god and the symbols of his departed fathers. and I am still alive. the grown-up. The men stood outside the circle.

My case is finished
My case is finished.As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete. Some of them did become tired of their evil rounds of birth and death. He was the oldest man in Ire.Very soon after.Okagbue had again taken over the digging from Okonkwo. "that Abame is no more?""How is that?" asked Uchendu and Okonkwo together. this medicine stands on the market ground in the shape of an old woman with a fan. Some of these prisoners had thrown away their twins and some had molested the Christians. Ezeudu is dead. I have already spoken to you about him.""Not before you have had your breakfast."I don't know why such a trifle should come before the said one elder to another. She determined to nurse her child to health. The oldest man present said sternly that those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.Obierika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. was a widely-traveled man who knew the customs of different peoples."Forgive me.It came slowly. a huge wooden face painted white except for the round hollow eyes and the charred teeth that were as big as a man's fingers. Nwoye went to his mother's hut and told her that Ikemefuna was going home. my daughter. The story was told in Umuofia."We shall be going. but they had never in all their lives heard of women being debarred from the stream. relaxed again. Thelocusts had not come for many. He passed them over to his eldest brother.

"As our people say. No. When they were out of earshot. Whenever one of these ancient men appeared in the crowd to dance unsteadily the funeral steps of the tribe. We have tried to settle their quarrels time without number and on each occasion Uzowulu was guilty??""It is a lie!" Uzowulu shouted. As the rain began to fall more soberly and in smaller liquid drops. and was not given the first or the second burial. if they were stubborn. before the first cock-crow. He did not understand it. the sun is shining. A steady cloud of smoke rose from his head. But when she lived on to her fourth. He was always alone and was shaped like a coffin. His body rattled like a piece of dry stick in his empty shell. and after they had shaken hands he asked Okonkwo who they were. Three young men from the victorious boy's team ran forward. and was full of the sap of life." the men said among themselves. But when a father beats his child. before the first cock-crow. Go home and work like a man. They had not thought about that. "They want to ruin us. like the prospect of annihilation. We have albinos among us. The sickness was an abomination to the earth. will not understand me.

" said Okonkwo as he took his machete and went into the bush to collect the leaves and grasses and barks of trees that went into making the medicine for iba. You may ask why I am saying all this."Nwakibie cleared his throat. And so when he called Ikemefuna to fetch his gun. For days and nights together it poured down in violent torrents." He drank his palm-wine.The festival was now only three days away. Beyond that limit no man was suffered to go. who clung to her. Chielo never ceased in her chanting. She broke them into little pieces across the sole of her foot and began to build a fire. yet young people ran about happily picking up the cold nuts and throwing them into their mouths to melt. roots and barks of medicinal trees and shrubs. There was a long break. for whom is it well? There is no one for whom it is well.The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. So he waited impatiently for the dry season to come. I shall give you twice four hundred yams."Agbala do-o-o-o! Umuachi! Agbala ekene unuo-o-ol" It was just as Ekwefi had thought. the anger on his face was gone."I am Evil Forest. The white man had gone back to Umuofia."Leave her to me. decorating them with a colorful and plaintive tune. but they grew women's crops. Unoka. The other people were released. I salute you.

""They are not all that young."Go home and sleep.Okonkwo returned when he felt the medicine had cooked long anough. one saw that there was sorrow and grief there. And as he told them of the past they sat in darkness or the dim glow of logs. and sometimes two rainbows."Early in the afternoon the first two pots of palm-wine arrived from Obierika's in-laws. She buried her face in her lap and waited. His enemies said his good fortune had gone to his head. "Kill one of your sons for me. She stood until Chielo had increased the distance between them and she began to follow again. Then they washed them and cut them up for the women who prepared the soup. not only in his motherland but also in Umuofia. Young men pounded the foo-foo or split firewood. and Ezinma brought his goatskin bag from the far end of the hut."Answer the question at once. Whenever Nwoye's mother sang this song he felt carried away to the distant scene in the sky where Vulture.Ekwefi still had some cassava left on her farm from the previous year. and he was soon chosen as the man to speak for the party because he was a great orator. Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits. as she had accepted others??with listless resignation. He exchanged greetings with Okonkwo and led the way into his obi." Okonkwo agreed. Her basket was balanced on her head. The Ibo evangelists consulted among themselves and decided that the man probably meant bicycle. or Evil Spirit. It was a fierce contest. who stood beside her.

all the descendants of Okolo. and kill him there. If a man kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut. yams of the old year were all disposed of by those who still had them. gome. which every man kept in his obi and with which his guests drew lines on the floor before they ate kola nuts." said Obiageli. and prayed that the rain might fall in the night. He ordered the outcasts to shave off their long. It was called a string. as Ekwefi had said. and from morning till night warriors came and went in their age groups. Many young men have come to me to ask for yams but I have refused because I knew they would just dump them in the earth and leave them to be choked by weeds. and allowed a murmur of suppressed anger to sweep the crowd."Who taps your tall trees for you?" asked Obierika."I sometimes think he is too sharp. The air. The sun breaking through their leaves and branches threw a pattern of light and shade on the sandy footway. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic."Ezinma ran in the direction of the barn and brought back two yams from the dwarf wall. Then she suddenly turned round and began to walk back to the road. who had given much money to the white man's messengers and interpreter. But there was one woman who had no doubt whatever in her mind. When he walked. Unoka. like the snapping of a tightened bow. and a girl. But there were some too who came because they had friends in our town.

As soon as he left. Ekwefi screwed her eyes up in an effort to see her daughter and the priestess. Machi. and stayed.As soon as the day broke. When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Ezinma rushed out of the hut. and Maduka brought in a pot of palm-wine. And when he got there he found it was a man making a sacrifice. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman. he said to Okonkwo:"That boy calls you father." said Mr.The crowd set out with Ezinma leading the way and Okagbue following closely behind her. The New Yam Festival seemed to him to be a much bigger event here than in his own village."Yes. they have killed me!" as he ran towards him. who was fat and whose body shone as if oil was rubbed on it??"She broke off because at that very moment a loud and high-pitched voice broke the outer silence of the night. There was a light wind blowing. But she refused them all. She began to run. Uchendu pulled gently at his gray beard and gnashed his teeth.The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. to honor the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the clan. He knew that he was a fierce fighter.Okonkwo spent the next few days preparing his seed-yams. As the elders said. But she had lived so long that perhaps she had decided to stay. Surely the earth goddess would not visit the sins of the missionaries on the innocent villagers?But on one occasion the missionaries had tried to over step the bounds.

Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man. But his fondness only showed on very rare occasions. was celebrating his daughter's uri. Obierika. They were talking excitedly among themselves because the white man had said he was going to live among them. Neither of the other wives had. the rulers of Mbanta gave to the missionaries. and the others to the chalk quarry. It was a different woman??the priestess of Agbala. "Your daughter will bear us sons like you. It was like the market. and the children reveled in the thought of being spoiled by these visitors from the motherland." said Evil Forest."Leave that boy at once!" said a voice in the outer compound." They all laughed. as was the custom. passing back the disc." said Obierika. She has the right spirit." he said. Okonkwo wondered what was amiss. he broke it and they ate."There was a long silence. of course." said Evil Forest.""That is very true. "His shell broke into pieces. The crowd burst into a thunderous roar.

I am Fire-that-burns-without-faggots." the convert maintained. and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept. Uchendu. and allowed a brief pause. After the pot-bearers came Ibe. 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. the medicine itself was called agadi-nwayi. But that did not alter the facts. And now he was going to take the Idemili title." Okonkwo and Obierika said together. the shouting and the firing of guns. which had been stretched taut with excitement. floated on the chaos. he burst out laughing.""That is true. But whenever they came to preach in the open marketplace or the village playground."I am following Chielo. His name was Nwakibie and he had taken the highest but one title which a man could take in the clan. or Evil Spirit. He stretched himself and scratched his thigh where a mosquito had bitten him as he slept. He. She felt cold. And for many days this rare food was eaten with solid palm-oil. He had an old rusty gun made by a clever blacksmith who had come to live in Umuofta long ago. but not today. the old man supporting himself with his stick." the convert maintained.

It began by naming the clan: Umuofia obodo dike! "the land of the brave. She presented the cock to the musicians and began to dance. We must cook quickly or we shall be late for the wrestling. conversing with his father in low tones. It always surprised him when he thought of it later that he did not sink under the load of despair. She was called Crystal of Beauty." He turned to Odukwe. Nwoye's mind had gone immediately to Nwayieke. Here we say he cannot climb the tall tree but he can tap the short ones standing on the ground. He did not understand it. The child was called Onwumbiko."She is ill in bed. But the song spread in Umuofia. Like all good farmers. Many people looked around. But very few people had ever seen that kind of wrestling before."It will not be very long now before my in-laws come. They must have used a powerful medicine to make themselves invisible until the market was full. in the other hand. with a start. and when they had seen it and thanked him. who was also a diviner of the Afa Oracle."Answer the question at once. until crops withered and the dead could not be buried because the hoes broke on the stony Earth. pushing the air with his raffia arms. Okonkwo said yes very strongly. But by the end of the day the sisal rings were burned dry and gray. you would still have committed a great evil to beat her.

"You fear that you will die."Where do you sleep with your wife. the rulers of Mbanta gave to the missionaries. because it had been inadvertent. That is a wise action." She died in her eleventh month. and he sent his kotma to catch Aneto. gome. They have a big market in Abame on every other Afo day and. No punishment was prescribed for a man who killed the python knowingly.And then quite suddenly a shadow fell on the world. what did the mother of this duckling say when you swooped and carried its child away?' 'It said nothing. Nwoye's mother and Okonkwo's youngest wife were ready to set out for Obierika's compound with all their children.'"'You do not know me."We are at last getting somewhere. They were very fat goats. Although her husband's wives were saying that it was nothing more than iba. Her arms were folded across her bare breasts. and he was not afraid of war. Then he poured out for the others. Okonkwo had slaughtered a goat for her. "Which is this god of yours. but she went to Okonkwo's compound. "We will allow three or four women to stay behind. But Chielo ignored what he was trying to say and went on shouting that Agbala wanted to see his daughter." he said. Their fathers had never dared to stand before our ancestors. As the rain began to fall more soberly and in smaller liquid drops.

In short. talking excitedly and praying that the locusts should camp in Umuofia for the night. The medicine man ignored him.He did not sleep at night. also had a basket of plantains and coco-yams and a small pot of palm-oil. by Okonkwo's brusqueness in dealing with less successful men. "You will bring to the shrine of Ani tomorrow one she-goat. But Tortoise jumped to his feet and asked: Tor whom have you prepared this feast?'"'For all of you. and asking it if it had brought home any lengths of cloth. everybody knew by instinct that they were very good to eat. Her two children belong to Uzowulu. But some of these losses were not irreparable. his son's crime stood out in its stark enormity." the others replied. Some were great farmers. He was afraid of being thought weak. and he spoke as he performed them:"1 hope our in-laws will bring many pots of wine. Am I dead? They said I would die if i took care of twins. You may have heard of the title I intend to take shortly. But although it had happened so long ago. no one could kill them without having to flee from the clan. a place which was already becoming remote and vague in his imagination.""If we leave our gods and follow your god. He was roused in the morning by someone banging on his door. his mother was alive.""I pray she stays. He exchanged greetings with Okonkwo and led the way into his obi."There must be something behind it.

It had not happened for many a long year. We would then not be held accountable for their abominations." said Okagbue. I did not hang myself. How could he have begotten a woman for a son? At Nwoye's age Okonkwo had already become famous throughout Umuofia for his wrestling and his fearlessness. Earth's emissary. "Agbala greets you. he cried in his heart. spread her mat on the floor and built a fire."There was immediate excitement and those who were sitting jumped to their feet. He laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the ogene. The old man bore no ill will towards Okonkwo. Tortoise was very happy and voluble as he flew among the birds." Okonkwo said between mouthfuls. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. But he left hold of Nwoye. succulent breasts. "I do not blame you for not hearing the cock crow. It seemed as if the world had gone mad. Okonkwo rose to speak. stood immediately behind the only gate in the red walls. said Ezeugo."The court messengers did not like to be called Ashy-Buttocks. and who like a madman had cut the anklet of his titles and cast it away to join the Christians. A man's place was not always there. The cannon seemed to rend the sky. His eldest brother broke the first one. "Bear no hand in his death.

twenty years or more. If they became more troublesome than they already were they would simply be driven out of the clan.Okoye was also a musician.The moon was now up and she could see Chielo and Ezinma clearly. young and old. and the crowd answered.The next morning the crazy men actually began to clear a part of the forest and to build their house. The poor and unknown would not dare to come forth. He searched his bag again and brought out a small. Okonkwo came after her.His life had been ruled by a great passion??to become one of the lords of the clan. And let me tell you one thing. They seemed to forget all about him as soon as they had taken the decision. The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. Obierika. The woman was Mgbafo and the three men with her were her brothers. The crowd had surrounded and swallowed up the drummers. by Ezeani. Nwoye's mother swore at her and settled down again to her peeling.As soon as the priestess stepped into this ring of hills her voice was not only doubled in strength but was thrown back on all sides. They also said I would die if I built my church on this ground. He must have a wife. my sons. smiling. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. and was not given the first or the second burial. The Oracle said to him. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you.

who would not lend his knife for cutting up dogmeat because the dog was taboo to him."Having spoken plainly so far. Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy. He knew that he was a fierce fighter. fantastic figures that dissolved under her steady gaze and then formed again in new shapes. In short. And what is the result? Their clan is full of the evil spirits of these unburied dead. which had been stretched taut with excitement." said the medicine man. all strong and healthy. the whole clan gathers there. he had already put aside his goatskin bag and his big cloth and was in his underwear. Machi. He watched the sky all day for signs of rain clouds and lay awake all night. women and children. The first thing he would do would be to rebuild his compound on a more magnificent scale.The drum sounded again and the flute blew." he said to Ikemefuna. 'Don't touch!' If i hold her footShe says.When the rain finally came. and as it dwelt on it. Ezigbo." said his daughter Ezinma when she brought the food to him. Her voice was as clear as metal.When they had all gathered. But tonight she was addressing her prophecy and greetings to Okonkwo. machetes. Okonkwo was one of them.

" said Obierika. smiled broadly and said to his father: "Do you hear that?" He then said to the others: "He will never admit that I am a good tapper. It was said that they had built a place of judgment in Umuofia to protect the followers of their religion.Dusk was already approaching when their contest began."Because I did not want to. Of course they had all heard the bell-man. armed with sheathed machetes. Ezinma had not wanted to cooperate with him at first. Alone Nnadi is cooking and eating. As they cut grass in the morning the younger men sang in time with the strokes of their machetes:"Kotma of the ashy buttocks. which had dozed in the noon-day haze. and at the end of three years he had become very distant indeed. he was told."How is your father?" Obierika asked. The sound of her benumbed steps seemed to come from some other person walking behind her. If. As soon as she got up. relaxed again. "Let us give them a portion of the Evil Forest. And what made it worse in Okonkwo's case was that he had to support his mother and two sisters from his meagre harvest. His mother had wept bitterly. the priest of the earth goddess. Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent. with a start. when she had seen Ogbu-agali-odu. Every nerve and every muscle stood out on their arms. Listen to me and I shall tell you. like leprosy and smallpox.

Igwelo had a job in hand because he had married his first wife a month or two before. If it ended on his left." He pulled his staff from the hard earth and thrust it back. Ikezue strove to dig in his right heel behind Okafo so as to pitch him backwards in the clever ege style."I shall return very soon. "honest men and thieves.Unoka. She broke them into little pieces across the sole of her foot and began to build a fire. thirty-five. not even with broomsticks. She determined to nurse her child to health. They sat in a half-moon. But he was so weak that his legs could hardly carry him. There were only three such boys in each team. At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. It was Okonkwo's uncle. Then the bride. The rainy season was approaching when they would go away until the dry season returned. Kiaga.One day a neighbor called Okoye came in to see him. But they soon returned and everyone was gazing at the rag from a reasonable distance. But Okagbue said he was not tired yet. Without it. and they were merely her messengers. Once she tripped up and fell. Here we say he cannot climb the tall tree but he can tap the short ones standing on the ground. The yams he had sown before the drought were his own. and it was his firmness that saved the young church.

You see."Answer the question at once. Okonkwo and the boys worked in complete silence. Sometimes he decided that a yam was too big to be sown as one seed and he split it deftly along its length with his sharp knife. And he went.Ekwefi ladled her husband's share of the pottage into a bowl and covered it. Nobody thought that such a thing could ever happen. confident voice. He danced a few steps to the funeral drums and then went to see the corpse. taking each string separately. His actions were deliberate. like a hunter's dog that suddenly goes mad and turns on his master. picking his words with great care:"It is Okonkwo that 1 primarily wish to speak to. They said she was coming. And then like the sound of his cannon he crashed on the compound. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools. and the solid mass was now broken by tiny eyes of light like shining star dust."Obiageli broke her pot today. Sometimes when he went to big village meetings or communal ancestral feasts he allowed Ikemefuna to accompany him. and at the end of it beat his instrument again. The palm fronds were helpless in keeping them back. Work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have. One of these days your jigida will catch fire on your waist. Her name was Nneka. and they. 'She should have been a boy. There was an oil lamp in all the four huts on Okonkwo's compound. He looked it over and said it was done.

A new cover of thick palm branches and palm leaves was set on the walls to protect them from the next rainy season. You know as well as I do that our forefathers ordained that before we plant any crops in the earth we should observe a week in which a man does not say a harsh word to his neighbor." was joyfully chanted everywhere.""Don't cry. There was so much food and drink that many kinsmen whistled in surprise. Nwoye overheard it and burst into tears. who stood beside her." said Obierika. Obierika. which were black with soot. He worked." said an old man. which together formed a half moon behind the obi.Ekwefi went into her hut to cook yams. Okafo was swept off his feet by his supporters and carried home shoulder high. 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 took up the rag with his left hand and began to untie it. and it seemed now as if it was happening all over again. It throbbed in the air." said Obierika. The rain became lighter and lighter until it fell in slanting showers." the convert maintained. 'Don't touch!' If i hold her footShe says. through lonely forest paths. "Kill one of your sons for me. Ekwefi was reassured." But it was a different Chielo she now saw in the yellow half-light."Point at the spot with your finger.

indeed."You are right. Two elderly neighbors were sent for. That was a favorite saying of children. which were black with soot. It is almost dawn. "We do not ask for wealth because he that has health and children will also have wealth. I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers' breasts. The personal dynamism required to counter the forces of these extremes of weather would be far too great for the human frame. "But Nweke did not appear until it was quite light. she returned to her mother's hut to help with the cooking. he burst out laughing. He laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the ogene."Come and shake hands with me. and they agreed about the beating. And so heavily did it rain onVulture that he did not return to deliver his message but flew to a distant land. and two days later he returned home with a lad of fifteen and a young virgin. That was why he had called him a woman. or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire. Her voice was as clear as metal. There were six of them and one was a white man. The pots of wine stood in their midst. At the end they decided. A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family. closed hut like tongues of fire. in each of the countless thatched huts of Umuofia. As far as the villagers were concerned. Those men of Abame were fools.

"Odukwe's body. But they dared not complain openly. and then he continued: "Each group there represents a debt to someone. he made sacrifices of atonement and performed an expensive burial ceremony such as was done for a great man. they ought to know that Akueke is the bride for a king. "Ozoemena was." said Obierika. He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough. and earth and sky once again became separate. If I had not seen the few survivors with my own eyes and heard their story with my own ears. as most people were. No! he could not be. who said he should die."Two years ago. If such a thing were ever to happen. They came when misfortune dogged their steps or when they had a dispute with their neighbors. who had begun to play a part in the affairs of his motherland." asked Obierika. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass. 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. He was greatly surprised. That had been his life-spring. It had been early in the morning. and from the very first seemed to have kindled a new fire in the younger boy. was a very exacting king. In the end the fearless ones went near and even touched him. Is it right that you.He wanted him to be a prosperous man.

So I have brought the matter to the fathers of the clan."One of them passes here frequently."You do not know the answer? So you see that you are a child. gome. she did not hear them. I think." she said."Where are her children? Did she take them?" he asked with unusual coolness and restraint. His mind went to his latest show of manliness. If such a thing were ever to happen. Violent deaths were frequent." Ezinma began.The old man.No work was done during the Week of Peace. just beyond the borders of Mbaino. Why is it that when a woman dies she is taken home to be buried with her own kinsmen? She is not buried with her husband's kinsmen. as usual. was expected to invite large numbers of guests from far and wide. It was a story of brothers who lived in darkness and in fear. especially at festivals and also when an old man died. They were among the best wrestlers in all the nine villages. therefore."Who killed this tree? Or are you all deaf and dumb?"As a matter of fact the tree was very much alive. Not long after. he is telling a lie." Ezinma pointed out.' he said as they flew on their way. the white man began to speak to them.

"How is your father?" Obierika asked. She beckons in front of her and behind her. The children were also decorated. And so the stranger had brought him. saluted the spirits and began his story. and he was grateful. Okonkwo. He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him. every man with his goatskin bag hung on one shoulder and a rolled goatskin mat under his arm. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute. broke into life and activity. She wore the anklet of her husband's titles." said Okonkwo. and in one deft movement she lifted the pot from the fire and poured the boiling water over the fowl. He was the oldest man in Ire."We are at last getting somewhere. came to visit him."Go into that room.The contest began with boys of fifteen or sixteen. The three white men and a very large number of other men surrounded the market. The men brought their goatskin mats. else it would break and the thousand tiny rings would have to be strung together again. They can steal your cloth from off your waist in that market. They also said I would die if I built my church on this ground. sat on the floor waiting for him to finish. because Oduche had not died immediately from his wounds. That was always the trouble with Okeke's snuff. But they were very rare and short-lived.

We pray for life."It is an ozo dance. "people should not talk when they are eating or pepper may go down the wrong way. and evil fortune followed him to the grave." She stood up and pulled out the fan which was fastened into one of the rafters. If any one of you prefers to be a woman. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. That week they won a handful more converts." Okonkwo said to himself again. Why should I? But the Oracle did not ask me to carry out its decision. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village. It was a miracle. and regain the seven wasted years." said Ezinma. and two others after her.Many people went out with baskets trying to catch them."Obiako has always been a strange one. and although ailing she seemed determined to live. This was about eight days after the fight." she said when they got to the tree." he said to Ikemefuna." said Obierika. it would have been impossible to eat." 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. "I remember now." Okonkwo thought within himself."They will not begin until the sun goes down. degenerate and effeminate? Perhaps he was not his son.

anxiety."You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world? Do you know that men are sometimes banished for life? Do you know that men sometimes lose all their yams and even their children? I had six wives once." said the leader of the ecjwucjwu. and none of them died. after the rains." said Okonkwo.After the singing the interpreter spoke about the Son of God whose name was Jesu Kristi. Some women ran away in fear when it was thrown. when he slept.Very soon after. In the end Okonkwo threw the Cat. And then suddenly she had begun to shiver in the night. His sons brought out the pots of palm-wine. And when. "Will you go?""Yes. but achievement was revered. She just jogged along in a half-sleep.""You do not understand." he said to Ikemefuna. He raised it carefully with the hoe and threw it to the surface. Everyone looked in the direction of the egwugwu house. by Ezeani. he was already one of the greatest men of his time. Ezinma went with her and helped in preparing the vegetables."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. His mother and sisters worked hard enough. through lonely forest paths. so she cupped her right hand to shelter the flame.

"It is iba." Mosquito went away humiliated. At last Vulture was sent to plead with Sky. clay and metal instruments went from song to song. bringing the third dish. and the others to the chalk quarry. "She should have been a boy.""Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself. Yam. no matter how heavily the family ate or how many friends and relatives they invited from neighboring villages. which was strengthened by such little conspiracies as eating eggs in the bedroom.By the time Onwumbiko died Ekwefi had become a very bitter woman. a huge wooden face painted white except for the round hollow eyes and the charred teeth that were as big as a man's fingers. Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy."It is very near now. '1 am a changed man."Sit like a woman!" Okonkwo shouted at her. she thought. He was imprisoned with all the leaders of his family. and the sound of wooden mortar and pestle as Nwayieke pounded her foo-foo. and evil fortune followed him to the grave.It was going to be Okonkwo's last harvest in Mbanta. They too sat just in front of the huge circle of spectators. "Somebody is walking behind me!" she said." said Okonkwo. tangled and dirty hair. Okonkwo. Ekwefi uttered a scream and sprang to her feet.

and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back. The bride's mother led the way. Uzowulu. The first cup went to Okonkwo. "And you know how leaves become smaller after cooking. and it was their counsel that prevailed in the end. He would build a bigger barn than he had had before and he would build huts for two new wives. for his father's relatives to see. When they returned Ukegbu handed the bundle of sticks back to Obierika." he said. Even the greatest medicine men took shelter when he was near. asked her""Remember that if you do not answer truthfully you will suffer or even die at childbirth. Why is that? Your mother was brought home to me and buried with my people. he has learned to fly without perching.Okonkwo's family was astir like any other family in the neighborhood." he said to Okonkwo. Ezeudu was the oldest man in this quarter of Umuofia. But no one who had ever crawled into his awful shrine had come out without the fear of his power. And so he did now. And every man whose arm was strong. When he finished his kola nut he said:"The things that happen these days are very strange. but I shall be happy if you marry in Umuofia when we return home. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. So he began to plan how he would go to the sky. It was an angry. and the smell of burning hair blended with the smell of cooking. "But I have also heard that Abame people were weak and foolish. You may have heard of the title I intend to take shortly.

"And why did you not say so."It was Wednesday in Holy Week and Mr."That wine is the work of a good tapper. It was then that the one-handed spirit came. I weed ?C I??; ??Hold your peace!" screamed the priestess. And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father." Obierika said to his son." He paused. closely followed by Nwoye and his two younger brothers. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman. Once he got up from bed and walked about his compound. If you turn against me when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck. They formed a circular ring with a break at one point through which the foot-track led to the center of the circle. and Ikemefuna. passed through his obi and into Ekwefi's hut and walked into her bedroom. That was the only time Ekwefi ever saw Ogbu-agali-odu. setting up a wave of expectation in the crowd. "He seemed to speak through his nose. his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm. and you are afraid. carrying a wooden dish with three kola nuts and alligator pepper." they said. 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. Obierika offered him a lobe of the kola nut he had broken with Okonkwo. or Evil Spirit. But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. Mr.

And then suddenly she had begun to shiver in the night. They were the harbingers sent to survey the land. The seven wasted and weary years were at last dragging to a close. the medicine itself was called agadi-nwayi. With the help of his mother's kinsmen he built himself an obi and three huts for his wives. It might happen again this year. Kiaga."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. I shall give you twice four hundred yams. Mgbafo and her brothers were as still as statues into whose faces the artist has molded defiance. He would speak to him after the isa-ifi ceremony.' Those men of Abame were fools. Then from the distance came the faint beating of the ekwe. father? You are beyond our knowledge. Her eyes went constantly from Ezinma to the boiling pot and back to Ezinma. dug her teeth into the real thing. It was only on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi. and Umuofia was still swallowed up in sleep and silence when the ekwe began to talk."Before God."Evil Forest then turned to the other group and addressed the eldest of the three brothers.Then the missionaries burst into song. They were duly presented to the women. Nwoye's mother went to him and placed her hands on his chest and on his back. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price. He then installed his personal god and the symbols of his departed fathers. and I am still alive. the grown-up. The men stood outside the circle.