Chapter 10 ten

The sun's blazing power gradually subsided, and the sun was no longer so hot on the body, and people came to the square in the village one after another.Public ceremonies are mostly held at this time of day, and if it is sometimes announced that they take place after lunch, it is known that they will not begin until well after lunch, when the heat of the sun cools down. From the way the people stood and sat, it was clear that the ceremony was for men.Although there were many women present, they all watched from the sidelines, like outsiders.Titled men and elders sit on stools and wait for the trial to begin.There was a row of stools in front of them, and no one was sitting on them yet.There are nine stools in total.Not far from the stool stood two small groups of people, both facing the elder.One group is three men, and the other group is three men and a woman.The woman's name is Engelbaf, and the three men with her are her brothers.Another group is her husband Uzo Uru and his relatives.Engelbafer and her brother were as still as statues, the artist carving into their faces an expression of aggrieved anger.On the other side, Uzo Uru and his relatives were whispering.Whispers, but they were speaking at the top of their voices.Everyone in the crowd is talking.The square became a marketplace.The noisy sound drifted away with the wind, and only a bustling scene was heard in the distance.

An iron gong was struck, and a wave of anticipation was immediately aroused in the crowd. All the people looked towards the ancestor's spiritual room.锽锽锽, the gong continued to sound, and a powerful flute blew out a sharp tone.Then the spirit of the ancestors spoke, in a forbidding and terrible voice from the depths of the throat.The sound was like a tidal wave, and the women and children took a few steps back in fright.But it was only for a brief moment.They were standing far enough away that if any ancestral spirits came towards them, they would have time to run away. The drums sounded again.The flute whimpered.The ancestral spiritual room is now like a temple of demons, and there is a mess of voices coming from it. It is the souls of the ancestors who have just come out of the ground, and they are paying tribute to each other with mysterious languages. Day's voice, the ancestor's spiritual room faces the forest, and is far away from the crowd. People can only see the back of the house with colorful patterns and pictures. These patterns and pictures are specially selected for a group of women every other period of time. Go draw it.The women never saw the interior of the home.not a single one.Their work of scrubbing and painting the exterior walls was carried out under the supervision of men.If any of them dared to imagine what it was like inside the house, they could only keep this imagination in their hearts.No woman ever dared to ask a question about the most powerful and mysterious ancestor worship in the clan.

Ah Luvaim Dede Dei!The sound swirled like tongues of flame around the closed and gloomy house.The spirits of the ancestors of the clan came out.The iron gong kept beating, and the sharp and powerful sound of the flute floated in the chaos. Then, the ancestor's spirit appeared.Women and children screamed and ran in all directions.It's an instinctive reaction.Women always run away when they see the spirits of their ancestors appear.And on this day, the nine biggest masked ghosts in the clan all came out together, and the sight was really terrifying.Even Engelbaf fled a few steps, but her brothers held her back.

Each of the nine ancestor spirits represents a village in the clan.The one with smoke on his head is their leader, named Ji Senlin. There are nine villages in Umm Ofia, descended from the nine sons of the ancestor of the clan.The village represented by the fierce forest is called Umm Elu, which means the children of Eru; Eru is the eldest son of nine sons. Guinu of Umm Ofia!cried the chief of the ancestral spirits, whipping the air in front of him with a palm branch in his hand.The elders of the clan replied ah! Guinu of Umm Ofia! Ah ah! So the fierce forest stuck a sharp stick that could make noise into the ground.The stick rattled and rattled as it was shaken, as if something metallic and alive danced within it.He sat down on the first empty stool, and the spirits of the remaining eight ancestors also sat down in order according to their status.

Okonkwo's wives, or other women, might have noticed that the second ancestor spirit walked with the same spring-like stride as Okonkwo.They might also notice that among the titled men and elders who sat behind the spirits of their ancestors, there was no Okonkwo.But if they think about these things, they just think about it in their hearts.The spirit of this ancestor who hopped as he walked was a dead ancestor of the clan.Dressed in smoked palm leaves and in a huge wooden mask, all painted white except for his round sunken eyes and charred teeth the size of real fingers, he looked terrible.He also has a pair of large horns on his head.

When the spirits of the ancestors all sat down, and the countless small bells and ringing objects on their bodies were still, the fierce forest began to speak to the group of people standing facing him. Uzo Uru's flesh, I salute you.He said.The soul always calls man the body.Uzuo Uru bent down and touched the ground with his right hand to show his obedience. Our father, my hand has touched the ground.He said. Uzo Uru's physical body, do you know me?asked the soul. How can I know you?Ancestor, you are totally beyond my understanding. Fierce Forest then turned to another group of people, speaking to the eldest of the three brothers.

Oldukavi's flesh, I salute you.He said Oduukavi bent over and touched the ground with his hands.The interrogation begins. Uzo Uru stepped forward and stated his case. The woman standing there is my wife, Engelbaf.I married her with my money and cassava.I owe nothing to my in-laws.I don't owe them cassava, nor do I owe them cassava.One day the three of them came to my house, beat me up, and took my wife and child away.This is what happens during the rainy season.I waited for my wife to come back, but it was in vain.Later I went to my in-laws and told them that you took your sister back.I didn't send her here.You brought her here yourself.According to the laws of our clan, you should refund her bride price.But my wife's brothers said they had nothing to say to me.So I bring this matter before the ancestors of our clan.My case is done.I salute you.

Your words are good, said the chief of the ancestral spirits, let us hear Oldukavi.His words may be good too. Oldukavi was a dumpy man.He stepped forward, paid homage to the spirits of his ancestors, and began to tell his case. My relative told you just now that we went to his house, beat him up, and took our sister and her child back home.That's not bad at all.He also told you that it is true that he came to claim her bride price back and we refused to give it to him.My relative, Uzo Uru, is a beast.My sister spent nine years with her.During these years, there was not a day when he did not hit this woman.We have tried countless times to mediate their disputes, and every time the fault lies in Uzo Uru

lie.Uzo Uru shouted. Two years ago, Oldukavi went on to say, she became pregnant and he beat her so that she had a miscarriage. lie.She had a miscarriage because her sympathizer slept. Uzuo Uru's body, I salute you, Jilin said, ask him to be quiet, how can a lover want to sleep with a pregnant woman?People whispered to each other, expressing their agreement with this sentence.Odukovo continued: Last year, when my younger sister was ill, he beat her again. If the neighbor hadn't gone in to save her, she would have been beaten to death.We heard about it and did what he just told you.Umm Ophia had a law that if a woman ran away from her husband, her bride price was to be returned.But this time she ran away to save her own life.Her two children belong to Uzo Ulu. We have no dispute about this, but they are still young and cannot live without their mother.On the other hand, if Uzo Uru stops being mad and formally asks his wife to go back, she will, but on one condition: if he hits her again, we will cut off his dick.

People roared with laughter.Ji Lin stood up, and order was restored immediately.A plume of smoke came straight from his head.He sat down again and called two witnesses, both neighbors of Uzo Ulu, who unanimously confirmed the beating.Then Fierce Forest stood up again, drew out his stick, and plunged it into the ground.He ran a few steps towards where the women were standing, and they fled in fright, but they all came back almost at once.The spirits of the nine ancestors stood up and returned to their houses to consult.For a long time no sound was heard.Then the iron gong sounded again, and the flute played.The spirits of the nine ancestors came out from their underground homes again.They saluted each other and came to the square again.

Guinu of Umm Ofia!Fierce Forest shouted to the elders of the clan and people of status. Ah ah!The crowd answered like thunder; then a silence seemed to fall from the sky, swallowing up the tumult. Fierce Forest began to speak; and while he spoke, everyone was silent.The souls of the other eight ancestors are also as motionless as statues. We have heard what both sides have to say about this case, Jilin said, our responsibility is not to blame this person or praise that person, but to resolve the dispute.He turned to face Uzuo Ulu's group and paused for a moment. Uzo Uru's flesh, I salute you.He said. Our father, my hand has touched the ground.Uzo Uru touched the ground and said. Uzo Uru's physical body, do you know me? How can I know you, father?You are totally beyond my understanding.Uzo Uru replied. I am Fierce Forest.The day when a man feels the loveliest in his life, I will kill him on that day. Indeed.Uzo Uru replied. Take a jug of wine to your relatives and ask your wife to go back with you.It is not heroic for a man to fight a woman.He turned to Oldukavi and paused again. Oldukavi's flesh, I salute you.He said. My hands are on the ground.Odukawi said. Do you know me? No one can know you, Oldukavi replied. I am Fierce Forest.I am stuffed with dried meat, and I burn fire without firewood.If your relative brings you wine, let your sister go with him.I salute you.He pulled his stick out of the hard ground, and stuck it in again. Guinu of Umm Ofia!he roared, and the crowd answered in unison. I don't understand why such a small matter should be brought before the souls of the ancestors.One elder spoke to another elder. Don't you know what kind of person Uzo Uru is?He will not obey other people's decisions.Another elder replied. While they were talking, two other groups came up and took their place, and the spirits of the ancestors began to judge another great case about the land.