and it was his firmness that saved the young church. they say. He walked unsteadily to the place where the corpse was laid.

and in its place a sort of smile hovered
and in its place a sort of smile hovered. a light rain had fallen during the night and the soil would not be very hard.An iron gong sounded. be cursed with such a son? He saw clearly in it the finger of his personal god or chi. lasted only a brief moment. Earth's emissary." 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. They were among the best wrestlers in all the nine villages. Nma. Elumelu. A child cannot pay for its mother's milk. If they became more troublesome than they already were they would simply be driven out of the clan. "But if the Oracle said that my son should be killed I would neither dispute it nor be the one to do it. She went back to the hut and brought her pot.Ekwefi was tired and sleepy from the exhausting experiences of the previous night. The crowd burst into a thunderous roar. As for his converts. roots snapped below. Nwoye stood looking at him and did not say a word. And to their greatest amazement the missionaries thanked them and burst into song. But Unoka was such a man that he always succeeded in borrowing more. which. whose feeling of importance was manifest in her sprightly walk.

carrying the stamp of their mutilation??a missing finger or perhaps a dark line where the medicine man's razor had cut them. When he finished his kola nut he said:"The things that happen these days are very strange. who was now in charge of the infant congregation. They came when misfortune dogged their steps or when they had a dispute with their neighbors. She did not return to Okonkwo's compound until three days before the naming ceremony. who was Okonkwo's father. Evil Forest addressed the two groups of people facing them. Ekwefi was the only person in the happy company who went about with a cloud on her brow. That also is true. but the elders counseled patience till nightfall. A man can now leave his father and his brothers. A sudden hush had fallen on the women. "I planted the farm nearly two years ago. and each hut seen from the others looked like a soft eye of yellow half-light set in the solid massiveness of night.""There is no story that is not true. Uzowulu. None of his converts was a man whose word was heeded in ihe assembly of the people. who had begun to pour out the wine. that Chielo had stopped her chanting."Our father. and sleepy. saw clearly that Okonkwo had yielded to despair and he was greatly troubled. She was peeling new yams.

and Ikemefuna helped him by fetching the yams in long baskets from the barn and in counting the prepared seeds in groups of four hundred. followed by Akueke. He was roused in the morning by someone banging on his door. Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. who was also the youngest man in the group." said Okonkwo after a pause." said Obierika." He brought down his staff heavily on the floor. like leprosy and smallpox. "God will laugh at them on the judgment day.The wrestlers were now almost still in each other's grip. first with little sticks and later with tall and big tree branches.Yam." Then more pots came." He turned to Odukwe." he said. he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine. pointing at the far wall of his hut. it would not be done. The first cock has crowed. The man who had whispered now called out aloud. It was powerful in war and in magic. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom.

egusi soup and bitter-leaf soup and pots and pots of palm-wine. He led it on a thick rope which he tied round his wrist. But it is not our custom to debar anyone from the stream or the quarry. He is not my father. took her stick and walked over to the obi. But she had grown so bitter about her own chi that she could not rejoice with others over their good fortune. like a mother and her daughter. gazing into a log fire."They say that Okoli killed the sacred python. gome. My mother's people have been good to me and 1 must show my gratitude. Okonkwo. His words may also be good."Outside the obi Okagbue and Okonkwo were digging the pit to find where Ezinma had buried her iyi-uwa. She did not return to Okonkwo's compound until three days before the naming ceremony. walked in their midst.As night fell. This man told him that the child was an ogbanje. Ikemefuna called him father."I don't know why such a trifle should come before the said one elder to another. The titled men and elders sat on their stools waiting for the trials to begin. Nwoye. "Now they are behaving like men.

But you are still a child. And so the stranger had brought him. The palm fronds were helpless in keeping them back."A little more?? I said a little." he said when Okonkwo had spoken. Ezinma shook every tree violently with a long stick before she bent down to cut the stem and dig out the tuber. Do you know how many children I have buried??children I begot in my youth and strength? Twenty-two. Okonkwo pleaded with her to come back in the morning because Ezinma was now asleep. The sickness was an abomination to the earth. He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else - with a heavy hand. Unoka loved the good hire and the good fellowship. Tortoise stood up in his many-colored plumage and thanked them for their invitation. As the evening wore on. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. You are a great family. the white missionary. Amadiora or the thunderbolt. The bride's mother led the way. Would he recognize her now? She must have grown quite big. They usually stay if they do not die before the age of six." she began. They had not thought about that. what did the mother of this duckling say when you swooped and carried its child away?' 'It said nothing.

She miscarried after she had gone to sleep with her lover. She wore a black necklace which hung down in three coils just above her full. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes. Okonkwo's first son. But Unoka was such a man that he always succeeded in borrowing more. "Now they are behaving like men." he said and cleared his throat. a man of war.Just then the distant beating of drums began to reach them. She only began to weep when they got near the iroko tree outside their compound." said Ezinma." said Ekwefi. 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." said Obierika. from where he had espied a fire. I am Dry-meat-that-fills-the-mouth.""That is very bad." said Okagbue. he had stalked his victim. I salute you. Why is that? Your mother was brought home to me and buried with my people. working feverishly from one drum to another.

"Then kill yourself. sat on the floor waiting for him to finish." said his father. when his father had not been dead very long.The New Yam Festival was thus an occasion for joy throughout Umuofia.- and in this way the cover was strengthened on the wall. "You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. The priestess was now saluting the village of Umuachi." said Okonkwo as he rose to go. These sudden bouts of sickness and health were typical of her kind. Sometimes it was not necessary to dig. who was the eldest of the nine sons. when Mr. We must cook quickly or we shall be late for the wrestling."Is that not Obiageli weeping?" Ekwefi called across the yard to Nwoye's mother.The moon was now up and she could see Chielo and Ezinma clearly. how he had often wandered around looking for a kite sailing leisurely against the blue sky. but he did not know where to begin. We put our fingers into our ears to stop us hearing. as most people were. sad and pleading.""It is already too late. She will be a good wife to you.

Okoye rolled his goatskin and departed. Rain fell as it had never fallen before. "who will protect us from the anger of our neglected gods and ancestors?""Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm. and he never saw her again." Ofoedu agreed. They set out early that morning. and they had quickened their steps. The clan was like a lizard." Ekwefi said to the woman who had stood shoulder to shoulder with her since the beginning of the matches. If ever a man deserved his success." and was allowed to go wherever it chose."When nearly two years later Obierika paid another visit to his friend in exile the circumstances were less happy."No."We had meant to set out from my house before cockcrow. If we allow you to come with us you will soon begin your mischief. Obierika presented kola nuts to his in-laws. As the rains became heavier the women planted maize. "Look at those lines of chalk. Even Mgbafo took to her heels and had to be restrained by her brothers. for his father's relatives to see. woman. Her arms were folded across her bare breasts. he took with him his flute.

they ought to know that Akueke is the bride for a king. Her eyes were useless to her in the darkness. and sometimes two rainbows. I owe that man a thousand cowries."Thank you. "But you ought to ask why the drum has not beaten to tell Umuofia of his death. Then there was perfect silence. roasting and eating maize." He paused. who was the eldest of the nine sons. It had to be done slowly and carefully.""Ee-e-e!"The oldest man in the camp of the visitors replied: "It will be good for you and it will be good for us. perhaps for the first time. "So you must finish this. And immediately Okonkwo's eyes were opened and he saw the whole matter clearly. just emerged from the earth.The youngest of Uchendu's five sons. Some of them were accompanied by their sons bearing carved wooden stools. But it was the season of rest between the harvest and the next planting season. The young tendrils were protected from earth-heat with rings of sisal leaves.The Oracle was called Agbala." His tone now changed from anger to command. There were three men in one group and three men and one woman in the other.

Ozoemena??"May it not happen again. and it ended on the left. and the other an old and faint shadow. he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine.In the distance the drums continued to beat.The men in the obi had already begun to drink the palm-wine which Akueke's suitor had brought.""He tapped three of my best palm trees to death. and even now he could still hear it as it grew dimmer and dimmer in the distance. to go before the mighty Agbala of your own accord? Beware. His words may also be good. He still had the eight hundred from Nwakibie and the four hundred from his father's friend. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. 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.""But he had no wings.Obierika was sitting outside under the shade of an orange tree making thatches from leaves of the raffia-palm. Now that she walked slowly she had time to think. Why should I? But the Oracle did not ask me to carry out its decision.""Not before you have had your breakfast. They had no hatred in their hearts against Okonkwo. But there is one more question I shall ask you. Ekwefi quickly moved away from her line of retreat. Okonkwo's first son. i have only a short while to live.

That is why Tortoise's shell is not smooth." the convert maintained.From that day Amikwu took the young bride and she became his wife. and he never saw her again. unlike the deep and liquid rumbling of the rainy season. impotent ash.""Yes. A mighty wind arose and filled the air with dust."Whose cow was it?" asked the women who had been allowed to stay behind. He had cracked them himself. let him follow Nwoye now while I am alive so that I can curse him. Unoka loved it all." said Obierika." replied the white man. Njide.' Everybody laughed heartily except Okonkwo. he took with him his flute." he said." pleaded from a reasonable distance. "But you can explain to her. and passed the disc over to his guest. It was a smooth pebble wrapped in a dirty rag."Go and bring me some cold water.

""Why?" asked Obierika and Okonkwo together. In these seven years he would have climbed to the utmost heights. and he knew that his father wanted him to be a man. And so he did now."We are all well." Nwoye's mother said. like something agitating with a metallic life. facing the elders. 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. took out two leaves and began to chew them."For the first time in three nights. Okonkwo's first wife. Some years the harmattan was very severe and a dense haze hung on the atmosphere. ozo is so low that every beggar takes it. The wave struck the women and children and there was a backward stampede. The glowing logs only served to light up vaguely the dark figure of the priestess. that was how it looked to his father. When he died this morning. if they were stubborn.The year that Okonkwo took eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie was the worst year in living memory. "Let us hear Odukwe. "Look at those lines of chalk."Has Nweke married a wife?" asked Okonkwo.

Nwayieke lived four compounds away. The cloud had lifted and a few stars were out. On Obierika's side were his two elder brothers and Maduka. and then you will know. and Odukwe bent down and touched the earth. that Ekwensu. But he threw himself into it like one possessed."That will not be enough. "I shall tell them my mind if they do. To show affection was a sign of weakness. Sometimes it poured down in such thick sheets of water that earth and sky seemed merged in one gray wetness. The inhabitants of Mbanta expected them all to be dead within four days. "I marvel at what the Lord hath wrought. He does not belong here." said the joker.Dusk was already approaching when their contest began. And so everybody came to see the white man.When they had harvested a sizable heap they carried it down in two trips to the stream. rubbing her eyes and stretching her spare frame. egusi soup and bitter-leaf soup and pots and pots of palm-wine. the fear of the forest. The neighbors sat around watching the pit becoming deeper and deeper. Her coming was quite useless.

very shyly. He moved his hand over his white head and stroked his white beard. the Oracle of the Hills and Caves. the women who had gone for red earth returned with empty baskets. But there were some too who came because they had friends in our town." said Okagbue. The rainbow began to appear. As soon as she got up. floated on the chaos.The drummers stopped for a brief rest before the real matches. How could she know that Ekwefi's bitterness did not flow outwards to others but inwards into her own soul. and the little children to visit their playmates in the neighboring compounds. or the children of Eru. She began to run. and so everyone in his family listened. and two or three pieces of land on which tofarm during the coming planting season. You may ask why I am saying all this. who sat next to him. jumping over walls and dancing on the roof. But somehow he knew he was not going to see them." Okonkwo made a sound full of disgust. for in spite of their worthlessness they still belonged to the clan. killed his animals and destroyed his barn.

He made him feel grown-up."Who are the young men with you?" he asked as he sat down again on his goatskin." the others replied. And in fairness to Umuofia it should be recorded that it never went to war unless its case was clear and just and was accepted as such by its Oracle - the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. gazed at it a while and went away again??to the underworld."He said something. looking at Nwakibie's elder son Igwelo with a malicious twinkle in his eye. And so."Unoka was like that in his last days. what did the mother of this duckling say when you swooped and carried its child away?' 'It said nothing. How old is she now?""She is about ten years old.The Feast of the New Yam was approaching and Umuofia was in a festival mood. and she said so. Not long after. and saw those who stood or sat next to them. She was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of her coming. The rainbow was called the python of the sky."No. She felt cold.Perhaps it never did happen. which only made the darkness more profound.Dusk was already approaching when their contest began. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price.

"I beg you to accept this little kola. the suitor. Nothing wouldhappen to Ezinma. and he loved this season of the year. But a few years later she ran away from her husband and came to live with Okonkwo. Brown. At last Sky was moved to pity. carrying the stamp of their mutilation??a missing finger or perhaps a dark line where the medicine man's razor had cut them. We would then not be held accountable for their abominations. No woman ever asked questions about the most powerful and the most secret cult in the clan. Then he tried to settle the matter the way he used to settle such matters when he was a little boy. He is an exile. If you are sending him on an errand he flies away before he has heard half of the message. Kiaga restrained them. Ekwefi's mind went back to the days when they were young. The eight other egwugwu were as still as statues. consulting among themselves and with the leaders of the two wrestling teams."Be patient.' But my wife's brothers said they had nothing to tell me." he said as he broke it. As Idigo had said. bending very low at the eaves. Almost immediately the women came in with a big bowl of foo-foo.

Okonkwo was not a man of thought but of action. You may ask why I am saying all this. whom he had thrown away. or rather held out her hand to be shaken. Tortoise also took one. They were the harbingers sent to survey the land. who had felt more angry than the others. or rather to his death."Yes. was called a flaming fire. "They have that custom in Obodoani. "They will put off Ndulue's funeral until his wife has been buried. He always said that whenever he saw a dead man's mouth he saw the folly of not eating what one had in one's lifetime. It is the law of our fathers. She was rewarded by occasional spells of health during which Ezinma bubbled with energy like fresh palm-wine. and they took up fans and began to fan themselves. It was very much like Obiageli. Most of the men and women of Abame had gone to their farms." he said as he went. Ezinma turned left as if she was going to the stream.The Feast of the New Yam was approaching and Umuofia was in a festival mood. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands. His words may also be good.

the whole clan gathers there. they became the lords of the land. beans and cassava. It was addressed as "Our Father. What crime had they committed? The Earth had decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed.Ekwefi did not answer. Your duty is to comfort your wives and children and take them back to your fatherland after seven years. the people of the sky set before their guests the most delectable dishes Tortoise had even seen or dreamed of. which only made the darkness more profound. Okonkwo made a present of two cocks to them. He had tried to protect them from the smoldering earth by making rings of thick sisal leaves around them.""I shall wait too. behind the crowd. calling on her mother. twenty-five. Some people even said that they had heard the spirits flying and flapping their wings against the roof of the cave. They scrubbed and painted the outside walls under the supervision of men. "They have that custom in Obodoani. Then the metal gong sounded and the flute was blown. "All the gods you have named are not gods at all. vibrating heat.And so nature was not interfered with in the middle of the rainy season. whom he had thrown away.

Most of the men and women of Abame had gone to their farms. and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. Once upon a time there was a great famine in the land of animals. One mind said to her: "Woman."He was not an albino. When all seemed ready he let himself go. working feverishly from one drum to another. vibrating heat. At the end they decided.Ezinma led the way back to the road. But Ezinma had seen clearly all the thought and hidden meaning behind the few words. I shall not eat in the house of a man who has no respect for our gods and ancestors. A man's life from birth to death was a series of transition rites which brought him nearer and nearer to his ancestors. All the other dancers made way for her.Okonkwo was very happy to receive his friend." Some of them had big sticks and some even machetes. I want you to be there. They danced back to the center together and then closed in. Okonkwo. It said that other white men were on their way. They made single mounds of earth in straight lines all over the field and sowed the yams in them. And there were indeed occasions when the Oracle had forbidden Umuofia to wage a war." she began.

Okagbue emerged and without saying a word or even looking at the spectators he went to his goatskin bag. She went. She did not marry him then because he was too poor to pay her bride-price.""How did they get hold of Ancto to hang him?" asked Okonkwo. who sat next to him." said Obiageli. guttural and awesome. setting up a wave of expectation in the crowd. She called her by her name. He heard the blow.Obierika was a man who thought about things.""That is very strange. But he was happy to leave his father. and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow." said Obierika. who was laid on a mat. The folk stories stopped." he said. He had a large compound enclosed by a thick wall of red earth. But the one knew what the other was thinking. Yam. where the white men first came many years before and where they had built the center of their religion and trade and government. shiny pebble fell out.

"It is an ozo dance. He laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the ogene. Every man and woman came out to see the white man. If we allow you to come with us you will soon begin your mischief."But the leaves will be wet. they kept their imagination to themselves. If any money came his way. He made him feel grown-up.- Onwumbiko died in his fifteenth month.The confusion that followed was without parallel in the tradition of Umuofia. And they might also have noticed that Okonkwo was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the row of egwugwu. Two elderly neighbors were sent for. and Okonkwo's women and children heard from their huts all that she said. He just hung limp. Okonkwo had committed the female. It was the ekwe talking to the clan.As for the boy himself. Kiaga's congregation at Mbanta. "They have that custom in Obodoani. yams of the old year were all disposed of by those who still had them. When the youngest wife went to call her again to be present at the washing of the body. relaxed again. was a very exacting king.

But let us ostracize these men.- one could not have known where one's mouth was in the darkness of that night.The New Yam Festival was thus an occasion for joy throughout Umuofia.""An albino.Evil Forest began to speak and all the while he spoke everyone was silent. greeted Okonkwo and turned towards the compound. Ezinma's voice soon faded away and only Chielo was heard moving farther and farther into the distance. He. That also is true. That was why he had called him a woman. Early that morning as he offered a sacrifice of new yam and palm oil to his ancestors he asked them to protect him."Father. She was afraid of what might happen if Chielo suddenly turned round and saw her." replied Okonkwo. and Ekwefi asked Nwoye's mother and Ojiugo to explain to Obierika's wife that she would be late. and each party brought with them a huge pot of palm-wine. There were three men in one group and three men and one woman in the other. She only began to weep when they got near the iroko tree outside their compound. The wave struck the women and children and there was a backward stampede. There were only three such boys in each team.""Your words are good. Am I dead? They said I would die if i took care of twins. The children stood in the darkness outside their hut watching the strange event.

she thought. Then he would show his wealth by initiating his sons into the ozo society. It was then that the one-handed spirit came. Her coming was quite useless. Even the enemy clan knew that."You know what it is. her wrath was loosed on all the land and not just on the offender. He still thought about his mother and his three-year-old sister. Then the rain became less violent. The crowd followed her silently. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly."When did you become a shivering old woman."Outside the obi Okagbue and Okonkwo were digging the pit to find where Ezinma had buried her iyi-uwa. Of course they had all heard the bell-man." said Okonkwo. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. They went back to their caves in a distant land. She must have heard a noise behind her and turned round sharply. Okonkwo had committed the female.And now the rains had really come. and it was his firmness that saved the young church. they say. He walked unsteadily to the place where the corpse was laid.