Chapter 18 eighteen

In the early days of its life, the young church of Embunta experienced several crises, and at first the people of the clan thought it would not survive.But it survived and grew stronger.The clan couldn't help being a little worried, but not very worried.If a gang of Evlov decide to live in the Fierce Forest, that's their own business.Think about it carefully, the fierce forest is the most suitable place for such annoying people.True, they rescued the twins who were lost in the forest, but they never brought the twins back to the village.As far as the villagers are concerned, the twins are still where they were originally abandoned.Naturally, Mother Earth would not punish the innocent villagers for the crimes committed by the missionaries.

At one point, the missionaries tried to step outside the line.Three believers came to the village and said arrogantly and publicly that all gods are dead and powerless. If they don't believe it, they are going to burn all the temples to try. Said one of the priests who burned your mother.Those people were caught and beaten so badly that they bled profusely.After this, for a long period of time, there was no conflict between the church and the clan. But word kept coming that the white man had brought not only a religion but a government.It is said that they set up a trial house in Umm Ofia to protect the followers of their religion.It was even said that a man was hanged by them for killing a missionary.

Although this kind of rumors are being talked about by everyone, the people of Embunta feel that these are just rumors, which have not yet affected the relationship between the new church and the clan.There is no question of killing missionaries here. Although Chiajia is crazy, she is not harmful to people.As for his followers, whoever kills them must flee the gens, for however vile they may be, they still belong to the gens.So no one seriously thinks about the legends about the white government, or the consequences of killing Christians.If they become more trouble than they are now, the best they can do is to drive them out of the clan.

Moreover, the small church was busy dealing with its own internal disputes at this time, and had no time to make trouble for the clan.The dispute arose over the admission of untouchables. The Dalits, seeing that the new religion had opened its doors to outlaws like the Twins, felt sure that they themselves would be welcome.So, one Sunday, two untouchables walked into the church.There was at once an uproar; but the new religion had already taken such a strong hold on the hearts of the believers that when the Dalits entered they did not immediately leave the church.Those closest to the untouchables only moved a bit.It was an amazing thing, but it didn't last long.Immediately after the service was over, there was an uproar from the whole church, and if Chiaga hadn't intervened and began to explain to them, they were going to drive out the untouchables.

Chiajia said: Before God, there are no slaves and no free people.We are all God's children, we should take these brothers. You don't understand, said a believer, what would the heathen say about us if they heard that we accept untouchables?They will laugh at us. Let them laugh.On the Last Judgment Day, Giaja says, God will laugh at them.Why do the Gentiles quarrel, and why do the peoples plot vain things?He that sits in the heavens will laugh.The Lord will laugh at them. You do not understand.This believer insisted that you are our teacher and you can teach us Protestant things.But it's something we're all familiar with.So he explained to Chiaga what a pariah was.

The untouchables are people consecrated to God, a group of people who are isolated and untouchable from themselves, and from their descendants.They cannot intermarry with free men.In fact, they were outcasts from the clan, and had to live in a specially set-off area next to the temple in the village.Wherever they go, they wear the symbol of taboo, the matted long, dirty hair.They cannot use razors.Just as the untouchables cannot attend the meetings of the free men, neither can the free men take shelter under the roof of the untouchables.The untouchables cannot obtain any of the four titles of the clan. After the untouchables die, they can only be buried in the fierce forest by other untouchables.How can such a person be a disciple of Christ?

He needs Christ more than you or I.Kiaga said. If so, then I'll go back to my clan.As the believer said, he really left.Chiajia did not budge.It was his steadfastness that saved the young Church.Wandering believers find encouragement and confidence in his unwavering faith.Giaga ordered the untouchables to shave off their long, tangled hair.At first they refused, fearing that they would die if they shaved their hair. I will not allow you to enter the church until the marks of your heresy are removed, said Chiaga, and you are afraid you will die.Who said you were going to die?How are you different from those who shaved their heads?You and they are created by one God.But they cast you out of your clans as lepers.This is against the will of God, who has promised eternal life to anyone who believes in his holy name.The heathen said, if you do this, or that, you will die, and you are afraid.Didn't they also say that if I build a church on this land, I will die?Am I dead?They also said that if I took care of the twins, I would die.But I am still alive.All the pagans are telling lies, only the word of God is true.

Two untouchables shaved their heads, and they soon became the most ardent adherents of the new religion.The matter did not end there, for almost all the untouchables in Nbunta followed their example and converted to Protestantism.A year later, it was precisely because a fanatical pariah killed the snake released by the water god that a serious conflict was caused between the church and the clan. Among the Embangta and neighboring clans, the divine snake is the most revered animal.People call him our father, and he can go wherever he loves, even in people's beds.It eats mice and swallows eggs in people's homes.If a man inadvertently kills a divine serpent, he presents a sin-offering sacrifice in its burial with the expensive burial of a man of high rank.If a person intentionally kills a snake, there is no clear rule on how to punish him.Because no one ever imagined that such a thing would happen.

Maybe it really didn't happen.At first, the people of the clan looked at it like this.No one saw with his own eyes who killed the snake.But among the Christians there are rumors about this incident. Nbunta's chiefs and elders held a meeting anyway to discuss what action should be taken.Many people were irritated and talked a lot.There was an atmosphere of war in the air.Okonkwo, who by this time had become involved in the affairs of his mother's homeland, said that there would be no peace without whipping these wretches out of the village. But many others see the situation differently.Their opinion finally prevailed.

It is not our custom to fight wars for our gods, said one, and we need not start them now.If a person kills a divine snake privately in a hut, it is between him and the god.We don't see it.If we stand between God and the sinner, the punishment that would have been given to the sinner may fall upon us.What should we do when someone says something blasphemous?Shall we cover his mouth?No.We cover our ears and let it go if we don't listen.It's a smart move. Let's be reasonable and not be cowards, said Okonkwo. What should I do if someone comes to my hut to shit?Do I close my eyes?No!I'm going to take a stick and break his skull.That's what a man should be.These people dump dirt on us every day, but Okeka says we should pretend not to see it.said Okonkwo in disgust.He thought to himself, this clan is really effeminate.Nothing like this would have happened in his father's hometown of Umm Ofia.

Okonkwo was right, another said, we should do something about it.We declare that these people are not people of the clan.We, then, have little responsibility for their crimes. Everyone in the meeting spoke and finally decided to declare that Christians are not people of the clan.Okonkwo gritted his teeth in disgust. That night a messenger went through the whole of Embonta, announcing that from now on the Protestants would be deprived of the right to enjoy the life of the clan. There are more and more Christians, and men and women, adults and children form a small group with strong beliefs and great pride.Mr. Brown, a white missionary, came to visit them on time.He said: Thinking back that it was only eighteen months since I planted the first seed among you, I cannot but be amazed at God's performance. It was the Wednesday before Easter, and Chiaga ordered some of the women to fetch red earth, lime powder, and water to wash the church in preparation for Easter; and to accomplish this work the women were divided into three groups.Early in the morning they set off, some with water jugs to the creek, others with picks and baskets to the red pits in the village, and others to the lime quarry. Chiajia was praying in the church when she suddenly heard the chattering and excited voices of women outside.He hastily said his prayers, and went out to see what was the matter.Several women returned to the church with empty jugs.They said that some young men by the river held whips and prevented them from fetching water.After a while, the women who went to fetch the red clay also came back with empty baskets, and some of them were severely whipped.It was the same when the women who went to fetch lime returned. What does it mean?Chiajia was simply confused. People in the village have deprived us of our rights, said a woman, the messenger announced last night.But it is not our custom to forbid people to go to the river or to the lime mines. Another woman said they were going to kill us.They said they would not allow us to go to the market either. Giaga was about to send to the village to fetch the male believers, but they came by themselves.Of course they all heard what the messenger said, but women were not allowed to go to the river to fetch water, and they had never heard of such a thing in their lives. Come with us, they said to the women, and we will go with you against those cowards.Some of them carried thick sticks, some even carried machetes. Chiaga stopped them.He needs to know why they should be deprived of their rights first. They say Oconee killed the snake.said a man. It was a lie, another man said, and Oconee told me it was a lie. Oconee was not present and could not answer.He had fallen ill the night before.Before the day passes, he dies.His death shows that God can still fight for himself.Therefore, the people of the clan felt that there was no reason to make things difficult for the Christians.