Chapter 21 twenty one

But in Umm Ofia there were many men and women who did not feel as strongly against the new system as Okonkwo.True, the white man brought a mad religion, but he also set up a shop, palm oil and palm kernels became expensive commodities for the first time, and a lot of money flowed into Umm Ofia. Even in matters of religion, people have come to feel that there may be some truth to it.White people's religion may not be as crazy as it appears, but it's actually kind of organized. This feeling was gradually increased by Mr. Brown, the white missionary, who severely restrained his followers from offending the clan.One of them was particularly difficult to restrain.His name is Enoch.His father was a priest of the snake god.It is said that Enoch once killed a snake and ate it, and was cursed by his father.

Brown objected to such overzealous action.He said to those restless believers: Everything is possible, but not everything is good.Because Mr. Brown was so careful with the religion of the clan, even the clan's people grew to respect him.He made friends with some of the important members of the clan, and from time to time visited the neighboring villages, and once brought back with him a piece of carved ivory that had been presented to him as a sign of dignity and nobility.An important person in this village named Aquinas sent one of his sons to Brown's school to learn the knowledge of white people.

Every time Brown went to that village, he would spend a long time in Aquinas's main house, talking to him about religious issues through an interpreter.Neither of them convinced the other, but they learned more about each other's different beliefs. You say that there is a supreme God who created the heavens and the earth. Aquinn once said to the visiting Brown that we also believe in Him and call Him Shukau.He created the universe and other gods. There are no other gods, Brown said, and Shukau is the only god, and all other gods are false.You carve a piece of wood like that one (he pointed to a carved ikanga that Aquinas hung around his neck) and you call it a god.But it is still a piece of wood.

Yes, said Aquinas, it is indeed a piece of wood.But it came from the tree, and the tree was created by Shukau, just as all the lesser gods were created by him.These were created by Shukau for His Messenger so that we can approach Him through them.Just like yourself.You are the head of your church. No, Brown countered, the head of my church is God himself. I know, said Aquinas, but in this world, among men, there is always a chief.People like you are the leaders here. In this sense, the head of my church is in England. That's exactly what I'm saying, the head of your church is in your country.He sent you here as his emissary.You have also appointed your messengers and servants.Or let me give another example, like that parish administrator.He was sent by your emperor.

Their emperor is a queen.the interpreter interrupted. Your queen has sent the prefect as her emissary.She felt that the Chief could not do such things alone, so she assigned Kotema to help him.The same goes for God or Shukau.Because he had too many things to do alone, he appointed some small gods to help him. You shouldn't imagine him as a human being, Brown said, because you imagine that he must have helpers.Worst of all, you only know to worship the false gods you created. Not that.We offer sacrifices to the lesser gods, but when they can't do anything and there are no other gods to rely on, we go to Shukau.This is the right thing to do.We should approach a great man through His servants.But if his servants cannot help us, we seek hope in the last source.It might seem like we take those little gods too seriously, but we don't.The reason we trouble them more is to trouble their masters less.Our ancestors all knew that Shukawu was the god of gods, so they often named their children Shukawu Kashukawu is supreme.

You said an interesting thing, Brown said, that you were afraid of Shukau.In our religion, Shukau is a kind father, and those who follow his will need not fear him. But when we do not do His will, we should be afraid of Him.But who shall say His will, said Aquinas?His will is too great for us to know. In this way Brown learned a great deal about the religion of the clan, from which he concluded that it was useless to attack it head-on.So he opened a school and a small hospital in Umm Ofia, and went door to door asking people to send their children to his school.At first people were only willing to send slaves, or occasionally useless children.Brown pleaded with people, argued with people, predicted the future.Future clan leaders must be able to write and read, he said.If the Umm Ofia do not send their children to school, then there will be outlanders to rule them.They should have seen that this was the case in the native courts, where the parish administrator was surrounded by strangers who knew the white language, most of them from remote Umru on the great river where the white man first arrived. From the town.

Mr. Brown's words finally had an effect.More and more people came to his school to study, and he also gave them some gifts such as shirts and towels as a reward.Those who come to study are not all young people.Some are thirty years old or older.They work in the fields in the morning and go to school in the afternoon.It was not long before people began to tell that the white man's medicine was good, and that Mr. Brown's school was good, and that a few months in it one could qualify as a court clerk, and even a court clerk.Those who stay in school longer can become teachers.The farmers of Umm Ophiah went into God's vineyard.Several new churches have been built in the surrounding villages, and several new schools are built next to the teaching.From the beginning, religion and education have gone hand in hand.

Mr. Brown's missionary society was growing in power, and by its connection with the new administration it acquired a new social position.But Mr. Brown's own health is getting worse.At first, he didn't pay attention to the warnings from his body, but his illness became more and more serious, and he finally had to sadly abandon his believers. On the first rainy season since Okonkwo returned to Umm Ofia, Mr Brown returned home.As early as five months ago, the missionary went to visit Okonkwo as soon as he heard that he was back.He had just sent Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, now called Isaac, to Umru to attend a normal school.He thought Okonkwo would be delighted to hear the news.Unexpectedly, Okonkwo drove him out and threatened that if he dared to step into his yard again, he would not be able to walk back.

Okonkwo's return was less of a sensation than he had hoped.His two beautiful daughters, it is true, aroused great interest among the suitors, and many proposed marriages before long.But other than that, Umm Ofia didn't seem particularly concerned about the warrior's return.During the years of his exile, Umm Ofiah had changed profoundly and became unrecognizable.What people see and think in their hearts is always inseparable from new religions, new governments and new shops.Many still considered these new things sinful, but even they rarely talked or thought about anything else, let alone Okonkwo's return.

And it's been an unfortunate year.If Okonkwo had followed the original plan and given his two sons the title of Ozo upon his return, it might have raised eyebrows.But the ceremony for obtaining such a title was held every three years in Umm Ofia, and he would have to wait nearly two years before the next ceremony came. Okonkwo was very sad.Not just for him personally, but for the clan as a whole, which he had seen falling apart, and for the ever-fighting men of Umm Ofia, who somehow had become as weak as women.