Blog Post 7: Customs and calamity
The following question relating to the world told of in chapters 8-15. Use at least three
specific pieces of information no one
has yet used in their blog posts and at least six specific
pieces of information total, with a page citation for each; also, use at least 300 words in your answer.
1) Discuss three rituals in Umuofia in chapters 8 to 15. How do they bring order to the village and establish roles for different kinds of people? Who benefits and who suffers from each ritual? Which ritual do you find most attractive, which one do you find least attractive, and why?
1) Discuss three rituals in Umuofia in chapters 8 to 15. How do they bring order to the village and establish roles for different kinds of people? Who benefits and who suffers from each ritual? Which ritual do you find most attractive, which one do you find least attractive, and why?
One ritual in Umuofia was the burial of ogbanje which is basically a "curse" of dying children. This ritual in particular did not necessarily bring order to the village but it brought peace to the "relevance" to the people in the village (78). Also in this ritual, there were not many roles established besides that of the medicine man and the one who was suffering from the obanje. Though there were no roles, there were many onlookers who took part in the finding of the iyi-uwa (82). "The neighbors sat around watching the pit become deeper and deeper…Okagube went back into the pit, which was now surrounded by spectators" (83-84). The person who benefits from the obanje burial/retrieval, is the mother who suffers from it because she can now live (partially) without fear. The mother also suffers though as Ekwefi was said that "her anxiety for her daughter that she could not rid herself completely of her fear" (80).
ReplyDeleteThe second ritual was Obierika celebrating his daughter's uri. This ritual was able to bring order to the village as women were able to work together in order to bring a complete meal to the occasion. Both men and women were able to keep the order though the event itself was chaotic. The roles were established like every other day in a sense. Women were cooking to satisfy the men, who were talking and drinking throughout the night. "The first two pots of pal-wine arrive from Obierika's in laws…they were duly presented to the women, to help them in their cooking…the suitor, and the elders of his family sat in a half-moon, the pots of wine stood in their midst" (116). In this ritual, no one really suffered as the book states that the night ended successfully. In my opinion, both sets of families were able to benefit from this ritual as they both brought "something" to the table and initiate a marriage.
The last ritual was that of a warrior's funeral. Ezeudu passed away and the funeral was celebrated differently than other funerals. In this ritual, order was "established" through the actions of men through the several villages. The villages were able to "mesh" together as the sound of the horn affected all nine of them. As of other rituals in this section, there were not distinct roles besides that of the drummers, the men firing the guns, and the ones firing the cannon (124). The ones who benefit from this ritual are the men involved in the ritual because it could be looked at as an honor for being able to participate in the funeral.
The ritual that was the most attractive was the preparation of the food and the drinking of wine because it did not result in anyone having to die. Everyone involved in the ritual seemed happy, therefore, making this ritual my favorite. As for the least attractive, it was the mutilation of the child's body in obanje. Not only did that result in someone dying, but it also resulted in the "harming" of a child's body even after their death.
The ritual of the trial was one of the most interesting in these chapters. Umuofia has a court system to establish order, but it is conducted in a very interesting way. The egwugwu, or the ancestral spirits fulfill the rule of the judge (88). In this way the justice system is under divine authority, but Achebe hints that it may actually be members of the clan fulfilling the role of judges when he says that "Okonkwo's wives, and perhaps other women as well, might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the spring walk of Okonkwo. And they might also have noticed that Okonkwo was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the row of egwugwu" (89). This ritual gives judicial power to important men of the clan such as Okonkwo, but maintains cultural tradition by adhering to practices of revering ancestral spirits. The clan benefits through a justice system which seems to be impartial and fair, although in our modern setting we would of course resist the ruling that the abused wife should return to her husband if he begs forgiveness (93).
ReplyDeleteAnother ritual which the people of Umuofia are very proud of is the negotiation of the bride price. In using sticks to wordlessly negotiate the price, the clansmen see themselves as more orderly than other clans who negotiate in other ways. For example, Obierka's brother says "In Umunso they do not bargain at all, not even with broomsticks. The suitor just goes on bringing bags of cowries until his in-laws tell him to stop. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel" (74). According to those in Umuofia, this is a much more orderly solution because it allows the negotiation of a bride-price without quarrels or the undignified customs of Abame and Aninta, where "they do not decide bride-price as we do with sticks. They haggle and bargain as if they were buying a goat or cow in the market (72)." While they see using sticks as more orderly and dignified, it of course reinforces role of men as rulers over women and turns women into property. The men benefit by either gaining wealth or a wife, but the women are treated like objects to be traded for cowries.
The ritual which seems to be the least orderly is the funeral of the warrior where "men dashed about in a frenzy, cutting down every tree or animal they saw, jumping over walls and dancing on the roof" (121). If that wasn't chaotic enough there was also a machete-wielding egwugwu who had to be restrained for the funeral goers' protection (121). For all its disorderliness the funeral does serve a purpose in giving a revered role to the departed and even to the elderly; those who have passed on are honored by the egwugwu and those who are old are "very close to the ancestors" who are also revered highly (122). The elderly and departed benefit through this respectful display, but anyone caught in the midst of the chaotic celebration suffers.
Of all the rituals, the most attractive is the court system. Though there are many things we might find unattractive about it, for the culture that it is representing, it seems to be a very good system. There are nine judges who deliberate, presumably all of whom are men of status in the clan and fit to make such decisions, and who are believed to be the divine egwugwu which means that their decisions hold weight. The trials are decided on evidence and the case of the abused wife seems to run very smoothly.
The least attractive of the rituals is the negotiation of the bride price. Negotiating calmly with sticks does seem marginally more dignified than verbally haggling over a woman, but the fact remains that whether or not the men haggle, the woman is still being auctioned off like cattle or property. It is important to remember that this ritual exists in a society where sale of the bride is a cultural custom before criticizing the ritual itself, but if we are discussing the attractiveness of the rituals then this is the one I find the least attractive of the three named.
One ritual I was the Uri. It was when the groom would bring gifts, such as palm-wine to the bride’s parents, immediate relatives and the umunna who are the kinsman (110). It’s a time where the whole family gets together and celebrates the bride. It has been a reoccurring trend that the men in this society benefit, and it is no different in this ceremony. The mother must cook food for the whole village (111). This has to be tiring for her, and the role of the men is to relax and enjoy her hard work of cooking. For the bride, this must be an exciting time because in a community that is so masculine-driven, she probably does not get much praise or attention apart from this.
ReplyDeleteThe second ritual I found was the Isa-Ifa ceremony. This is the final ceremony of confession between a man and a woman (131). It brought the whole family together in a meeting. The bride sat in the middle surrounded by the family (132). This was a time of questioning of the wife to see if she had been faithful, and she must answer in front of everybody. I would say that everyone really benefits, but at the same time, in my opinion it is pointless. It also seems embarrassing for the wife.
The 3rd ritual I found was when Ezinma is sick and dying in chapter 9. In this society, they believe in evil spirts. In order to try to cure this girl, Okonkwo put leaves and grasses in a pot of boiling water and left her alone (85). They believe the pot cannot boil over or else the “power” of it will no longer work (86). This is meant to help the person who is sick and rid her or him of any unwanted spirits. It seems to be pretty painful for Ezimna because she is forcefully put under a thick mat with the hot steam. It seems silly, but they believe it works. Overall, it doesn’t necessarily bring order to the community, but more of a comfort thinking the person going through this will be healed.
The ritual I find the most appealing is the Uri for the bride. This doesn’t involve any pain or humiliation. I enjoy celebrating people in marriages, birthdays, etc (especially when there is food), so this ritual seems fun and enjoyable for most everyone. The least appealing ritual that I wrote about is the 3rd one. I guess being in a time of advanced medical technology I am a little biased, but I just do not see the point in this boiling water ritual. It seems uncomfortable to Ezimna and, it is not going to cure her. (Once again, I am biased though because we live in a completely different time than this community in Things Fall Apart.
One ritual in Umuofia is the burial and rediscovery of a child’s iyi-uwa. This ritual is used to signify once a child dies, their spirit will be returned and born again to the same mother. (81) This brought order to the village because it signified that the child’s troubles and illnesses were over and that they will survive. The iyi-uwa established few roles but involves many people as spectators. (83) The main role is the child explaining where they buried their iyi-uwa, the medicine man following the guidance of the child and digging up the object, and the family and spectators that observe this tradition. The mother of the child benefits the most because it takes away the anxiety and fear of the possibility that the child may die. (85) I believe the one that suffers the most from this ritual is the child. Not only is there a lot of pressure on the child to remember where they buried their object but it almost can give the child false hope for their future in the unfortunate case of them becoming ill again like Ezinma.
ReplyDeleteThe second ritual was the process of deciding the bride-price. (72) This ritual uses sticks as a deciding factor. This brought order to the village because it allows the families to establish and agreement on a price for the bride. It establishes the parents role of the bride and groom to be bargainers. (73) It also establishes the bride’s role almost as an object or cow that is commonly bargained on because she turns into an agreement and not recognizing her value as a person. The groom’s family benefits from this ritual because not only do they receive a payment for their soon to be daughter-in-law but they are allowed to be a part of the process in deciding the amount they will receive. (73) The person that suffers the most from this ritual is the bride. Not only is she being sold off to a family that was probably chosen for her but she is being talked about and treated like she is in the trade market or being sold like a slave.
The third ritual is celebrating a daughter’s uri. This is a celebration of both families when a greater part of bride price has been paid. This brought order to the village because it allows for other surrounding villages to come together to celebrate and cook together as a unit than segregated as they normally are. (110) This ritual did not establish any new roles because as usual, the women cook as the men relax and drink palm-wine and are served by their wives and children. The bride and her mother benefit the most from this ritual because they are the center of attention and the reasoning for this ceremony. (110) The ones that suffer the most from this ritual are women there to celebrate. They are invited to “celebrate” the uri but are put to work to make food for all of the men that are attending this celebration. It seems as if they are mainly invited to use them as servants rather than honorary guests.
My favorite and most attractive ritual is the warrior’s funeral. Many people come together to celebrate the life of the warrior by cooking and drinking together while telling stories and dancing. This is attractive to me because it brings many people together as well as remembers the person in a optimistic light rather than sad that they have passed. My least favorite ritual is the killing of people especially children just because the Oracle says to. Many times, people have been killed or sacrificed because they are instructed to kill them but there is no reason for the killing. This ritual is carried out all the time because many people are afraid of the repercussions from the Oracle if they disobey.
Hannah Fluegel
ReplyDeleteOne ritual described in chapter 8 is the tapping of palm trees by young men, instead of those who are older and more experienced. “In many other clans a man of title is not forbidden to climb the palm tree. Here we say he cannot climb the tall tree but he can tap the short ones standing on the ground” (69), the men in the village do not like this rule that establishes their role. This rule is to bring order and difference to the title of “Ozo”, compared to being young and not having a title. This actually makes both the young men and the older men suffer, because the palm trees end up dying from the young men’s mistakes. There is also a ritual where if there is a child known as an “Ogbanje” (a soul that keeps being birthed and then dies, and keeps the cycle going), the child would then have to find the “iyi-uwa”. That is a stone or pebble that allows for the cycle of birth and death to keep going. If the child digs it up, the cycle most times will stop. This ritual very much benefits the child, because one cannot be beaten during: “If you bring us all this way for nothing, I shall beat sense into you,” Okonkwo threatened. “I have told you to let her alone. I know how to deal with them,” said Okagbue” (82). The child is also followed everywhere by the entire village it seemed like: “the crowd followed her silently” (81). The other ritual that has to do with children that are “Ogbanje” is taking the miscarried child and mutilating it in order for the spirit to not want to return to the mother to continue it’s terrible cycle: “He brought out a sharp razor from the goatskin bag slung from his left shoulder and began to mutilate the child” (78). This entire idea of an “ogbanje” absolutely makes the mother suffer: “But when she lived on to her fourth, fifth and sixth years, love returned once more to her mother, and, with love, anxiety” (79). I find the mutilating the dead child the absolute least attractive ritual I have ever heard of, I cannot imagine the pain the mother must have gone through to see her passed baby completely destroyed. Out of these three, the ritual where the “evil” child finds the stone is the most attractive ritual to me, just because I found it quite amusing imagining this entire crowd following one small child who is just leading them to nowhere. I loved that Ezinma took advantage of the opportunity a little bit and lead the crowd everywhere before back to her house.
In chapter 8, the whole town gathers in a ritual that seems similar to a modern-day court trial. The whole town gathered and there was a judge by the name of Evil Forest (89). They were holding this trial because a family had stolen back their daughter who was married to a man who constantly beat her (91). The man presented his side to the story and then the wife’s family presented their side of the story (91). Some witnesses were asked to speak about the case and eventually it was decided that the husband must beg to the wife’s family in order to get his wife back (93). This ritual brings order to the village because it is basically court so it keeps the people in the village accountable for their crimes. The second ritual was in chapter 12 and it was the marriage of Obierika’s daughter. For this ritual, it is required that the mother of the bride cook for the whole village (112). Then groom’s family presented Obierika with fifty pots of wine (116). There was chanting and the whole village happily ate the food that was prepared by the bride’s mother (118). This ritual is important because it establishes important roles for the women in the village. They must cook for the whole village and prepare the daughter for her marriage. The last ritual was in chapter thirteen, and this ritual was the funeral of Ezeudu (121). This ritual involved shouting, firing guns and playing drums (123). The warriors in the village danced around and noble words were spoken about Ezeudu (123). The most interesting ritual was the funeral because Okonkwo accidentally killed a boy. The least attractive ritual was the court trial because it seemed very odd that Okonkwo dressed as the Evil Forest spirit was running the trial.
ReplyDeleteOne ritual described in chapter 8 is the tapping of palm trees by young men, instead of those who are older and more experienced. “In many other clans a man of title is not forbidden to climb the palm tree. Here we say he cannot climb the tall tree, but he can tap the short ones standing on the ground” (69), the men in the village do not like this rule that establishes their role. This rule is to bring order and difference to the title of “Ozo”, compared to being young and not having a title. This actually makes both the young men and the older men suffer, because the palm trees end up dying from the young men’s mistakes. Another ritual which the people of Umuofia are very proud of is the negotiation of the bride price. In using sticks to wordlessly negotiate the price, the clansmen see themselves as more orderly than other clans who negotiate in other ways. For example, Obierka's brother says "In Umunso they do not bargain at all, not even with broomsticks. The suitor just goes on bringing bags of cowries until his in-laws tell him to stop. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel" (74). According to those in Umuofia, this is a much more orderly solution because it allows the negotiation of a bride-price without quarrels or the undignified customs of Abame and Aninta, where "they do not decide bride-price as we do with sticks. They haggle and bargain as if they were buying a goat or cow in the market (72)." While they see using sticks as more orderly and dignified, it of course reinforces role of men as rulers over women and turns women into property. The men benefit by either gaining wealth or a wife, but the women are treated like objects to be traded for cowries. One ritual in Umuofia was the burial of ogbanje which is basically a "curse" of dying children. This ritual brought order to the village, because it brought peace to the people in the village (78). Also, in this ritual, there were not many roles established besides that of the medicine man and the one who was suffering from the obanje. Though there were no roles, there were many onlookers who took part in the finding of the iyi-uwa (82). "The neighbors sat around watching the pit become deeper and deeper…Okagube went back into the pit, which was now surrounded by spectators" (83-84). The person who benefits from the obanje burial/retrieval, is the mother who suffers from it because she can now live (partially) without fear. The mother also suffers though as Ekwefi was said that "her anxiety for her daughter that she could not rid herself completely of her fear" (80). The most attractive ritual is the warrior’s funeral. Many people come together to celebrate the life of the warrior by cooking and drinking together while telling stories and dancing. This is attractive to me because it brings many people together as well as remembers the person in a positive light rather than expressing sorrow that they have passed. As for the least attractive, it was the mutilation of the child's body in obanje. Not only did that result in someone dying, but it also resulted in the "defacement" of a child's body even after their death.
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ReplyDeleteIn chapters 8-13 of Things Fall Apart, three rituals caught my attention. One was the discovering of the iyi-uwa. The Umuofia peoples believe that some children were born with evil spirits, and these spirits would maintain their existence by hiding a stone (the iyi-uwa) somewhere in the ground. When Ezinma is expected to find her stone, she wanders around aimlessly and then eventually points at a random plot of land. The priest digs until he “finds” her iyi-uwa (84). This ritual places the spiritual leaders at the top of the cultural pedestal, since they can manipulate rituals to fit their spiritual and cultural narrative. The priest, knowing that there is no iyi-uwa, somehow produces the stone and thus keeps the clan committed to the tradition and under his authority. This custom also encourages children to lie. When the priest asks Ezinma if the iyi-uwa is hers, she unapologetically replies in the affirmative (85). This is my least favorite tradition because the iyi-uwa ritual places the priests in a place of moral authority and the children on a level of moral inferiority, since they have to lie to survive; thus, the children (and Umuofia people at large) are controlled by the spiritual leaders and their rules.
ReplyDeleteAnother tradition that places the spiritual leaders above the people is when Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, essentially kidnaps Ezinma and carries her to a shrine. The Agbala has possessed Chielo and sent her on this mission. When Ekwefi, Ezinma’s mother, demands that she accompany them, Chielo replies, “How dare you, woman, to go before the mighty Agbala of your own accord?” (101). The priestess refuses Ezinma’s own mother the right to come along in the spiritual journey. Chielo even calls Ezinma “my daughter,” and commands her not to cry, “lest Agbala be angry with [her]” (102). Chielo, indwelled by the spirit of Agbala, claims Ezinma as her own and gives her an order, as an actual mother would do. This places the priestess at the top of authority, superior to a parent over her child. Surprisingly, the priestess has authority even over Ezinma’s father, a male. When Okonkwo pleads that Chielo wait until Ezinma recovers, Chielo refuses his wish and screams, “Does a man speak when a God speaks? Beware!” (101). This spiritual authority uproots Umuofia’s social conventions without any inhibition.
Lastly, my favorite ritual was the funeral for Ezeuda. A powerful warrior, he is reverenced in death with dancing and honor. The whole village attends (121-123). The Evil Spirit relates that Ezeuda has been “a fearless warrior,” has acquired much wealth, and has “lived long” (123). His funeral aptly represents his life, and an individual, through this ritual, finally gets what he deserves.
First, the ritual of the young, title-less men being able to tap palm trees. Okonkwo was struggling with the death of Ikemefuna and wanted work to distract him. However, he was unable to partake in this activity because he was part of the the elite class. In contrast, his peer Obierika stated, "Sometimes I wish I had not taken the ozo title" (69). This goes to show the humility and humbleness of his peer, but Okonkwo on the other hand could not give up his ambitions of power. He replied with the fact that the law of the land must be obeyed (69). The elite benefit from this because they do not have to do any of the dirty work, but the title-less men are worked because they are insignificant in the village.
ReplyDeleteSecond, the marriage of Odukwe. She is sold off to marry a man, but her siblings end up standing up to for her in front of the nine gods because her new husband has continually beaten her. The only thing done requested of Uzowulu (the husband) is to go to his in-laws with a pot of wine and beg his wife to return to him (93). The gods tell the in-laws to accept his apology and let her go with him. This to me was the most unattractive ritual of them all because she is forced to "love" someone who beats her and then they let give him a slap on the wrist by telling to just say sorry. Odukwe's brothers are against letting her go, and someone states, "Don't you know what kind of man Uzowulu is? He will not listen to any other decision" (94). This comment should be illuminated to protect the women of the village from harm, but rather they are thrown back to situation expecting it to be okay.
Third, the most attractive ritual is when Okonkwo goes out to find herbs for his daughter, Ezinma because she severely ill. This is a moment in the story in which we see how he is capable of caring for people. Though Ezinma is considered a ogbanje child, one who is in a continuous cycle of death and birth he still puts in extreme effort to protect her. This ritual was significant to me because Ezinma plays a role in the story that hits the soft spot of Okonkwo. She was different. In fact, she did not call her mother Nne like all children (76). Their relationship was different because her mother, Ekwefi had trouble having children. I feel because of their close relationship that Okonkwo puts forth an effort to save her because he wants the same relationship even though he will not uncover his masculinity. Okonkwo goes as far as to call in a medicine man with great knowledge about ogbanje children, Okagbe Uyanwa (76). He ultimately provides the best to ensure Ezinma will be safe and I believe the rituals he uses are signs of care.
In chapter 8, there is a ritual in which men are deciding if Akueke’s suitor was right the job and negotiation of the price of her for marriage (62). There is some sort of ritual in which the men negotiate the price of the bride by using sticks as a payment. This method seems to be efficient at completing the task at hand. It allows for an almost unspoken sort of transaction and eliminates confrontation. It is said that the two parties came to agreement when, a few moments earlier, it was mentioned that they had talked about everything other than the actual reason they had the meeting in the first place (66). The men discuss the effectiveness of the stick trading ritual that they use and how it is clearly better than other tribe’s ways (66). At one point, another tribe’s rituals are referred to as “upside down” and “very bad” which shows the audience the mindset of Obierika and the others (66). Although this ritual seems to be effective at completing the task, we cannot drown out how inhumane it is. They are basically selling a woman to a man for sticks without her consent (62). This ritual is basically a currency exchange but because of the fact that it is a person that is being sold, it is the least attractive one for me.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 9, there is a ritual that takes place involving Okonkwo’s child, Enzinma. The chapter starts out by giving a background of Enzima’s families bouts with sickness and shows the ritualistic aspects involving their health (68). At the current time, Enzinma is deathly sick. Okonkwo performs a ritual on her involving a pot and “large bundle of grasses and leaves, roots and barks of medicinal trees and shrubs” (74). Enzinma is then covered in a mat, with the boiling pot underneath it (76). This ritual, as crazy as it seems, is thought to cure her of whatever illness was present. To the reader, this ritual may seem a bit odd because it goes against our norms. It does not really bring anything to the community besides the attempt of warding off evil spirits and hopefully curing whatever disease is present.
In chapter 10, there is a ritual that is basically a more tribal court trial. Basically, there are nine masked men that each represent a village of the clan, who vote on the case at hand (78). One of these men is titled “Evil Forrest”. This man is the oldest of the nine, and represents the entire village. The case at hand is settled like a normal case where there are two sides that both explain their case and then it is voted. I find this ritual the most interesting because it seems to be the most orderly. It shows that this village has a, although slightly strange, somewhat sound judicial system. I think this benefits the entire village because it brings order to the people.
Haley Melita
ReplyDeleteOne ritual in Umuofia is determining the price of brides, specifically Akueke. This is done by passing sticks back and forth in order to negotiate a between the two families, “Objerika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. Ukegbu counted them” (72). The sticks are used to represent bags of cowries which serve as a form of monetary exchange, “In this way Akuke’s bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries” (73). After this ritual is completed, the characters then go on to criticize the other tribes and say that their process of doing this is all wrong, “all their customs are upside-down” (73). This ritual helps the tribe establish roles of authority and power for males however this is done at the expense of woman and is also demeaning.
Another ritual performed is the ritual for the gods. This ritual is specifically for men and for the woman to watch, “it was clear from the way the crowd stood or sat that the ceremony was for men” (87). This ritual is conducted by sounding a gong in order to have the spirits of the Umuofia Gods appear, which in reality are masked men who represent the Gods. “The drum sounded again and the flute blew...Aru oyim de de de dei! Flew around the dark, closed hut like tongues of fire. The ancestral spirits of the clan were abroad” (88). Completing this ritual benefits everyone of the tribe despite women not being directly involved. This is because it is a way of unifying the village by having everyone worship the same Gods.
A third ritual is the celebratory feast for the engagement of Obierika’s daughter. This ritual includes an extravagant celebration filled with drinking, dancing, and feasting. “Early in the afternoon the first of two pots pam-wine arrived from Obierika’s in-laws” (115). Later in the day, the feasting begins, “As the evening wore on, food was presented to the guests. There were huge bowls of foo-foo and steaming pots of soup. There were also pots of yam pottage. It was a great feast” (118). Lastly, the night concludes with dancing. This ritual helps establish roles through marriage and mainly benefits those involved in the marriage but also the people in the village because they get to attend a great feast.
Overall, I find the ritual of the celebratory feast the most attractive and determining the price of the brides the least attractive. This is because the feast is a great celebration of marriage whereas the bride-pricing is demeaning to women.
One ritual that in Umuofia was the ritual performed for the funeral of warriors’. When Ezeudu died and his funeral was conducted and it was done in a different manner than other funerals. “Guns were fired on all sides and sparks flew out as machetes clanged together in warriors’ salutes. The air was full of dust and the smell of gunpowder. It was then that the one-handed spirit came, carrying a basket dull of water. People made way for him on all sides and the noise subsided. Even the smell of gunpowder was swallowed in the sticky smell that now filled the air.” (Pg. 123) This quote shows the different things that were performed as part of the funeral rituals. “He danced a few steps to the funeral drums and then we went to the corpse.” (Pg. 123) This is showing some of the different aspects of the rituals performed during a funeral of a warrior.
ReplyDeleteAnother ritual that was interesting in the novel was how women were sold into marriage, and the price they were given at was negotiated between the families. It is a customs that some people follow while others reject it. It is a custom that is also practiced in Middle Eastern and south East Asian countries. It has adapted more over the years and is not as explicit, but individuals still have dowries. “ In this way Akuke’s bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries. It was already dusk when the two parties came to this agreement.”(pg.73) After the bride-price was settled the family was brought together and they ate food “ Go tell Akuke’s mother that we have finished, Obierika said to his son, Maduka. Almost immediately he women came in with a big bowl of foo-foo. Obierika’s second wife followed with a pot of soup, and Maduka brought in a pot of palm-wine.” (Pg. 73) After receiving their food the men discuss the difference between their form of determining bride-price and how it is more humane.
Lastly, another ritual was finding the iyi-uwa. This was a belief held by the Umuofia people that some kids were born with evil spirits. The hiding of a rock somewhere underground controlled these spirits, and this is how they remained present. Ezinma is supposed to find her stone and is looking around for it and believe it is over in a distinct piece of land. The priest looks and supposedly finds her iyi-uwa. “Okagbue went back into the pit, which was now surrounded by spectators. After a few more hoe-fuls of earth he struck the iyi-uwa.” (pg.84) This idea allows the priest to have higher honor and prestige. After finding her iyi-uwa everyone is overjoyed for her. “ Is this yours? He asked Ezinma. Yes, she replied. All the women shouted with joy because Ekwefi’s troubles were at last ended.” (Pg. 85)
The ritual that I find to be most unattractive is the ritual of negotiating the bride-price. This ritual even if performed in a respectable manner makes it seem like women are items that can be bought and sold, which is extremely disrespectful and demeaning. The ritual that I respect is the ritual around a warrior’s funeral. Different aspects of the funeral were described and it showed aspects that aren’t present in the general idea of a funeral that I have.
Heather Penna
ReplyDeleteThe people of Umuofia, in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, have many different customs and rituals. The rituals often times benefit one person, while harming another. Ultimately these rituals are seen as beneficial to the community overall and are a way to bring order to the village.
On page 100, there is a ritual in which the priestess begins to prophesy. This was common in the village. The priestess role in the community was to prophesy and share what she was told from their gods. This common occurrence when different every time, but in this case, it affected Okonkwo and his family. The priestess carried Ezinma to a cave to bring before one of their gods for healing. This would be beneficial for Ezinma, but Ekwefi followed them to the cave because she was worried about her daughter (pg.108). It is not completely clear yet what will happen as a result of this ritual.
On page 121 there is ritual that involves the death of a village member. In the case of a death, they bang a gong to make the village aware of the death and to let them know who it was who passed away. Once again, this ritual is not inherently good or bad for any one individual, but it is a way of unifying and informing the community. There are clear roles as to who bangs the gong and the steps taken in the funeral (pg. 123-124).
At the funeral, noble men in the community fire a salute in honor of the person who passed away. On page 124, while firing his gun Okonkwo accidentally kills a young boy. This lead to a ritual of punishment for murder. Okonkwo is forced to flee the village for seven years as punishment and repayment to their gods. Moreover, on page 125 Okonkwo's family suffers for his crime and their houses are demolished and all their stuff destroyed. This custom is harmful to the one who accidentally commits a crime and their family, but it is beneficial to the community because they do not have to suffer the consequences of their gods.
Overall, I find the most attractive ritual to be banging a gong to let the village know when a villager passes away. I believe it is important to inform the community what is going on with their fellow villagers. I find the ritual of destroying someone's home after they commit a crime to be the least attractive, because I do not believe their family should suffer for a crime of an individual.
There are many rituals that take place in Umuofia that seem very unusual and horrible to me and an example of something that seems like this that I find the least attractive of any of the rituals comes on page 78 when it says, "The medicine man then ordered that there be no mourning for the dead child. He brought out a sharp razor from the goatskin bag slung from his left shoulder and began to mutilate the child. Then he took it away to bury it in the Evil Forest, holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him" (78-79). To me this seems like a very horrible and unusual way of treating a dead body, especially the body of a child. Another ritual that I find very offensive that greatly hurts women is when Uzowulu beats women. On page 91 it says, "My in-law, Uzowulu, is a beast. My sister lived with him for nine years. During those years no single day passed in the sky without his beating the woman" (91). A ritual that I found kind of confusing and interesting on page 97 says, "At last the great day came and Tortoise was the first to arrive at the meeting place. When all the birds had gathered together, they set off in a body. Tortoise was very happy voluble as he flew among the birds, and he was a great orator" (97). A ritual that corresponds to the last one is on page 97 again when it says, "None of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that Tortoise, in spite of his failings in other directions, was a widely-traveled man who knew the customs of different peoples. And so, they each took a new name. When they had all taken, Tortoise also took one. He was to be called 'All of You'"(97). A ritual that benefits the women is on page 110 when it says, '...Obierika, was celebrating his daughter's 'uri'. It was the day on which her suitor (having already paid the greater part of her bride-price) would bring palm-wine not only to her parents and immediate relatives but to the wide and extensive group of kinsmen called 'umunna'. Everybody had been invited -- men, women and children. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother" (110). The last ritual that I would like to use in this blog involves the preparation of Okonkwo’s “afternoon meal”. The example of this is on page 112 when it says, “’Who will prepare my afternoon meal?’ ‘I shall return to do it’ said Ojiugo. Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had…Okonkwo had returned home and sat waiting” (112).
ReplyDeleteIn Umofia, we know that women and men play completely different roles in society. The men do the dirty work of hunting and cutting down trees like the palms to build houses. The women take care of the children and make dinner and are basically there to please the man whenever he wants. Women didn’t have the rights like the men did and one man could have multiple wives.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8, We learn about the cutting of the palm trees done by the man and a discussion between Okonkwo and Obierika. They describe different villages customs in comparisons to Umofia. “I have heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family” (page 74). This quote describes how they disagree with the mothers having ownership over the children and the difference compared to Umofia. “You might as well say that the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the children” (Page 74). Okonkwo and Obierka believe that the man are truly above women from every perspective and that this right shouldn’t be granted to them. In chapter 9, we find out of Ekwefi and that her son is very sick (She has had nine children die at infancy). A ritual of the Medicine man is that at the third death, he cuts the dead baby up because he believes it will rid of the Ogbanje which means wicked. “When they died, entered their mothers’ wombs to be born again” (Page77). This causes a major suffering on the mother to know her baby was mutilated. “Okonkwo… went into the bush to collect the leaves and grasses and barks of trees that went into making the medicine for Iba” (page 76). Another custom would be slaughtering a goat to wish the wife good luck for her pregnancy. “Okonkwo had slaughtered the goat for her, as was the custom” (Page 79).
I found the naming ceremony very interesting. It is brought up on page 77 about Ezinma and the deaths of her 9 out of 10 children but is overall a good ritual. This Ceremony is where the mother would tell the public what name she would give her child. (She did not return to Okonkwo’s compound until three days before the naming ceremony. The child was called Onwumbiko” (This was her third son that died close to after the ceremony) (Page 78).
The first ritual that I read was when Ofoedu comes into Obierika’s compound and tells both Obierika and Okonkwo of the death of Ogbuefi Ndulue of Ire Village and the men ask why the drum was not beaten to inform Umuofia of his death (67-68). Ofoedu describes the death of Ogbuefi’s first wife, Ozoemena, upon learning of the death of her husband, “When the youngest wife went to call her again to be present at the washing of the body, she found her lying on the mat, dead” (68). Because she died near the same time as Ogbuefi, his burial was delayed until she was buried, and the drum did not beat for him at the time of his death for this reason. I find this very interesting since women are mainly seen as a back-drop to the lives of the men in the clan. It almost seems as if they were honoring her first before this great warrior. It has caused me to re-think the gender roles in the clan somewhat. I’m not sure anyone benefits or suffers from this ritual, it seems to be quite unusual for a wife to die along with her husband in this culture. The second ritual would be when Obierika is awaiting the arrival of his daughter’s suitor to contemplate the “bride-price” for her. There were seven men in Obierik’s hut, including his father and uncle (70). I see this ritual as more of a family ritual than just the suitor and the father of the bride-to-be negotiating alone. It also seems like a time of celebration, with the palm wine and food being shared. The use of sticks to negotiate the bride-price is also interesting. “Obierika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. Ukegbu counted them. ‘They are thirty?’ he asked. Obierika nodded in agreement…In this way Akuke’s bride-price was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries” (72-73). This ritual lays out the roles of the suitor and the father of the bride -to-be by having the suitor show respect to the father and his family and also by the offering of palm wine. To me, both parties benefit from this peaceful negotiation, rather than suffering through arguments and anger to come to an agreement. The third ritual involves the deaths of Ekwefi’s children. Okonkwo seeking out medicine men to address what was causing these deaths is very interesting. The ogbanje children, or the curse they bring, seems to cause much suffering for the mother who has lost so many children and the belief that the continued deaths come from an “evil” child returning to the same mother again and again. “Then he took it away to bury in the Evil Forest, holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him. After such treatment it would thing twice before coming again, unless it was one of the stubborn ones who returned carrying the stamp of their mutilation…” (78-79). There is also suffering put upon the surviving child by asking where their “iyi-uwa” is buried (80). Since these children would have no knowledge of what this is, it seems it would be quite stressful, since there would be repercussions for being dishonest. “’If you bring us all this way for nothing I shall beat sense into you,’ Okonkwo threatened” (82). This ritual also shows the role of the father of these children by Okonkwo seeking out medicine men to help them overcome this “curse.”
ReplyDeleteCarrolline Kickhoefer
ReplyDeleteFebruary 20th, 2018
World History Since 1500
Blog Post #7
One ritual that is practiced in Ufuofia is the marriage and bridal process. In Ufuofia they basically sell the bride by trading sticks and they don’t talk. These people see themselves as very orderly and I think professional in a sense. I believe that they take pride in their process because "In Umunso they do not bargain at all, not even with broomsticks. The suitor just goes on bringing bags of cowries until his in-laws tell him to stop. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel" (74) they also say that they don’t “decide bride-price as we do with sticks. They haggle and bargain as if they were buying a goat or cow in the market (72)." So even though I don’t agree with women being sold or bought, at least they are viewed as people.
Another ritual in Ufuofia is the rediscovery of a child iyi-uwa, this ceremony is mainly for the mother and the child but there are spectators from the village that participate by watching. (83) The purpose of this ceremony is to show that the child’s struggle and suffering or illness is gone and they will be okay. Also along with that it lets the mother know that her child will be okay after the medicine man find the object that the child had hidden (85)
The last ritual I would like to talk about reminds me a lot of some modern day cultures. In this ritual men bang on a gong to “summon” the Gods then people come out with masks that represents the gods. In the book we are told “that the ceremony was for men” (87). But, despite it being meant for the men it brings the whole village together, men and women together because it is more about their faith and culture.
The ritual I like the most is the Ritual for the Gods, I think its really interesting to see how different cultures represent different parts of their beliefs systems through song and dance. The ritual I find worst is when the child has to guide the medicine man to the object that they had buried. I think this puts a unnecessary pressure on the child to preform as expected.
Katie Lebo
ReplyDeleteOne ritual that is practiced in Umuofia, is finding where the child buried iyi-uwa (83). This allows the child to be reborn again and not die. This brings peace to the mother so they do not have to go through the torment of losing another child again. Ekwefu lost nine children (77) and she began to feel sorrow and despair from giving life to these children and then losing them. The different roles that are involved in this ritual is the child being able to find it’s iyi-uwa and being able to lead the medicine man, so that he can dig it up. The family and some villagers also watch this process occur (83). I believe the mother suffers the most during this ritual because she has to endure so much pain and then having to rely on the child to find their iyi-uwa.
Another ritual that is practiced in Umuofia, is the priestess giving her prophecy (100). This would happen in the village quite often, as she would be sent down from the gods to prophesize what the gods wanted her to. The priestess carries Ezinma to a cave so the gods could heal her. This effected Ekwefi because Ezinma was her only daughter and she wanted to be sure that she would be safe and not harmed (108).
Another ritual that is practiced, is the burial of a warrior (121). This funereal was for Enzeudu who was a great man among the village and one of its oldest members. They bang a gong when someone in the village has died to alert the villagers of a death. Before they perform the quiet and final ritual they bang on drums and fire guns (123). This ritual is a way of uniting the community and celebrating the life of a member of the village.
I think the most interesting ritual is the child finding their iyi-uwa. These children have the opportunity to end a horrible curse having to be reborn again and then dying and inflicting so much pain on their mother. They are able to live long enough to find this item and end this horrible curse.
In Umuofia, although there are many rituals that bring order to the village, there are three that caught my attention. The first ritual, which is also the one that attracted me the most, was the fact that they do have trials where “both sides of the case” are heard (93). The specific trial described in the novel also adds a little more value to women than described in previous chapters. There are consequences for men to excessively beat their wives and this trial highlighted that incident. What I thought was most interesting was that in a society where men are portrayed as being more valuable than women, the trial was still fair on both sides. As the Evil Forest states that, “our duty is not to blame this man or to praise that, but to settle the dispute,” transparency is seen for the first time in the novel and resolution is the goal in the situation (93). Although men usually benefit the most in this culture, this is the closest to equality that we have seen so far in the book. Another interesting ritual was Ezeudu’s funeral. Here, we learn that “there were only four titles in the clan, and only one or two men in any generation ever achieved the fourth and highest…when they did, they became the lords of the land” (123). During the funeral, Okonkwo’s gun went off and killed Ezeudu’s 16 year-old son. At this point, “the only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan [since] it was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee the land…and could return to the clan after seven years” (124). We also learn that there are male and female crimes and that “Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been inadvertent” (124). The fact that the type of crimes committed are gendered, emphasizes the importance of gender in this society. No one in the village benefitted from this and everyone suffered instead. Okonkwo and his family had to leave everything they have ever known, Okonkwo’s friends had to destroy his compound, which also impacted them, and most importantly the death of the boy affected everyone in the village. Lastly, the least attractive ritual was the way children considered to be “ogbanje, one of those wicked children who, when they died, entered their mothers’ womb to be born again,” were treated while they were alive or after death (77). The way that the medicine man treated Ekwefi’s baby’s body by mutilating and dragging him on the ground was very shocking to me. It is hard to imagine how a mother could recover from that horrible experience. In addition to this, when the medicine man also asks Ezinma where she buried her iyi-uwa and forces her to show him the location, it is hard to imagine how traumatizing that must have been for her and her mother (81). Although finding the iyi-uwa provides relief for the mother, in this case Ekwefi, it is difficult to live a life being labeled as an evil spirit, in this case referring to Ezinma. The mother and daughter bond between Ekwefi and Ezinma seems to be a lot stronger than the bonds between parents and their children in this society in general. Overall, it seems like everything that happens to each individual in this society, ends up affected the village as a whole.
ReplyDeleteIn Umofia, there are many rituals that are unique to their specific community. One interesting ritual is the ritual of marriage. In order for the man to have the wife, he has to pay a “bride price” (73). The girl’s family has a price that they want to be paid and are expecting to be paid and the man’s family is trying to please the girl’s family within a reasonable price. This discussion can last many hours and will continue until they both come to an agreement. They pay the price in cowries. When the day of the wedding arrives, a certain amount of wine is expected from the man’s family (116). The men sit in a circle and wait until the ladies come in and shake all of their hands (117). In this situation, the men have to jump through hoops in order to please the woman’s family so I feel as if the women get the better end of the bargain. This is my least favorite ritual because I do not like that marriage is not based off of love and that the man has to pay to have the woman like she is a piece of property. Another ritual was the one that they used to rid Ekwefi of her curse of her children dying. Her daughter who is alive, had to burry a stone called “iyi-uwa” and then Okabue had to find it in order for Ekwefi to be cured (84). The whole community had to follow Ezinma around until she found a spot that she wanted to bury the sacred stone (82). This is my favorite ritual because there is nothing like that ritual in our society. We don’t see acts like this ever performed. The last ritual is what happened to Okonkwu when he shot a clansman by accident. He had to flee for seven years and live somewhere else until he can return to the clan (124). Big crowds of men then proceeded to go to Okonkwu’s house and burn down everything in order to rid the area of the blood that was shed.
ReplyDeleteThe three most interesting rituals performed in Umuofia are the Uri, the ceremony of marriage, the warrior’s funeral, and the burial of ogbanje child. The ogbanje are “wicked children who, when the died, entered their mother’s womb to be born again.”(77) Okonkwo’s wife, Ekwefi, had suffered with an ogbanje several times before Ezinma. Ekwefi had only one living child out of the ten born from her. Originally for a family to get rid of an ogbanje, a medicine man was called, the medicine man is used to give answer and how to stop or get rid of ogbanje. The people usually suffering before getting rid of the ogbanje is the family trying to bear child but, after the getting rid of the ogbanje, the people suffering would be the ogbanje itself and the family would be the people who benefit from this ritual. The ritual itself is when the medicine man would mutiliate the ogbanje’s corpse and drag and bury it in the Evil Forest. The second ritual is the warrior’s funeral. When Ezeudu had died, the ekwe talked to the clans using a hollowed out wooden instrument. First the ancient drums of death would beat, men would shoot guns and canons, men would run in a frenzy while cutting every tree or animal they saw, jump over walls and dance on roofs. Every man had to go into his own age group. “They all wore smoked raffia skirts and their bodies were painted with chalk and charcoal.”(121) An egwugwu would appear during the ritual. Throughout the day the men would shout and fire their guns and clang their machetes, however before the final rite, the energy would increase and more guns were fired, more machetes would clang together, and the men would jump in a frenzy. The people benefit from this ceremony are all the men because it sounds fun to do all the things they did, and the one suffering would be the dead person because they can’t do the ceremony. The uri is the ceremony where the grooms family comes over to the brides house and celebrate for a couple of days all for their wedding or marriage. The central figures of the uri would be the bride and her mother.The groom would have to pay a bride fee for the bride, once that was payed the groom would offer more gifts to the bride’s family on the day of uri. The women would all make food for the ceremony while the men would talk. At the beginning of the celebration the bride’s family and guests would make a half circle and the grooms family and guests would make the other half of the circle, completing the circle.((116) The bride’s mother would show up leading a file of women, with the bride being second, and the other women following them. The file of women would go around the circle shaking hands with everyone. All the married women would wear their best clothes while the girls wore red and black waist-beads and anklets of brass. Then the father would present kila nuts and present them to the in-laws. He would say something and they would say “Ee-e-e” and break the nut. The feast would follow shortly come out where it would be foo-foo, steaming pots of soup, yam pottage, and etc… Young men would go around seeing each man’s praise when they came to the man. Then the girls would come out to dance after. Once the bride shows up with a chicken in her hand that would be the final piece for the ceremony and they would celebrate more after that. The people who would suffer during this ceremony would be the groom’s family because they had to pay a bride-fee, then give more gifts after, while the people benefitting from the ceremony would be the bride’s family, it would also be the groom and the bride for it would be the first time that they would be together as husband and wife.
ReplyDeleteThis book has a great many interesting rituals that I have read so far. There are three prominent ones that take place in this set of chapters. The first one is dealing with the arrival of the suitor for the daughter of Obierika. This of course is a rather large occasion and had to be dealt with as such. With this being such an important occasion, the bride-to-be must be looking her best. The book describes her as having rubbed Cam wood on her skin and had black patterns that were all over her skin. (71) The men then proceed to drink palm wine and have a spot of friendly banter, essentially saying nothing about the reasoning behind their meeting. Then, the fathers of the bride and groom proceed to go outside with a bundle of broomsticks to speak about the dowry that will be given. (73) Once the amount of dowry has been determined, they eat and celebrate.
ReplyDeleteAnother ritual that seems rather intriguing to me was that of the ogbanje. An Ogbanje was believed to be a spirit that would manifest itself as a child that would be born and then subsequently die just for the singular purpose of tormenting the family that it was born unto. This evil spirit would commit this act gratuitously until it got tired or had pity. (80) This spirit seemed to plague the household of one of Okonkwo’s wives nine times until the current child was born and survived. The was the medicine man sorted this issue out was to ask the suspected spirit (that was in the child) where their iyi-uwa (the stone that allowed them to essentially respawn into another fetus) was so that he could destroy the stone. (81) This was all the more interesting when the medicine man was inquiring this of the child and the child, after being prodded, actually showed them where the stone was. This leads me to believe that this story is either an absolute farce or reality; the latter of which is slightly disturbing.
The last ritual that is present is certainly something that I hold close to my heart; and that is the ritual for when a warrior leaves his earth. In the nine tribes, when a warrior dies, a cannon is sounded. (120) The symbolism of the cannon is rings heartily in my mind. In many places on this planet, especially near beaches, the locals have a cannon that is fired at the exact moment of the sun setting. This symbolism that I had mentioned earlier is that when the sun sets, a soul has left the earth or that the day is over. I can see the former in this story. It is heart breaking thing to lose a friend, let alone a friendship that was forged in combat.
With all of these rituals there are people that benefit and people that suffer. When a suitor comes to the bride’s home, it is a time of welcome and celebration; benefiting all that are present. An evil spirit that manifests itself in a mother and kills the beauty of life is a terrible thing that only makes the family/mother suffer. The warriors final cannon shot is something that is both beneficial and one of sufferance. Both parties, the deceased and the mourning feel both sides.
One of the rituals, the most violent one of them all, is the funeral of a warrior. Ezeudu’s death is memorialized by such activities as “the shouting and the firing of guns, the beating of drums and the brandishing… of machetes” (93). It almost appears that the ritual’s purpose is that to satiate the visceral emotions that one may feel when a great person (especially one who “had taken three titles in his life” (93)) dies in their clan, so definitely the benefit derives from the calming of the angry and sad emotions that one may have and restore the status quo ante mortem. This seems all fine and good, unfortunately, there is a risk, one that actually manifest itself during the ritual, of injury from all the chaos. With everyone randomly shooting and clashing their machetes, things like “Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced [a] boy’s heart” (94). So, in that sense, the people who suffer are the unlucky. The ritual also enforces the hierarchy of spirits to mortals with the appearance of the egwugwu who show-up to pay respects (or “show up with a machete” and barely be “prevented from doing serious harm” (92)) via the interactions that are propagated by this semi funeral. This is definitely, by far, my least favorite ritual just by the pure chaos and nonsensicality of it all. I personally mourn in a solemn way, so this would actually just be the worst for me (and me personally, not to say what they’re doing is wrong).
ReplyDeleteAnother ritual of Umuofia is that of the ogbanje and the iyi-uwa. This ritual serves to satiate the worry of a mother as it seeks to ‘purify’ their child via the removing of what connects their child to the evil realm (via the iyi-uwa). This thusly removes the worry of evil from the village, but also establishes the hierarchy of medicinal figures as they are allowed to “mulatite [children]” (61) who’ve died and even snap at Okonkwo without repercussion (“I have told you to let her alone. I know how to deal with them” (63)). No one actually truly suffers in this one (except for a little bit of stress from trying to find the iyi-uwa), but the village itself definitely benefits as their nerves are calmed by the reassurance of purity (“All the women shouted with joy because Ekwefi’s troubles were at last ended” (65)).
Finally, and in my opinion the best, ritual is that of the consultation of the egwugwu and their mediation on issues. The ritual establishes hierarchy by putting the final decision and air of importance on the ‘spirits’ (“How can I know you, father? You are beyond our knowledge.” (69) “Our duty is… to settle the dispute” (71)) but also brings order through this hierarchy and pseudo oligarchical discussion as the village members are voluntarily subservient to the masked men (egwugwu) and some even refer to them and “will not listen to any other decision” (72). Sure, one may suffer by not getting the total bargain that they were asking for, but they understand that they are not in a place to complain, so the village as a whole benefits from the decreased tension at the expense of the minor discomfort of a few individuals. This is my favorite ritual as it’s very simple, very fair, built on compromise (and within reason), and keeps the village together when petty or huge disputes cannot be solved. It’s simply effective and thereby admirable.
*cracks knuckles*
ReplyDeleteI'll use only rituals found on pages 89-91.
1. Court trial equivalent
2. Payment to in-laws
3. Saluting
Umuofia has a trial system situated with a row of those on trial and an audience before a judge/spirit, Evil Forest (89). He addresses those on trial as bodies, separating spirit from man. For as primitive as some of these ideas between spirits and other worlds may seem, there is great diplomacy involved.
Uzowulu steps forward with his case, defending his right to marriage and the legal rights within it. This is here things get really interesting. In his case, he argues that he married Mgbafo with his money and his yams, yet his in-laws took her and their children away.
“I do not owe my in-lawas anything. I owe them no yams. I owe them no coco-yams,” Uzowulu says (89).
There’s a sense of possession here that is foreign to our culture. One family believes it has rights to its members, and Odukwe (one of the in-laws) is allowed to say his peace in court just as Uzowulu did.
His side of the story explains what he calls a “bride-price” along with brand new accusations in court that Uzowulu beat Mgbafo. It’s a fair trial by all means as Evil Forest says the court’s duty is “not to blame this man or to praise that, but to settle the dispute (91) but it is also accelerated. Evil Forest makes his decision in favor of Uzowulu, only demanding that he bring wine to Odukwe’s family for the return of his wife (92).
In all, the trial is thought to be too trivial for the egwugwu- the ancestral spirits. And throughout the trial, the main governance remains respect for all and that’s shown in part by saluting each other, either physically or verbally. Even Evil Forest, as the overseer of the trial salutes the bodies, and in turn, they bend down in submission (89). It’s a ritual within the ritual to show respect for the spiritual and physical realms.
One ritual in “Things Fall Apart” was Isa-ifi, which is the final ceremony in the marital process and it’s the final ceremony of confession. It is mentioned in discussion of Uchendu’s (Okonkwo’s uncle) son (Amikwu) and his soon-to-be bride (131). It is a gathering of “umuada” – daughters within the family. All the daughters would sit in a big circle with the bride in the center with a hen in her right hand and the father (Uchendu) sits beside her holding the ancestral staff of the family. The other men stand outside of the circle. The eldest sister (Njide) asks the bride to answer the question truthfully otherwise the bride “will suffer or even die at childbirth.” After answering whether or not she had lain with any men besides the groom after he expressed his desire to marry her, the father (Uchendu) slits the throat of the hen and released blood from the hen onto the staff and then the bride and groom went to the groom’s hut and the bride became his wife. (131-132)
ReplyDeleteThe ritual when announcing death in the village of Umuofia exhibits the beating of drums, cannons, and ringing of sorrow. However, during the funeral of Ezeudu, it exuded more of a celebration rather than a sorrowful event (for instance like the announcement of the death). The funeral of Ezeudu embodied the celebration of a warrior as Ezeudu was one of the oldest in the village. This event included “ancient drums of death beat”, cannons and guns, and men acting in frenzy as they jumped off walls and danced on roofs (121) These men were warriors from all age groups that would come and go throughout the night. This funeral also included ancestral spirits (egwugwu) from the underworld, some peaceful some extremely violent, that would come to visit the corpse. The violent egwugwu had the Ekwensu (Evil Spirit) within them. During Ezeudu’s funeral, many spirits surfaced, but then a harmless egwugwu visited Ezeudu’s corpse and spoke to him. (123)
The ritual of the Bride Price is exhibited in the Umuofia village, along with other villages such as Abame, Aninta, and Umunso, all expressing different customs of bride-price within their villages. (73-74) The overall meaning of bride price is the summation of money and/or goods given to the bride’s family from the groom. In Umuofia, they express more of a structured way of exchange. Within the family of Obierka, his daughter, Akueke, was being sought as the bride of her suitor. First, Akueke had to observed, naked, by the groom and his relatives to see if she was beautiful and “ripe” for marriage. (71) Afterwards, the men sit and drink palm-wine and converse and then eventually come to discuss the exchange back and forth between the father of the bride and groom. This tradition is different from the original definition as it is less of a gift and more of formal bargain. (72)
The most attractive ritual would be the rituals of the burial. I find it nostalgic and beautiful to have ore of a celebration for deaths instead of it being an event overcome with sorrow and sadness. (Also excluding the violent spirits from this overall comment) The least appealing ritual is the Bride Price for some many reasons. First, it completely stomps over the thought of love being an involvement in marriage and expresses that money or gifts is what truly matters. Secondly, it is absolutely degrading and appalling how the presentation of the bride is presented in nudity. Also, the perverse diction the author used embodied my reasons for disgust. (71)
Ashton Peckinpah
ReplyDeleteThe most fascinating part about Umuofia is the individuals living within it. Their ability to live peaceably with others who share differing traditions brings the ultimate demise of their culture. One ritual that struck a cord with me was the obvious gender roles between the two groups. For example, cooking, was strictly correlated with women(69). The group's long-standing tales are passed from generation to generation by women. Umuofian men, on the other hand, are the warriors and the primary breadwinners(70). This is something that is prevalent at the beginning of the book when describing Okonkwa. Only men are permitted to farm yams, while women are allowed to grow 'women's crops' such as beans and cassava (66). These set roles are seen to bring order and structure not only to the present day village, but more to come.
Another ritual that is a newfound idea for myself is the roles for hosts and guests. Unoka is cast in a role as a host when a neighbor comes to visit. An etiquette ritual that involves breaking a nut and honoring the gods and ancestors takes place. "Unoka immediately rose and shook hands with Okoye, who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm, and sat down. Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut" (67). Within the ritual, the host passes the kola to his guest, who gives it back to the host, insisting that it is the host's place to break the kola nut. This ritual exchange continues until at last the host accepts the honor of breaking the nut and serve it to the guest, "As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies" (68). I found this ritual to be inspiring to the culture since it lasts for centuries to come.
The third ritual that seemed a bit foreign to me was the ritual on establishing a bride price. Before a man allows for his daughter to marry, a bride price must be paid. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price," Obierika says (65). The male blood relatives of the potential bride and groom meet to establish the bride-price. This is accomplished by passing short broomsticks back and forth in an act of wordless negotiation. Once they have agreed on a settlement, the women enter with soup and palm wine to celebrate the engagement. If the bride runs away from her husband after they are married she is able to. However, her family is required to return the bride-price. Therefore, go through with the original agreement.
I find the rules for hosts and guests most attractive because it is an inspiring ritual that means more than present day. The least attractive ritual for me is establishing the bride price as well as the wedding celebrations. I believe both of these customs are demeaning towards women.
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ReplyDeleteRyan McConnell
ReplyDeleteThere are many rituals that happen in Things Fall Apart, but all of them serve a different purpose. For the most part they give different people roles, so they that feel significant in the society that they have. This can be seen through Okagbue serving as the role of medicine man in the village. In other roles he may be too old and weak to perform the tasks that are required out of them. But as medicine man he is able to make up different rituals that a person has to do to overcome a certain illness or any disability. This can be seen through Okagbue sending Enzima on a wild goose chase to fix her illness. To fix her illness she has to find a rock that she had buried and that would cure whatever was going wrong with her. For Okagbue, this established the role of being the medicine man for the village and which then makes the entire village dependent upon him. It was a little too convenient when Okagbue had finally gotten out of the hole where Enzima had supposedly buried her rock, and he emerged and a "shinny pebble fell out" of his hand (85). When "all the women shouted with joy because Ekwefi's troubles were at last ended", it showed why Okagbue does what he does (85). All of the village would then go on to believe anything that Okagbue said because it had apparently gotten it right on this one time. Another ritual is when Zowulu and Mgbafo voice their complaints in front of the men of the village while the women watch from the side. This ritual gives the elders of the village power because they get to dress up like the nine gods and direct the ritual. Finally, a third ritual is all of the prepartions that had to take place in order to celebrate the engagement of Obierika's daughter. The people who suffer from these rituals are the majority of the population because they are being hoodwinked in most of them and believe that everything "was a miracle" (107). The people who benefit are the elders and higher ups. They bring order to the village because they give people a common belief system and a common way to go about things. The ritual I don't like the most is the one where they tried to cure Enzima because it gave her false hope. The one I liked the most was the one where Zowulu and Mgbafo were able to hash out their situation between each other.