocks. nearly all the osu in Mbanta followed their example. A sudden hush had fallen on the women. Ezeudu was the oldest man in this quarter of Umuofia.There were seven men in Obierika's hut when Okonkwo returned. Okonkwo. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother." said Obierika. But 1 thought you would need the money now and so I brought it.""In future call her into your obi.When the heat of the sun began to soften. Igwelo had a job in hand because he had married his first wife a month or two before."Okonkwo never did things by halves. But after a while this custom was stopped because it spoiled the peace which it was meant to preserve. who had taken two titles.

and a girl. Ekwefi quickly took her to their bedroom and placed her on their high bamboo bed. There were six of them and one was a white man. fantastic figures that dissolved under her steady gaze and then formed again in new shapes."How is your father?" Obierika asked. "I warned Nwankwo to keep a sharp eye and a sharp ear. The yams put on luxuriant green leaves. The rainbow began to appear. As the rains became heavier the women planted maize. the priestess. But Chielo's voice was still a long way away.The whole village turned out on the ilo." said Obierika.""Uzowulu's body." said Machi. There was a long break. She had balanced it on her head. Di-go-go-di-go-di-di-go-go floated in the message-laden night air.""Yes. taking their bride home to spend seven market weeks with her suitor's family. It was quiet and confident.

""Yes. the distance they had covered. It was already dusk when the two parties came to this agreement. men. It was even heard in the surrounding villages. by Ezeani. Uchendu's eldest daughter had come from Obodo. She continually ran into the luxuriant weeds and creepers that walled in the path." replied Okukwe." he said. His love of talk had grown with age and sickness. Nwoye passed and repassed the little red-earth and thatch building without summoning enough courage to enter.""You worry yourself for nothing."Ekwefi!" a voice called from one of the other huts. None of them was a man of title.And now the rains had really come."Okonkwo tried to explain to him what his wife had done. "they killed him and tied up his iron horse. The next morning they were roasted in clay pots and then spread in the sun until they became dry and brittle. that night."You have not eaten for two days.

in a body. An oil lamp was lit and Okonkwo tasted from each bowl. The old man bore no ill will towards Okonkwo. The barn was built against one end of the red walls.' said Tortoise. But 1 thought you would need the money now and so I brought it. and when they had seen it and thanked him. The titled men and elders sat on their stools waiting for the trials to begin. Okafo raised his right leg and swung it over his rival's head. the interpreter." asked another man. I salute you. They had then drawn patterns on them in white. Cam wood was rubbed lightly into her skin."Bring me a hoe. An animal rubs its itching flank against a tree."That is the money from your yams. It was then that the one-handed spirit came." said Obierika. He was light in complexion and his eyes were red and fiery." said Okonkwo as he rose to go.

only they did not understand him. Obierika had sent one of his relatives all the way to Umuike to buy that goat It was the one he would present alive to his in-laws. They must have used a powerful medicine to make themselves invisible until the market was full. Very often it was Ezinma who decided what food her mother should prepare. The blazing sun returned. Aninta. "As our people say. It was unbelievable. "You look very tired. Listen to me and I shall tell you. New yams could not be eaten until some had first been offered to these powers. I am Fire-that-burns-without-faggots. And you. We heard of it. Once she tripped up and fell.Ikezue held out his right hand."No. And so they each took a new name. The huge voice of the crowd then rose to the sky and in every direction.Okonkwo brought out his snuff-bottle and offered it to Ogbuefi Ezenwa. It was like a man wondering in broad daylight why a dream had appeared so terrible to him at night.

"At last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts were very happy to see them. Ezinma had not wanted to cooperate with him at first. who was the eldest of the nine sons. mother is going." He turned to Odukwe. she thought. and the children who sang songs of welcome to them. Now he is no longer my son or your brother. which was strengthened by such little conspiracies as eating eggs in the bedroom. "I have never seen such a large crowd of people.As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete.She had prayed for the moon to rise. A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete. When his wife Ekwefi protested that two goats were sufficient for the feast he told her that it was not her affair. But this is a matter which we know. But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. the medicine itself was called agadi-nwayi. "and don't allow it to boil over. At the end of it Okonkwo was fully convinced that the man was mad. There were five groups.

"they killed him and tied up his iron horse. These men must be mad.The drummers stopped for a brief rest before the real matches. was marrying a new wife. "Poor child. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breathe a breath of fire on the earth. But his fondness only showed on very rare occasions.'When Ekwefi brought the hoe. This man told him that the child was an ogbanje."No. Okonkwo had committed the female. and washed away the yam heaps.The royal python was the most revered animal in Mbanta and all the surrounding clans."Umuofia kwenu!" he roared. An evil forest was where the clan buried all those who died of the really evil diseases.All the umunna were invited to the feast. It was an ill omen. behind the crowd. She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy. usually before the age of three. So he began to plan how he would go to the sky.

All this happened many years ago. "They are pieces of wood and stone. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village. Okafo was swept off his feet by his supporters and carried home shoulder high. That also is true. emerged from her hut. Many people looked around." said Ezinma."Where have you been?" he stammered. They throw away large numbers of men and women without burial. It was only from Nwoye's mother that he heard scraps of the story."Yes.""Your chi is very much awake. We must cook quickly or we shall be late for the wrestling. "I shall carry you on my back." said Ezinma. hungry swarm. when they came. and went back to her hut. what did the mother of this duckling say when you swooped and carried its child away?' 'It said nothing. long journey.

She saw the other children with their water-pots and remembered that they were going to fetch water for Obierika's wife. Now he has won our brothers. It was full of meat and fish. like leprosy and smallpox." He was talking about Okonkwo. It was not the same Chielo who sat with her in the market and sometimes bought beancakes for Ezinma." said Nwoye. Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy. Listen to me and I shall tell you. one of those wicked children who. "on an Eke market day a little band of fugitives came into our town. He knew the names of all the birds and could set clever traps for the little bush rodents."He uncovered his second wife's dish and began to eat from it. The sickness was an abomination to the earth."Perhaps I have been away too long. calabashes and wooden bowls were thoroughly washed.Ezeudu had taken three titles in his life. astride the steaming pot. That was why Okonkwo had been Chosen by the nine villages to carry a message of war to their enemies unless they agreed to give up a young man and a virgin to atone for the murder of Udo's wife. and the women sat on a sisal mat spread on a raised bank of earth." he said sadly.

The rainy season was approaching when they would go away until the dry season returned. who suddenly gave up his trade. and then painted his big toe. afraid of your next-door neighbor. and he owed every neighbor some money. and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness. one of the people of the sky came forward and tasted a little from each pot. because it would hear. I am an old man and you are all children." he said sadly. Because of her size she made her way through trees and creepers more quickly than her followers. Some were great farmers.- one could not have known where one's mouth was in the darkness of that night. when they came. And he had all but achieved it. You stay at home. He said he was one of them.""He tapped three of my best palm trees to death. But tonight she was addressing her prophecy and greetings to Okonkwo. and was about to say something when the old man continued:"Yes. and they ran for their lives.