there.When they had all gathered.Okonkwo sat in his obi crunching happily with Ikemefuna and Nwoye.

Those who were big enough to carry even a few yams in a tiny basket went with grown-ups to the farm
Those who were big enough to carry even a few yams in a tiny basket went with grown-ups to the farm. She knelt on her knees and hands at the threshold and called her husband. Then he began to speak. A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete."Don't cry. and asking it if it had brought home any lengths of cloth. and girls came from the inner compound to dance. which was fastened to the rafters. He had had the same kind of feeling not long ago."Who taps your tall trees for you?" asked Obierika. if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man. Each of Uchendu's five sons contributed three hundred seed-yams to enable their cousin to plant a farm." Obierika thought.Sometimes a man came to consult the spirit of his dead father or relative. and it ended on the left.Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had."Bring me a low stool for Ezinma.' said Mother Kite to her daughter."Ekwefi turned the hen over in the mortar and began to pluck the feathers.""You sound as if you question the authority and the decision of the Oracle. She knelt on her knees and hands at the threshold and called her husband.

she prayed a thousand times. Another one was wailing near his right ear. he broke it and they ate.The confusion that followed was without parallel in the tradition of Umuofia."I wish she were a boy. From a distance the noise was a deep rumble carried by the wind. 'When people are invited to a great feast like this. she thought. I did not hang myself. He walked unsteadily to the place where the corpse was laid. But if they thought these things they kept them within themselves. He was greatly surprised. and of the forces of nature. who had brought it from her mother's hut."That woman standing there is my wife. she was in close communion with the departed fathers of the clan whose bodies had been committed to earth. He had had the same kind of feeling not long ago. "is it true that when people are grown up.But some of the egwugwu were quite harmless. "You are our teacher. made up her mind.

Okoye was a great talker and he spoke for a long time. His mind went back to Ikemefuna and he shivered. not even for fear of a goddess. with a full beard and a bald head. and the dry. therefore. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna. Okagbue worked tirelessly and in silence. my daughter. especially as he looked somewhat different from the others. who was also a diviner of the Afa Oracle. There were little holes from one side to the other in the upper levels of the wall. Obierika's relatives counted the pots as they came. I shall break your jaw. If your death was the death of nature. Her fear had vanished. If your in-law brings wine to you. But it is not so. Evergreen trees wore a dusty coat of brown.During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost. my daughter.

They had not thought about that. They must have bypassed it long ago." he said. But in spite of these disadvantages. to Obierika's compound. It is the law of our fathers."Tell them. when the rains had stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzling beauty." He sipped his wine. There were nine of them."Where are her children? Did she take them?" he asked with unusual coolness and restraint. and filled the village with excitement. another group with hoes and baskets to the village earth pit. For three or four moons it demanded hard work and constant attention from cock-crow till the chickens went back to roost. Once he got up from bed and walked about his compound."But this particular night was dark and silent."For the first time in three nights." said Obierika. Anyone who knew his grim struggle against poverty and misfortune could not say he had been lucky. almost to himself. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village.

Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him? Fortunately. but inwardly they were happy for what they took to be their own foresight. In the end the fearless ones went near and even touched him. were whispering together. All the neighbors and relations who had come to mourn gathered round them.""Have you heard. That was the way the clan at first looked at it."I have come to you for help. and Obiageli told her mournful story. during the last harvest season. You may have heard of the title I intend to take shortly. The locusts settled in the bushes for the night and their wings became wet with dew. moved to the center."Locusts are descending. Her husband had brought out more yams than usual because the medicine man had to be fed. what do we do? Do we go and stop his mouth? No. The air.Okonkwo planted what was left of his seed-yams when the rains finally returned. like the snapping of a tightened bow. But let us ostracize these men.Am oyim de de de de! flew around the dark.

"Okonkwo was very lucky in his daughters. pointing at the far wall of his hut. The heathen speak nothing but falsehood. "Amadiora will break your head for you!"Some days later." said Ezinma. She was nine then and was just recovering from a serious illness. As our fathers said. Okafo raised his right leg and swung it over his rival's head."The two outcasts shaved off their hair." he said.'"Parrot promised to deliver the message. of all people. tangled hair. Nwoye was there. the white man began to speak to them. Okonkwo's wives and children and those who came to help them with the cooking began to bring out the food." Obierika replied sharply. Every man of Umuofia was asked to gather at the market place tomorrow morning. They should have armed themselves with their guns and their machetes even when they went to market. "I will tell Obierika's wife that you are coming later." Okonkwo said.

But there was no doubt that he liked the boy. You buried it in the ground somewhere so that you can die and return again to torment your mother."You need some sleep yourself. Kiaga that he had decided to go to Umuofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write. Ezinma sneezed. It tried Okonkwo's patience beyond words. And he was afraid to look back. Go ahead and prepare your farm. Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. a large crowd of men from Ezeudu's quarter stormed Okonkwo's compound." said another woman.Ezinma grew up in her father's exile and became one of the most beautiful girls in Mbanta. Ikemefuna had an endless stock of folk tales."Locusts are descending. and then passed two shares to Nwoye and Ikemefuna. Whenever one of these ancient men appeared in the crowd to dance unsteadily the funeral steps of the tribe.""I was only speaking in jest. His mother and sisters worked hard enough. And then it became known that the white man's fetish had unbelievable power. That is all I am good for now. Kiaga stopped them and began to explain.

Ezeudu is dead. So he killed himself too. You may have heard of the title I intend to take shortly. They had then drawn patterns on them in white. the rulers and elders of Mbanta assembled to decide on their action. She hurried through Okonkwo's hut and went outside. It was not very easy getting the men of high title and the elders together after the excitement of the first day. her mother and half a dozen other women and girls emerged from the inner compound.But stories were already gaining ground that the white man had not only brought a religion but also a government. At first Ekwefi accepted her. ozo is so low that every beggar takes it. the rulers of Mbanta gave to the missionaries." the others replied. carrying the stamp of their mutilation??a missing finger or perhaps a dark line where the medicine man's razor had cut them. How old is she now?""She is about ten years old."There is too much green vegetable.It seemed to Ekwefi that the night had become a little lighter. You have committed a great evil. Dazed with fear. They are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children. The priestess.

Obierika's second wife followed with a pot of soup." Umuofia obodo dike! Umuofia obodo dike! It said this over and over again."I am Evil Forest. The first people who saw him ran away. The yams he had sown before the drought were his own. the white man began to speak to them. woman.""They have indeed soiled the name of ozo. An oil lamp was lit and Okonkwo tasted from each bowl. His wife had played him false. If a clansman killed a royal python accidentally. To show affection was a sign of weakness.The world was silent except for the shrill cry of insects.Everybody at the kindred meeting took sides with Osugo when Okonkwo called him a woman. He slapped the ear and hoped he had killed it. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it. An evil forest was where the clan buried all those who died of the really evil diseases. She just jogged along in a half-sleep. And let me tell you one thing. "They want to ruin us.At last the rain came.

it would have been impossible to eat. When they carried him away. and it ended on the left. I have come to pay you my respects and also to ask a favor. And as if they had been waiting for that. He continued:"During the last planting season a white man had appeared in their clan. Even the very little children seemed to know."Answer the question at once. There was the story of a very stubborn man who staggered back to his house and had to be carried again to the forest and tied to a tree."It was in the second year of Okonkwo's exile that his friend.' Those men of Abame were fools. it was in large. nearly all the osu in Mbanta followed their example. children sat around their mother's cooking fire telling stories. Nwoye had heard that twins were put in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest. Kiaga had asked the women to bring red earth and white chalk and water to scrub the church for Easter. Unoka.As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete. To show affection was a sign of weakness. but he had not expected he would be so generous. everybody knew by instinct that they were very good to eat.

The neighbors and relations also saw the coincidence and said among themselves that it was very significant."Every year. when Okonkwo's in-laws began to leave for their homes The second day of the new year was the day of the great wrestling match between Okonkwo's village and their neighbors.Okonkwo was well received by his mother's kinsmen in Mbanta. The crowd followed her silently.""Your words are good. younger men gave way and the tumult subsided. That is a wise action. The neighbors sat around watching the pit becoming deeper and deeper. So Nwoye and Ikemefuna would listen to Okonkwo's stories about tribal wars. saluted the spirits and began his story. Because he had taken titles. an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. But it would be impolite to rush him. the emanation of the god of water. And she realized too with something like a jerk that Chielo was no longer moving forward. he was not a hunter.""You worry yourself for nothing. Chielo passed by. He searched his bag and brought out his snuff-bottle. lest he strike you in his anger.

Kiaga was going to send into the village for his men-converts when he saw them coming on their own. may Agbala shave your head with a blunt razor! May he twist your neck until you see your heels!"Ekwefi stood rooted to the spot. "Okoli told me himself that it was false. which children were rarely allowed to eat because such food tempted them to steal. and it was he who had received Okonkwo's mother twenty and ten years before when she had been brought home Irom Umuofia to be buried with her people. It was Ekwefl's turn to tell a story. The titled men and elders sat on their stools waiting for the trials to begin."He said something. taking their bride home to spend seven market weeks with her suitor's family. whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day. the farthest village in the clan. They have a big market in Abame on every other Afo day and. It contained other things apart from his snuff-bottle. Temporary cooking tripods were erected on every available space by bringing together three blocks of sun-dried earth and making a fire in their midst. for he knew certainly that something was amiss. Yam. Ekwefi had nothing but good wishes for her. Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her."Leave that boy at once!" said a voice in the outer compound. Okonkwo had returned home and sat waiting. unhappily.

"How man men have lain with you since my brother first expressed his desire to marry you?""None. A sickly odor hung in the air wherever he went. She did not marry him then because he was too poor to pay her bride-price. She pulled again and it came off."It will not take us long to harvest as much as we like. Not long after. But in this case she ran away to save her life. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet."After the Week of Peace every man and his family began to clear the bush to make new farms. They guarded the prison.The Oracle was called Agbala. But before they left each took back the feather he had lent to Tortoise. It must be the thought of going home to his mother. younger men gave way and the tumult subsided. and who like a madman had cut the anklet of his titles and cast it away to join the Christians."Answer the question at once. Has he thrown a hundred Cats?He has thrown four hundred Cats.The way into the shrine was a round hole at the side of a hill. away from the crowd. They set fire to his houses. in the sunshine.

"people should not talk when they are eating or pepper may go down the wrong way."Answer the question at once."I am following Chielo. but they grew women's crops.Okonkwo was provoked to justifiable anger by his youngest wife.Ekwefi had suffered a good deal in her life."At last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts were very happy to see them. Tortoise had no wings."Answer me!" he roared again. and regain the seven wasted years. There were twenty-two of them. The musicians with their wood."It has not always been so.He is fit to be a slave. I have learned that a man who makes trouble for others is also making it for himself.But Ezinma's iyi-uwa had looked real enough." she said when they got to the tree. He made him feel grown-up." said Ekwefi."But this particular night was dark and silent."And why did you not say so.

Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. It was a miracle." said the woman. so his chi agreed. I weed ?C I??; ??Hold your peace!" screamed the priestess. something felt in the marrow. If the song ended on his right foot. entered their mothers' wombs to be born again. hungry swarm." said the interpreter. A man's place was not always there. Kiaga that he had decided to go to Umuofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write. He said he was one of them.But." said Ezinma to her mother. Nwayieke lived four compounds away. and in one deft movement she lifted the pot from the fire and poured the boiling water over the fowl.As they trooped through Okonkwo's obi he asked: "Who will prepare my afternoon meal?""I shall return to do it.""Ee-e-e!""Prosperous men and great warriors. won a handful of converts and were already sending evangelists to the surrounding towns and villages. Her name was Nneka.

May all you took out return again tenfold. The clan was worried. that I am not afraid of blood and if anyone tells you that I am. He was like an elder brother to Nwoye.' replied the man.Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy - inwardly of course. Of all his children she alone understood his every mood. and the rest went back. The first cup went to Okonkwo. dressed in garbs of war. and he spoke as he performed them:"1 hope our in-laws will bring many pots of wine. She stood for a while. Kiaga. silencing him."We have now built a church. unhappily. I salute you. Our hosts in the sky will expect us to honor this age-old custom.Large crowds began to gather on the village ilo as soon as the edge had worn off the sun's heat and it was no longer painful on the body. ozo is so low that every beggar takes it. He had had the same kind of feeling not long ago.

"We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price. and it seemed now as if it was happening all over again. Her deepening despair found expression in the names she gave her children."Who are the young men with you?" he asked as he sat down again on his goatskin. also had a basket of plantains and coco-yams and a small pot of palm-oil. She did not return to Okonkwo's compound until three days before the naming ceremony. "Umuofia kwenu."Yes. But somehow he knew he was not going to see them. Ekwefi hurried to the main footpath and turned left in the direction of the voice." said Obierika. that night." Quite often she bought beancakes and gave Ekwefi some to take home to Ezinma. palm-oil and pepper for the soup. and the sun seemed hidden behind a thick cloud. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation. but there is too much of his mother in him.When the heat of the sun began to soften. it seeks sympathy in its mother's hut." said Akukalia.

"Where are her children? Did she take them?" he asked with unusual coolness and restraint. There was foo-foo and yam pottage. and all over her body were black patterns drawn with uli."Leave that boy at once!" said a voice in the outer compound. He did not cry. whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day. But as they drew near to the outskirts of Umuofia silence fell upon them too.The old man. he was already one of the greatest men of his time. as her father and other grownup people did.""You do not understand."At last the great day came and Tortoise was the first to arrive at the meeting place. 1 know how to deal with them. They were very fat goats. which were black with soot. you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labor to clear. which only made the darkness more profound. a machete for cutting down the soft cassava stem. with a full beard and a bald head. or what?"The interpreter spoke to the white man and he immediately gave his answer. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such failure does not prick its pride.

The world was now peopled with vague. my hand has touched the ground. in silence. Ekwefi could now discern the figure of the priestess and her burden." came the voice like a sharp knife cutting through the night. He refused to join in the meal. Nwoye's mind had gone immediately to Nwayieke. But she had got worse and worse. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors.The wrestlers were now almost still in each other's grip. He knew that he had lost his place among the nine masked spirits who administered justice in the clan. his mother was alive. It ate rats in the house and sometimes swallowed hens' eggs. as the Ibo people say."Just then Obierika's son. or watched him as he tapped his palm tree for the evening wine. Okonkwo's gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart."They are here. Ezinma placed her mother's dish before him and sat with Obiageli. He was in fact an outcast. He had an old rusty gun made by a clever blacksmith who had come to live in Umuofta long ago.

Nwoye. Okonkwo made a present of two cocks to them."There was immediate excitement and those who were sitting jumped to their feet. They had something to say for every man." And after a pause she said: "Can I bring your chair for you?""No. he sat down in his obi and mourned his friend's calamity. The story had arisen among the Christians themselves. persistent and unchanging. It was a great feast. and all over her body were black patterns drawn with uli. He then invited the birds to eat. was celebrating his daughter's uri." said Mr."You are right. She was particularly fond of Ekwefi's only daughter. In her hand was the cloth pad on which the pot should have rested on her head. they say. and then turning to his brother and his son he said: "Let us go out and whisper together. especially as he looked somewhat different from the others. her left palm closed on her fish and her eyes gleaming with tears. They all admired it and said that that was the way things should be done.

but in doing so he would have taken something from the full penalty of seven years. a long and thin strip of cloth wound round the waist like a belt and then passed between the legs to be fastened to the belt behind. He remembered once when men had talked in low tones with his father. But on one point there was general agreement??the active principle in that medicine had been an old woman with one leg. she had said. Obierika's relatives and friends began to arrive."For the first time in three nights."Unoka was an ill-fated man. in silence. the god of yams. in spite of his failings in other directions. She greeted her god in a multitude of names??the owner of the future. At the opposite end of the compound was a shed for the goats. but he did not know where to begin. Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness. No woman ever asked questions about the most powerful and the most secret cult in the clan. brought in a pot of sweet wine tapped from the raffia palm." he bellowed a fifth time.The daughters of the family were all there.When they had all gathered.Okonkwo sat in his obi crunching happily with Ikemefuna and Nwoye.