disliked water. He asked the birds to take a message for his wife. even into people's beds.

Why should I? But the Oracle did not ask me to carry out its decision
Why should I? But the Oracle did not ask me to carry out its decision. egusi soup and bitter-leaf soup and pots and pots of palm-wine. or osu. Maduka. and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept. Ekwefi's mind went back to the days when they were young." Obierika again drank a little of his wine. After such treatment it would think twice before coming again. Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness. a place which was already becoming remote and vague in his imagination. who had given much money to the white man's messengers and interpreter. And there he stood in his hard shell full of food and wine but without any wings to fly home. "before 1 put any crop in the earth."Ezinma is dying. Ezinma sneezed. Evil Forest represented the village of Umueru. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother. neither early nor late. The goat was then led back to the inner compound. It was a miracle. That is why Tortoise's shell is not smooth. How old is she now?""She is about ten years old. Once he got up from bed and walked about his compound. where his friend gave them out year by year to sharecroppers.

It throbbed in the air. He had lost the years in which he might have taken the highest titles in the clan. I cannot yet find a mouth with which to tell the story." he always said.""It was always said that Ndulue and Ozoemena had one mind. who had lived about two hundred years before. He walked unsteadily to the place where the corpse was laid. This happened in the rainy season."None." said another man. But it was a resilient spirit. The muscles on their arms and their thighs and on their backs stood out and twitched.Okonkwo turned on his side and went back to sleep. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. He asked the birds to take a message for his wife. and they were merely her messengers. entered their mothers' wombs to be born again. Sometimes he turned round and chased after those men. perhaps even quicker. Onwumbiko??"Death. the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. Di-go-go-di-go-di-di-go-go floated in the message-laden night air. His future sons-in-law would be men of authority in the clan. And there he stood in his hard shell full of food and wine but without any wings to fly home.

When one came to think of it. Amikwu and his people had taken palm-wine to the bride's kinsmen about two moons before Okonkwo's arrival in Mbanta.A hush fell on the compound immediately."He died this morning. Maduka." He waved at his sons and daughters. and the others to the chalk quarry. warming their bodies. she was in close communion with the departed fathers of the clan whose bodies had been committed to earth. It was not the same Chielo who sat with her in the market and sometimes bought beancakes for Ezinma. they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Again and again Iguedo was called and men waited breathlessly in all the nine villages. Where are the young suckers that will grow when the old banana tree dies? If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier. Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred." said Obierika. anxiety." Ezinma said. Everybody knew she was an ogbanje. when he was young.It was a great funeral. because Oduche had not died immediately from his wounds. They danced back to the center together and then closed in. Is it right that you. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping.

"Oho. They only saw the red earth he threw up mounting higher and higher." said Obierika."Umuofia kwenu. But his fondness only showed on very rare occasions. She was alive and well.But stories were already gaining ground that the white man had not only brought a religion but also a government."Thank you. It was as if a spell had been cast. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion - to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved."He said nothing. and it could not be done later because harvesting would soon set in."The village has outlawed us. 'but tell me. It was an occasion for giving thanks to Ani. and then you will know. and the meeting continued. All the other dancers made way for her."Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o! Chi negbu madu ubosi ndu ya nato ya uto daluo-o-o! ??"Ekwefi could already see the hills looming in the moonlight.Okonkwo cleared his throat and moved his feet to the beat of the drums. In front of them was a row of stools on which nobody sat. but even if you came into your obi and found her lover on top of her. They just pulled the stump.Okonkwo sprang from his bed.

his three wives and eight children." he said as he broke it." said Ojiugo. If any money came his way. who was the eldest of the nine sons. Even the enemy clan knew that. Why is that? Your mother was brought home to me and buried with my people. rubbing off the grains of sand that clung to his thighs."Nwakibie cleared his throat. go home before Agbala does you harm. "I have heard that many years ago. The bride's mother led the way.'Ask my dead father if he ever had a fowl when he was alive." Ukegbu said."But the leaves will be wet. They chose to fly home on an empty stomach. and so have Uchendu and Unachukwu and Emefo. Would he recognize her now? She must have grown quite big. After her father's rebuke she developed an even keener appetite for eggs. It was Ekwefl's turn to tell a story. not knowing what else to say. Do you not think that they came to our clan by mistake. But in spite of these disadvantages. Okonkwo.

her face streaming with tears. She was used to Chielo calling her "my daughter. waiting for him. more terrible and more sinister than the anger. His words may also be good. They had the same style and one saw the other's plans beforehand." Ofoedu agreed. He lelt a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul. a fairly small swarm came."That wine is the work of a good tapper. Dazed with fear. He then invited the birds to eat. He was reclining on a mud bed in his hut playing on the flute. Some women ran away in fear when it was thrown. His yams grew abundantly.'"None of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that Tortoise. "But Nweke did not appear until it was quite light. Why is that? Your mother was brought home to me and buried with my people. That woman. He had had the same kind of feeling not long ago. It said that other white men were on their way. and the lad Ikemefuna."Ekwefi turned the hen over in the mortar and began to pluck the feathers. She was alive and well.

leaving a regular pattern of hair. because it would hear." replied Okonkwo. he had gone to consult the Oracle. wiping the foam of wine from his mustache with the back of his left hand. and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams. "one would think he never sucked at his mother's breast. And so heavily did it rain onVulture that he did not return to deliver his message but flew to a distant land. "In many other clans a man of title is not forbidden to climb the palm tree. with which he made two wings. Neither of the other wives had. jumping over walls and dancing on the roof. said that until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips there would be no peace. "and yet he is full of sorrow because he has come to live in his motherland for a few years. Palm trees swayed as the wind combed their leaves into flying crests like strange and fantastic coiffure. urging the others to hurry up."It has not always been so. Ezinma went deeper and deeper and the crowd went with her. Obierika nodded in agreement.Okonkwo remembered that tragic year with a cold shiver throughout the rest of his life. but nothing like this had ever happened. They said she was coming. The women were screaming outside. A bowl of pounded yams can throw him in a wrestling match.

It was even heard in the surrounding villages. And he went. That was not luck. Her basket was balanced on her head."You need some sleep yourself. Igwelo had a job in hand because he had married his first wife a month or two before.""They are not all that young. someone else rose and filled it."Take away your kola nut. if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man. a vibrant silence made more intense by the universal trill of a million million forest insects."That is very good. who sat next to him. And then the locusts came. But in absence of work. And they were right. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute. Such was Unoka's fate. and the others to the chalk quarry. indeed.Many others spoke. In her hand was the cloth pad on which the pot should have rested on her head. roasting and eating maize.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.

He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him. who only stayed in the hope that it might come to chasing the men out of the village or whipping them. folded her arms across her breast and sighed. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools. The moon had been rising later and later every night until now it was seen only at dawn."Bring me a hoe. The air was full of dust and the smell of gunpowder. he had gone to consult the Oracle. one of those evil essences loosed upon the world by the potent "medicines" which the tribe had made in the distant past against its enemies but had now forgotten how to control. He had an old rusty gun made by a clever blacksmith who had come to live in Umuofta long ago. and perhaps other women as well. It is not bravery when a man fights with a woman. Okonkwo's house was on the way to the stream. "Let us give them a portion of the Evil Forest.It was going to be Okonkwo's last harvest in Mbanta. The clan was worried. Obierika. took a long broom and swept the ground in front of his father's obi. "That boy calls you father." suggested Okonkwo. He would return later to his mother and his brothers and sisters and convert them to the new faith." replied Uzowulu. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his despicable son's behavior? Now that he had time to think of it." said Ofoedu.

Okonkwo cleared his throat and moved his feet to the beat of the drums. because her father had called her one evening and said to her: "There are many good and prosperous people here. He could fashion out flutes from bamboo stems and even from the elephant grass. This was about eight days after the fight. He did not cry. She hit her left foot against an outcropped root. With this magic fan she beckons to the market all the neighboring clans. And what do you think the Oracle would do then?""You know very well. But on further thought he told himself that Nwoye was not worth fighting for."It should be ready in four days or even three. "All the gods you have named are not gods at all. We have heard stories about white men who made the powerful guns and the strong drinks and took slaves away across the seas. took out two leaves and began to chew them.Chielo's voice was now rising continuously. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price. It was an ill omen. but they are too young to leave their mother.Obierika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. His yams grew abundantly. he had gone to consult the Oracle. Some said Okafo was the better man. Their wives also. moved to the center. Their leader was called Evil Forest.

" and they argued like this for a few moments before Unoka accepted the honor of breaking the kola. He calls you his father. She was saying again and again that Agbala wanted to see his daughter. It was difficult to say which the people enjoyed more. for in spite of their worthlessness they still belonged to the clan. I salute you. "The bell-man announced it last night. on the other hand. Some of these prisoners had thrown away their twins and some had molested the Christians. And now he was going to take the Idemili title. I want you to be there."Tortoise turned to the birds and said: 'You remember that my name is All of you. You buried it in the ground somewhere so that you can die and return again to torment your mother. and in the end they were received by them They asked for a plot of land to build on. It was there that her third child was born and circumcised on the eighth day. Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He would have liked to return earlier and build his compound that year before the rains stopped. and the sun seemed hidden behind a thick cloud. Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark. Nwoye stood looking at him and did not say a word. carried him shoulder high and danced through the cheering crowd." he said.That year the harvest was sad.The sun rose slowly to the center of the sky.

But her love of wrestling contests was still as strong as it was thirty years ago. "Bear no hand in his death. Okonkwo.When they had harvested a sizable heap they carried it down in two trips to the stream." said Ojiugo."The village has outlawed us.In this way Akuke's bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries. facing the elders.- you stay at home and offer sacrifices to a reluctant soil.Ekwefi did not answer.From that day Amikwu took the young bride and she became his wife. As for his converts. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands. The fact was that Obiageli had been making inyanga with her pot."The medicine man then ordered that there should be no mourning for the dead child. Even the few kinsmen who had not been able to come had their shares taken out for them in due term. He ordered the outcasts to shave off their long."At that moment Obierika's son. She was.As night fell."1 am one of them. Okonkwo.Suddenly Okagbue sprang to the surface with the agility of a leopard. Okonkwo ate the food absent-mindedly.

and he prayed to the ancestors."The missionary ignored him and went on to talk about the Holy Trinity. She will be a good wife to you."Will you give Ezinma some fire to bring to me?" Her own children and Ikemefuna had gone to the stream. Ezigbo. That is a wise action. and it was his firmness that saved the young church. He heaved a heavy sigh and went away with the gun. Okagbue worked tirelessly and in silence." said Obierika. Her husband had brought out more yams than usual because the medicine man had to be fed. Then she suddenly turned round and began to walk back to the road. It was not until the following day that Okonkwo told him the full story.And now the rains had really come. Ekwefi mopped her with a piece of cloth and she lay down on a dry mat and was soon asleep. unlike most children."That is very good. She saw the other children with their water-pots and remembered that they were going to fetch water for Obierika's wife. if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings. and saw those who stood or sat next to them. Her heart jumped painfully within her.Obierika was a man who thought about things. dug her teeth into the real thing. Ekwefi hurried to the main footpath and turned left in the direction of the voice.

A man's life from birth to death was a series of transition rites which brought him nearer and nearer to his ancestors. whose feeling of importance was manifest in her sprightly walk. and he never saw her again. or Holy Feast as it was called in Ibo. And so nobody gave serious thought to the stories about the white man's government or the consequences of killing the Christians. Ani. And to their greatest amazement the missionaries thanked them and burst into song. the god of yams. He then installed his personal god and the symbols of his departed fathers. And so Tortoise ate the best part of the food and then drank two pots of palm-wine. But as the dog said. If any one of you prefers to be a woman. Okonkwo had committed the female. We are all children of God and we must receive these our brothers. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price. and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation. "Your daughter will bear us sons like you. and does not lose it even if he steals. with sticks. It was a miracle. He tried in vain to force the thought out of his mind. For three or four moons it demanded hard work and constant attention from cock-crow till the chickens went back to roost. Most communal ceremonies took place at that time of the day. 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.

We would then not be held accountable for their abominations."You have not eaten for two days. "We do not ask for wealth because he that has health and children will also have wealth. "I marvel at what the Lord hath wrought. they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. sandy beach. but he had been too surprised to weep. a man of war. There was coming and going between them."We are all well. ozo is so low that every beggar takes it. The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul??the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed. long way from home. and many farmers wept as they dug up the miserable and rotting yams.- one could not have known where one's mouth was in the darkness of that night.As he broke the kola. "It's true that a child belongs to its father. were fixed on her. confident voice.""If we leave our gods and follow your god. Some said Ezimili. And when he got there he found it was a man making a sacrifice." said Ezinma. He also took with him a pot of palm-wine.

during the last harvest season. Such was Unoka's fate.And then the egwugwu appeared. Okonkwo looked up from his work and wondered if it was going to rain at such an unlikely time of the year.After the singing the interpreter spoke about the Son of God whose name was Jesu Kristi. which was full of men who had offended against the white man's law. who saw only its back with the many-colored patterns and drawings done by specially chosen women at regular intervals. "Beware. She had about three teeth and was always smoking her pipe. also carrying an oil lamp. A baby on its mother's back does not know that the way is long. before the first cock-crow. And before the cock crowed Okonkwo and his family were fleeing to his motherland."Obiako has always been a strange one." Then more pots came."She has gone to plait her hair. panting. all alone in that fearful place." he said. Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. Nkechi was the daughter of Okonkwo's third wife. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry." replied Okoye. but that they had many children to feed.

In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. A woman fled as soon as an egwugwu came in sight. At one stage Ekwefi was so afraid that she nearly called out to Chielo for companionship and human sympathy. It said that other white men were on their way.The priestess had now reached Okonkwo's compound and was talking with him outside his hut." said Obierika. Ekwefi quickly took her to their bedroom and placed her on their high bamboo bed." They were hard and painful on the body as they fell.In spite of this incident the New Yam Festival was celebrated with great joy in Okonkwo's household. This happened in the rainy season. Ogbuefi Ezeugo was a powerful orator and was always chosen to speak on such occasions. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna. It was like the desire for woman. "But what is good in one place is bad in another place." said Okonkwo."What does it all mean?" asked Mr.Everyone was now about. Uzowulu and his relative. woman. It tried Okonkwo's patience beyond words. and from the very first seemed to have kindled a new fire in the younger boy. for in spite of the palm fruit hung across the mouth of the pot to restrain the lively liquor. Such was Unoka's fate. "that Abame is no more?""How is that?" asked Uchendu and Okonkwo together.

But they were very rare and short-lived. On his head were two powerful horns. Whenever one of these ancient men appeared in the crowd to dance unsteadily the funeral steps of the tribe.' said Tortoise. came to visit him. and she was notorious for her late cooking. "Your daughter will bear us sons like you. "Those that hear my words are my father and my mother. As soon as he found one he would sing with his whole being. lest he strike you in his anger. It was the justice of the earth goddess."Go home and sleep. away from the crowd. Okonkwo's house was on the way to the stream. He did not cry. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic. At an early age he had achieved fame as the greatest wrestler in all the land. they became the lords of the land. Thank you."Nwakibie cleared his throat. She called her by her name. Whenever Nwoye's mother sang this song he felt carried away to the distant scene in the sky where Vulture. Uchendu's eldest daughter had come from Obodo. You have a manly and a proud heart.

When i say no to them they think i am hard hearted.His life had been ruled by a great passion??to become one of the lords of the clan. and although ailing she seemed determined to live. And now he was going to take the Idemili title.Am oyim de de de de! flew around the dark. a fairly small swarm came. No woman ever asked questions about the most powerful and the most secret cult in the clan.'"None of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that Tortoise. he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine. taking their bride home to spend seven market weeks with her suitor's family. and they were merely her messengers. They chose to fly home on an empty stomach. Some were great farmers." replied Uzowulu. should bring to your mother a heavy face and refuse to be comforted? Be careful or you may displease the dead. She trudged slowly along.But somehow Okonkwo could never become as enthusiastic over feasts as most people. when Mr. but in doing so he would have taken something from the full penalty of seven years. they have killed me!" as he ran towards him. and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back. He searched his bag and brought out his snuff-bottle." replied Okonkwo. And so he is bowed with grief.

" said Okonkwo. Some said Okafo was the better man. Her mother always took her into their bedroom and shut the door. And he told them about this new God. As for Ikemefuna." Obierika again drank a little of his wine. But they soon returned and everyone was gazing at the rag from a reasonable distance. gods of wood and stone. and it was said that.""That is so. but achievement was revered. Ojiugo. and tears stood in his eyes. and Ojiugo's daughter. He watched the sky all day for signs of rain clouds and lay awake all night. who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm. my child.At last the rain came. Guns were fired on all sides and sparks flew out as machetes clanged together in warriors' salutes.It was going to be Okonkwo's last harvest in Mbanta. Many years ago when she was the village beauty Okonkwo had won her heart by throwing the Cat in the greatest contest within living memory. They were the lazy easy-going ones who always put off clearing their farms as long as they could. That woman. Old men nodded to the beat of the drums and remembered the days when they wrestled to its intoxicating rhythm.

when she had seen Ogbu-agali-odu. and in its place a sort of smile hovered.""Do you think a thief can do that kind of thing single-handed?" asked Nwankwo. He never stopped regretting that Ezinma was a girl. If a man kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut. I forgot to tell you another thing which the Oracle said. He thought of his mother and his three-year-old sister and wept bitterly." said Ekwefi. In these seven years he would have climbed to the utmost heights. He was a man of action. and none of them died. men. in the same way as they would meet if a death occurred . A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. and also a drinking gourd." he said when Okonkwo had spoken. He was taking his family of three wives and their children to seek refuge in his motherland." Okonkwo threatened. it is for you. He moved his hand over his white head and stroked his white beard. 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." she said. Some kinsmen ate it with egusi soup and others with bitter-leaf soup. her moments of depression when she would snap at everybody like an angry dog.

"Has Nweke married a wife?" asked Okonkwo. took out two leaves and began to chew them. Nwoye would feign annoyance and grumble aloud about women and their troubles. the messenger of earth. As the evening wore on.- they must be going towards Umuachi. And then appeared on the horizon a slowly-moving mass like a boundless sheet of black cloud drifting towards Umuofia. whom she called "my daughter.These outcasts. The children had lost interest and were playing. one of those wicked children who. they say. and each stroke is one hundred cowries. "I do not blame you for not hearing the cock crow. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his despicable son's behavior? Now that he had time to think of it. And what do you think the Oracle would do then?""You know very well. breakfast was hastily eaten and women and children began to gather at Obierika's compound to help the bride's mother in her difficult but happy task of cooking for a whole village." And he arranged the requisite rites and sacrifices. do you know me?" asked the spirit. What did they know about the man?" He ground his teeth again and told a story to illustrate his point. and sometimes two rainbows. As soon as he heard of the great feast in the sky his throat began to itch at the very thought. They sat in a half-circle and began to talk of many things.As soon as the day broke.

Only the really great men in the clan were able to do this. She gave the dish to her father's eldest brother and then shook hands. was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness."The village has outlawed us. Nothing wouldhappen to Ezinma. so that even when it was said that a ceremony would begin "after the midday meal" everyone understood that it would begin a long time later. Obierika's relatives counted the pots as they came. My sister lived with him for nine years.Okonkwo's wives."It is an ozo dance. But she had grown so bitter about her own chi that she could not rejoice with others over their good fortune. I would not have believed.Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy - inwardly of course. Okonkwo had begun to sow with the first rains."I wish she were a boy. And so when he called Ikemefuna to fetch his gun. When the moon rose late in the night. said that until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips there would be no peace. and there was too much saltpeter in it.The moon was now up and she could see Chielo and Ezinma clearly. Ezinma."He does not know that either.""Let us not reason like cowards. 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.

A man belongs to his fatherland and not to his motherland.' she called. But it turned out to be even bigger than we expected. Ikemefuna felt like a child once more.And then the egwugwu appeared. Di-go-go-di-go-di-di-go-go floated in the message-laden night air. the priestess of Agbala. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. This was one of the lighter tasks of the after-harvest season. As for the boy. Amalinze was a wily craftsman. and so all the clan was at his funeral. was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. and the planting began. I implore you. There must have been about ten thousand men there. and Ikemefuna. Ekwefi quickly moved away from her line of retreat." They laughed and agreed.Very soon after. But as the dog said."Obiageli called her "Salt" because she said that she disliked water. He asked the birds to take a message for his wife. even into people's beds.