his own greatness. He was greatly shocked and swore to beat Ekwefi if she dared to give the child eggs again. silencing him.""That is very true.

Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy
Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy. It was a great feast. or the teeth of an old woman. the harvest of the previous year." came the voice like a sharp knife cutting through the night.Okonkwo was given a plot of ground on which to build his compound. To show affection was a sign of weakness. Nwoye's mind had gone immediately to Nwayieke. He tried not to think about Ikemefuna. And so he killed her. He then adjusted his cloth. Drums beat violently and men leaped up and down in frenzy." said the young man Who had been sent by Obierika to buy the giant goat "There are so many people on it that if you threw up a grain of sand it would not find a way to fall to earth again. And so people said he had no respect for the gods of the clan. like a solitary walker at night who passes an evil spirit an the way. every man with his goatskin bag hung on one shoulder and a rolled goatskin mat under his arm. "How dare you."Yes. His visitor was amazed. And so although Okonkwo was still young. Amikwu."Go home and sleep. holding her breasts with her hands to stop them flapping noisily against her body.

The two judges were already moving forward to separate them when Ikezue. He was to be called All oj you. What would she do when they got to the cave? She would not dare to enter. The villagers were so certain about the doom that awaited these men that one or two converts thought it wise to suspend their allegiance to the new faith.Even in his first year in exile he had begun to plan for his return. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. for in spite of the palm fruit hung across the mouth of the pot to restrain the lively liquor. If it does its power will be gone. Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. folded her arms across her breast and sighed. Could he remember them all? He would tell her about Nwoye and his mother."As he was speaking the boy returned. "1 have brought you this little kola. His wives wept bitterly and their children wept with them without knowing why. Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred. Ezinma placed her mother's dish before him and sat with Obiageli." said Ekwefi. I have waited in vain for my wife to return. There were six of them and one was a white man. It had to be done slowly and carefully. The dark top soil soon gave way to the bright red earth with which women scrubbed the floors and walls of huts. and saw those who stood or sat next to them. The sun breaking through their leaves and branches threw a pattern of light and shade on the sandy footway.

There were nine of them. but they all refused. It was a great feast. that Ekwensu. they became the lords of the land. long way from home. Ogbuefi Ugonna had thought of the Feast in terms of eating and drinking. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools.Ekwefi peeled the yams quickly. 'You have done very well. not even about the terrors of night. "Mother Kite once sent her daughter to bring food." he said. The muscles on their arms and their thighs and on their backs stood out and twitched."I have kola. A sickly odor hung in the air wherever he went. with sticks.Ezeudu had taken three titles in his life. and in the end they were received by them They asked for a plot of land to build on. Even those which Nwoye knew already were told with a new freshness and the local flavor of a different clan.So when the daughter of Umuofia was killed in Mbaino. Ezinma shook every tree violently with a long stick before she bent down to cut the stem and dig out the tuber. The priestess in those days was a woman called Chika.

as her mother had been called in her youth. Evil Forest represented the village of Umueru. And in a clear unemotional voice he told Umuofia how their daughter had gone to market at Mbaino and had been killed. It was in fact one of them who in his zeal brought the church into serious conflict with the clan a year later by killing the sacred python. they have killed me!" as he ran towards him. calling him "Our father."The crowd roared with laughter."Tortoise turned to the birds and said: 'You remember that my name is All of you. But she refused them all. A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family. You are a great man in your clan." said Ezinma. which was only broken when a new palm frond was lifted on to the wall or when a busy hen moved dry leaves about in her ceaseless search for food. At the end they decided. That was a favorite saying of children.' he said as they flew on their way." And he told him what an osu was."Tortoise turned to the birds and said: 'You remember that my name is All of you. And so they killed him. Many of them spoke at great length and in fury. you can tell a ripe corn by its look. eating the peelings."Ekwefi.

Do not bear a hand in his death. I owe them no yams. which.""That is very true.""You worry yourself for nothing. "all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky. watching." said one man. Now and again the cannon boomed. Many of these messengers came from Umuru on the bank of the Great River. A vague chill had descended on him and his head had seemed to swell. became for Ekwefi mere physical agony devoid of promise. But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. had asked Ear to marry him."Odukwe was short and thickset. she prayed a thousand times."He was not an albino. Uzowulu should recover from his madness and come in the proper way to beg his wife to return she will do so on the understanding that if he ever beats her again we shall cut off his genitals for him. Okonkwo's gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart. Obiageli.' said Mother Kite. "It pleases me to see a young man like you these days when our youth has gone so soft. The daughters of the clan did not return to their homes immediately but spent two more days with their kinsmen.

I shall give you twice four hundred yams. food was presented to the guests. Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. who came out of her hut to draw water from a gigantic pot in the shade of a small tree in the middle of the compound."Come and show me the exact spot."But this particular night was dark and silent. He tried in vain to force the thought out of his mind."No. "I marvel at what the Lord hath wrought."When he killed Oduche in the fight over the land. and terror seized her. I have waited in vain for my wife to return."In her hut. and the smell of burning hair blended with the smell of cooking." and on each occasion he faced a different direction and seemed to push the air with a clenched fist." said Obierika. might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springywalk of Okonkwo. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village. for you people. Almost immediately the women came in with a big bowl of foo-foo. He had therefore put his drinking-horn into his goatskin bag for the occasion. But before he could answer. If we were all afraid of blood.

We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. It was there that her third child was born and circumcised on the eighth day." answered his first wife. Even the very little children seemed to know. 'but tell me. fifth and sixth years.But somehow Okonkwo could never become as enthusiastic over feasts as most people. It was as quick as the other two. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. I know what it is to ask a man to trust another with his yams. "That boy calls you father. Only then did she realize." He put it down to his inflexible will. That was in fact the reason why he had come to see Unoka. I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku.These outcasts. "People traveled more in those days. Nwoye.One day a neighbor called Okoye came in to see him. do you know me?""How can I know you. 'Don't touch!'But when I hold her waist-beads she pretends not to know. It is good in these days when the younger generation consider themselves wiser than their sires to see a man doing things in the grand. But Ekwefi could not see her.

let him follow Nwoye now while I am alive so that I can curse him. Then everything had been broken. He does not belong here. who clung to her. But everybody knew that he was going to die and Aneto got his belongings together in readiness to flee. Her name was Nneka. which was now surrounded by spectators. and allowed a murmur of suppressed anger to sweep the crowd. That was always the trouble with Okeke's snuff. "Yaa!"."Do you know Ogbuefi Ndulue?" Ofoedu asked." she said. All others stood except those who came early enough to secure places on the few stands which had been built by placing smooth logs on forked pillars. "It is not to pay you back for all you did for me in these seven years. her moments of depression when she would snap at everybody like an angry dog. He stepped forward."After kola nuts had been presented and eaten." said Ekwefi. I have come to pay you my respects and also to ask a favor.Okonkwo brought out his snuff-bottle and offered it to Ogbuefi Ezenwa."Okonkwo tried to explain to him what his wife had done."He sprang to his feet.""That is why the drum has not been beaten to tell Umuofla.

Onwumbiko was not given proper burial when he died. and he was not afraid of war. A few moments later he went behind the hut and began to vomit painfully. When his wife Ekwefi protested that two goats were sufficient for the feast he told her that it was not her affair. and they closed in. And that could not be.The year that Okonkwo took eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie was the worst year in living memory. Then the bride. Okagbue worked tirelessly and in silence. or God's house. and very strong." answered his first wife. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long time." said Obierika. the women who had gone for red earth returned with empty baskets. it was in large. whose eyes."Come and show me the exact spot.""There is no song in the story. which only made the darkness more profound. but the ekwe carried the news to all the nine villages and even beyond. but he had never yet come across them. It was powerful in war and in magic.

Njide." He went away to his hut and Ekwefi began to tend the medicine pot almost as if it was itself a sick child. and perhaps other women as well. He began to wonder why he had felt uneasy at all. he said to Okonkwo:"That boy calls you father.When she had shaken hands. stood immediately behind the only gate in the red walls." said Ogbuefi Ezeudu. but its vigor was undiminished. It was not the mad logic of the Trinity that captivated him. Most communal ceremonies took place at that time of the day. The clan was worried. and so the victim could not be buried in her bowels. They came to discover what the future held for them or to consult the spirits of their departed fathers. In the other group were her husband." she began. Ikemefuna called him father."Two years ago. He heaved a heavy sigh and went away with the gun. "Beware of exchanging words with Agbala." he swore. Brown. The women had come to the church with empty waterpots.

so she cupped her right hand to shelter the flame." said Okonkwo. someone else rose and filled it. The moon must be preparing to rise. looked forward to the New Yam Festival because it began the season of plenty??the new year. 'It cried and raved and cursed me. It was full of meat and fish.""That is so. "Whoever has a job in hand. Okonkwo looked away. Then the metal gong sounded and the flute was blown. If we should try to drive out the white men in Umuofia we should find it easy." At the same time the priestess also said. It might happen again this year."Do you think you are cutting up yams for cooking?" he asked Nwoye. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation. "If you split another yam of this size. And he went. before they finally left for their village. Ezinma rushed out of the hut. She had about three teeth and was always smoking her pipe. "One of the young children had opened the gate of the cow-shed. He would remember his own childhood.

Why had Okonkwo withdrawn to the rear? Ikemefuna felt his legs melting under him. 'Ogbuefi Ndulue. Ekwefi brought her to the fireplace. She shut her eyes for a while and opened them again in an effort to see.""It is indeed true. Earth's emissary. His name was Maduka. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breathe a breath of fire on the earth. thirty-five. and all over her body were black patterns drawn with uli. Obierika sent word that the two huts had been built and Okonkwo began to prepare for his return. and his children after him. And so Tortoise ate the best part of the food and then drank two pots of palm-wine. 'but tell me. and it seldom did. The drums went mad and the crowds also. Ani. "We will go with you to meet those cowards. These court messengers were greatly hated in Umuofia because they were foreigners and also arrogant and high-handed. But although it had happened so long ago. He is an exile."Yes. A sickly odor hung in the air wherever he went.

Each of Uchendu's five sons contributed three hundred seed-yams to enable their cousin to plant a farm. if they were stubborn.And the little church was at that moment too deeply absorbed in its own troubles to annoy the clan. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping. who had brought it from her mother's hut."Everybody in the assembly spoke. as she had accepted others??with listless resignation." said his daughter Ezinma when she brought the food to him. for in spite of their worthlessness they still belonged to the clan. dressed in garbs of war. whom she called "my daughter. and so have Uchendu and Unachukwu and Emefo.""Very true. "and yet he is full of sorrow because he has come to live in his motherland for a few years. but never heard its voice. Is it right that you. but Okonkwo sat unmoved.The wrestlers were now almost still in each other's grip. and through these Okonkwo passed the rope. The birds were silenced in the forests." said another. Ekwefi. "But I cannot understand these things you tell me.

How else could they say that Ani and Amadiora were harmless? And Idemili and Ogwugwu too? And some of them began to go away. mother is going. Was it waiting to snap its teeth together? After passing and re-passing by the church. he had gone to consult the Oracle. She buried her face in her lap and waited. Such a man was Ogbuefi Ugonna. The way he said it sent cold fear down Ikemefuna's back.Ezinma was an only child and the center of her mother's world.Obierika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. but he had not expected he would be so generous." But she could not.Okonkwo's head was bowed in sadness as Obierika told him these things. But he was always uncomfortable sitting around for days waiting for a feast or getting over it. He had not hoped to get more than four hundred seeds." he said sadly. It was only after the pot had been emptied that the suitor's father cleared his voice and announced the object of their visit. They made single mounds of earth in straight lines all over the field and sowed the yams in them. "1 have brought you this little kola. When the pot fell down and broke she burst out laughing. self-assured and confident. every man with his goatskin bag hung on one shoulder and a rolled goatskin mat under his arm."Uzowulu's body. Ezinma's voice soon faded away and only Chielo was heard moving farther and farther into the distance.

Onwumbiko was not given proper burial when he died. the god of yams. therefore. holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him. Unoka loved the good hire and the good fellowship. the people of the sky set before their guests the most delectable dishes Tortoise had even seen or dreamed of.. who saw only its back with the many-colored patterns and drawings done by specially chosen women at regular intervals. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars. Nwoye's mother went to him and placed her hands on his chest and on his back.Ekwefi was tired and sleepy from the exhausting experiences of the previous night. Ekwefi mopped her with a piece of cloth and she lay down on a dry mat and was soon asleep.""What has happened to that piece of land in dispute?" asked Okonkwo. the emanation of the god of water. The pot fell and broke in the sand. where he thought they must be." said Okonkwo. and ate up all the wild grass in the fields. quietly and deliberately. Never make an early morning appointment with a man who has just married a new wife. They will not allow us into the markets.Obierika was a man who thought about things. like a hunter's dog that suddenly goes mad and turns on his master.

It told of one sheep out on the hills." replied Okonkwo. He died of the swelling which was an abomination to the earth goddess. almost overnight. When he finished his kola nut he said:"The things that happen these days are very strange. The rainy season was approaching when they would go away until the dry season returned." she said. Ekwefi was reassured. The elders of the clan replied. And he did pounce on people quite often. Nwoye. Evil Forest represented the village of Umueru. The priestess was now saluting the village of Umuachi. Obierika. and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back. "I shall survive anything. were fixed on her."What is iyi-uwa?" she asked in return. Do you know how many children I have buried??children I begot in my youth and strength? Twenty-two. suddenly found an outlet. and in a basket beside her were green vegetables and beans. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. leaving what we are cooking to burn in the fire.

" said her mother. away from the crowd. His mother's kinsmen had been very kind to him. but they had never in all their lives heard of women being debarred from the stream. he had begun even in his father's lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future. But Ezinma had seen clearly all the thought and hidden meaning behind the few words. "Life to you. Obiageli.As the men drank. The clan was worried. It was like the market." said Machi. Ekwefi hurried to the main footpath and turned left in the direction of the voice. Many years ago another egwugwu had dared to stand his ground before him and had been transfixed to the spot for two days. and Ikemefuna. "the goddess of the earth. They were mostly the kind of people that were called efulefu. and to soften his heart with a song of the suffering of the sons of men. The chalk women also returned to tell a similar story.Then the missionaries burst into song. in silence. The two judges were already moving forward to separate them when Ikezue."As they spoke Ezinma emerged from the hut.

Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed. The saying of the elders was not true??that if a man said yea his chi also affirmed. "You are not a stranger in Umuofia. He then roused Ezinma and placed her on the stool. He asked the birds to take a message for his wife. Ezinma. Alone Nnadi is cooking and eating."Who are the young men with you?" he asked as he sat down again on his goatskin. machetes.He wanted him to be a prosperous man. But you will never hear." Okonkwo threatened. the god of yams. It was said that when such a spirit appeared. women and children. my friend. It was like a wedding feast. She was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of her coming. had gone to consult Agbala." They all laughed. leaving what we are cooking to burn in the fire. The world was now peopled with vague. let his wing break.

They guarded the prison. younger men gave way and the tumult subsided. and men dashed about in frenzy. when he saw Nwoye among the Christians. Ekwefi was reassured. So I shall ask you to come again the way you came before. occasionally feeling with her palm the wet. Mosquito. Okonkwo's house was on the way to the stream."Don't be afraid. and in its place a sort of smile hovered. Igwelo had a job in hand because he had married his first wife a month or two before."We had meant to set out from my house before cockcrow. The lad's name was Ikemefuna. gods of wood and stone. the feasting and fellowship of the first day or the wrestling Contest of the second. Neither of the other wives had.The drummers took up their sticks and the air shivered and grew tense like a tightened bow. Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long time. Once he got up from bed and walked about his compound. conversing with his father in low tones."Yes." said Okonkwo as he rose to go.

Those were good days when a man had friends in distant clans. And ten thousand men answered "Yaa!" each time. But the really exciting moments were when a man was thrown. Once upon a time there was a great famine in the land of animals. woman. On ordinary days young women who desired children came to sit under its shade." Okonkwo said to himself again." said Okonkwo. All the grass had long been scorched brown. But it turned out to be even bigger than we expected."It should be ready in four days or even three. Kiaga stopped them and began to explain. He was like the man in the song who had ten and one wives and not enough soup for his foo-foo.Ogbuefi Ezeudu. Then he burst out:"Never kill a man who says nothing. which was fastened to the rafters. deeply. But two years later when a son was born he called him Nwofia??"Begotten in the Wilderness. and Obiageli told her mournful story. neither early nor late. the troublesome nanny goat. And this was the message. He would remember his own childhood.

And if they could not help in digging up the yams.She set the pot on the fire and Okonkwo took up his machete to return to his obi. was quite harmless. "Let us hear Odukwe. and flies went with him. "Look at those lines of chalk.""You were very much like that yourself. She placed Ezinma carefully on the bed and went away without saying a word to anybody.Ikemefuna came to Umuofia at the end of the carefree season between harvest and planting. It was a gay and airy kind of rain. They cross seven rivers to make their farms. It was said that he wore glasses on his eyes so that he could see and talk to evil spirits. "He hardly ever walks. She turned round sharply and walked through Okonkwo's hut. I am not afraid of work. It was indeed the shrine of a great god. In the end the fearless ones went near and even touched him.But there were many others who saw the situation differently. It was true they were rescuing twins from the bush."Ezeudu!" he called in his guttural voice." the medicine man told Okonkwo in a cool. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you.' said the birds when they had heard him.

unless it was one of the stubborn ones who returned. "What kind of lover sleeps with a pregnant woman?" There was a loud murmur of approbation from the crowd. His name was Uchendu. Nwoye remembered this period very vividly till the end of his life. "I shall carry you on my back.""I pray she stays. and." said Obierika. And so they arrived home again. which was only broken when a new palm frond was lifted on to the wall or when a busy hen moved dry leaves about in her ceaseless search for food." He sipped his wine. Everyone was puzzled. Like all good farmers." she said. She placed Ezinma carefully on the bed and went away without saying a word to anybody."As soon as he entered his last year in exile Okonkwo sent money to Obierika to build him two huts in his old compound where he and his family would live until he built more huts and the outside wall of his compound. and the dry."Ekwefi. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. but they had never in all their lives heard of women being debarred from the stream. fantastic figures that dissolved under her steady gaze and then formed again in new shapes."Whose cow was it?" asked the women who had been allowed to stay behind. That woman.

my friend.Just then the distant beating of drums began to reach them."Having spoken plainly so far. He can curse the gods of his fathers and his ancestors. Okonkwo rose to speak. Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. She felt cold. Age was respected among his people. Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits."It was my husband's. He did not cry. The next morning they were roasted in clay pots and then spread in the sun until they became dry and brittle. The palm fronds were helpless in keeping them back. Ezinma went with her and helped in preparing the vegetables.- he was full of cunning. blowing it with her breath. How could he know that his father had taken a hand in killing a daughter of Umuofia? All he knew was that a few men had arrived at their house. They sat in a half-moon. "You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness. He was greatly shocked and swore to beat Ekwefi if she dared to give the child eggs again. silencing him.""That is very true.