Here, the plant also provides valuable leaves for livestock feed as well as tubers, which are prepared like coco-yams.Ĭaste rigid class distinction based on birth, wealth, and so on, operating as a social system or principle.Ĭhalk a material that represents peace. esculenta) of the spurge family grown in the tropics for their fleshy, edible rootsticks that produce a nutritious starch.
The egwugwu speak indirectly, using a formal language of immortal spirits.īride-price in some cultures, money and property given to a prospective bride's family by the prospective groom and his family.īull-roarer a noisemaker made from a length of string or rawhide threaded through an object of wood, stone, pottery, or bone a ritual device that makes a loud humming noise when swung rapidly overhead.Ĭalabash the dried, hollow shell of a gourd, used as a bowl, cup, and so on.Ĭallow young and inexperienced immature.Ĭam wood a dye from a West African redwood tree that is used by women to redden their skins before decorating themselves with other patterns for special occasions.Ĭassava any of several plants (genus Manihot and especially M. Together, the egwugwu form a tribunal to judge disputes. Each of the nine egwugwu represents a village of the Umuofian community.
The egwugwu speak in a formal language that is difficult for the the Umuofians to understand.
He may wear more than one anklet to indicate more titles.Īru oyim de de de dei! egwugwu language translated as greetings to the physical body of a friend. The seeds may be ground and blended with kola nut in the ritual welcome of visitors.Īmadiora the god of thunder and lightning.Īnd these white men, they say, have no toes The white men's toes are hidden because they are wearing shoes.Īnklet of his titles When a man achieves a title, he wears a special anklet to indicate his title. Chielo was the priestess who spoke to Unoka on behalf of the god Agbala.Īlbino a person whose skin, hair, and eyes lack normal coloration because of genetic factors: albinos have a white skin, whitish hair, and pink eyes.Īlligator pepper a small brown fruit of an African shrub, whose hot seeds are like black pepper also called offe. Achebe bases the Agbala Oracle (the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves) on the Awka Oracle that was destroyed by the British. Ezinmao-o-o-o Chielo, the priestess, takes on the voice of the divine Agbala to ask for Ezinma to come to her.Īgbala, the Oracle the prophet of the Igbo. This saying probably means every man of the community - an example of hyperbole, an exaggeration not intended to be taken literally.Īgbala do-o-o-o!. Not coincidentally, his suspension of a convert is also based on a quotation from Matthew (9:17).Ībout ten thousand men The nine villages of Umuofia unlikely have as many as ten thousand men. Smith was obviously much concerned about dividing the community between the good (the Christian converts) and the bad (the traditional Igbo believers). In one, he refers to separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32) in the other, separating the wheat from the tares, or weeds (Matthew 13:30). Abomination anything hateful and disgusting.Ībout sheep and goats / about wheat and tares Two frequently quoted teachings of Jesus relate to the need for separating the good from the bad.