Large crowds began to gather on the village ilo as soon as the edge had worn off the sun's heat and it was no longer painful on the body. Most communal1 ceremonies took place at that time of the day, so that even when it was said that a ceremony would begin "after the midday meal" everyone understood that it would begin a long time later, when the sun's heat had softened2.
It was clear from the way the crowd stood or sat that the ceremony was for men. There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders. The titled men and elders sat on their stools waiting for the trials to begin. In front of them was a row of stools on which nobody sat. There were nine of them. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools. They faced the elders. There were three men in one group and three men and one woman in the other. The woman was Mgbafo and the three men with her were her brothers. In the other group were her husband, Uzowulu, and his relatives. Mgbafo and her brothers were as still as statues into whose faces the artist has molded defiance3. Uzowulu and his relative, on the other hand, were whispering together. It looked like whispering, but they were really talking at the top of their voices. Everybody in the crowd was talking. It was like the market. From a distance the noise was a deep rumble4 carried by the wind.
An iron gong sounded, setting up a wave of expectation in the crowd. Everyone looked in the direction of the egwugwu house. Gome, gome, gome, gome went the gong, and a powerful flute5 blew a high-pitched blast. Then came the voices of the egwugwu, guttural and awesome6. The wave struck the women and children and there was a backward stampede. But it was momentary7. They were already far enough where they stood and there was room for running away if any of them should go towards them.
The drum sounded again and the flute blew. The house was now a pandemonium8 of quavering voices: Am oyim de de de de! filled the air as the spirits of the ancestors, just emerged from the earth, greeted themselves in their esoteric language. The egwugwu house into which they emerged faced the forest, away from the crowd, who saw only its back with the many-colored patterns and drawings done by specially9 chosen women at regular intervals10. These women never saw the inside of the hut. No woman ever did. They scrubbed and painted the outside walls under the supervision11 of men. If they imagined what was inside, they kept their imagination to themselves. No woman ever asked questions about the most powerful and the most secret cult12 in the clan13.
Am oyim de de de de! flew around the dark, closed hut like tongues of fire. The ancestral spirits of the clan were abroad.
The metal gong beat continuously now and the flute, shrill14 and powerful, floated on the chaos15.
And then the egwugwu appeared. The women and children sent up a great shout and took to their heels. It was instinctive16. A woman fled as soon as an egwugwu came in sight. And when, as on that day, nine of the greatest masked spirits in the clan came out together it was a terrifying spectacle. Even Mgbafo took to her heels and had to be restrained by her brothers.
Each of the nine egwugwu represented a village of the clan. Their leader was called Evil Forest. Smoke poured out of his head.
The nine villages of Umuofia had grown out of the nine sons of the first father of the clan. Evil Forest represented the village of Umueru, or the children of Eru, who was the eldest17 of the nine sons.
"Umuofia kwenu!" shouted the leading egwugwu, pushing the air with his raffia arms. The elders of the clan replied, "Yaa!"
."Umuofia kwenu!"
"Yaa!"
"Umuofia kwenu!"
"Yaa!"
Evil Forest then thrust the pointed18 end of his rattling19 staff into the earth. And it began to shake and rattle20, like something agitating21 with a metallic22 life. He took the first of the empty stools and the eight other egwugwu began to sit in order of seniority after him.
Okonkwo's wives, and perhaps other women as well, might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy
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. But if they thought these things they kept them within themselves. The egwugwu with the springy walk was one of the dead fathers of the clan. He looked terrible with the smoked raffia "body, a huge wooden face painted white except for the round hollow eyes and the charred23 teeth that were as big as a man's fingers. On his head were two powerful horns.
When all the egwugwu had sat down and the sound of the many tiny bells and rattles24 on their bodies had subsided25, Evil Forest addressed the two groups of people facing them.
"Uzowulu's body, I salute26 you," he said. Spirits always addressed humans as "bodies." Uzowulu bent27 down and touched the earth with his right hand as a sign of submission28.
"Our father, my hand has touched the ground," he said.
"Uzowulu's body, do you know me?" asked the spirit.
"How can I know you, father? You are beyond our knowledge."
Evil Forest then turned to the other group and addressed the eldest of the three brothers.
"The body of Odukwe, I greet you," he said, and Odukwe bent down and touched the earth. The hearing then began.
Uzowulu stepped forward and presented his case.
"That woman standing29 there is my wife, Mgbafo. I married her with my money and my yams. I do not owe my inlaws anything. I owe them no yams. 1 owe them no cocoyams. One morning three of them came to my house, beat me up and took my wife and children away. This happened in the rainy season. I have waited in vain for my wife to return. At last I went to my in-laws and said to them, 'You have taken back your sister. I did not send her away. You yourselves took her. The law of the clan is that you should return her bride-price.' But my wife's brothers said they had nothing to tell me. So I have brought the matter to the fathers of the clan. My case is finished. I salute you."
"Your words are good," said the leader of the ecjwucjwu. "Let us hear Odukwe. His words may also be good."
Odukwe was short and thickset. He stepped forward, saluted30 the spirits and began his story.
"My in-law has told you that we went to his house, beat him up and took our sister and her children away. All that is true. He told you that he came to take back her bride-price and we refused to give it him. That also is true. 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. We have tried to settle their quarrels time without number and on each occasion Uzowulu was guilty—"
"It is a lie!" Uzowulu shouted.
"Two years ago," continued Odukwe, "when she was pregnant, he beat her until she miscarried."
"It is a lie. She miscarried after she had gone to sleep with her lover."
"Uzowulu's body, I salute you," said Evil Forest, silencing him. "What kind of lover sleeps with a pregnant woman?" There was a loud murmur31 of approbation32 from the crowd. Odukwe continued:
"Last year when my sister was recovering from an illness, he beat her again so that if the neighbors had not gone in to save her she would have been killed. We heard of it, and did as you have been told. The law of Umuofia is that if a woman runs away from her husband her bride-price is returned. But in this case she ran away to save her life. Her two children belong to Uzowulu. We do not dispute it, but they are too young to leave their mother. If, in the other hand, Uzowulu should recover from his madness and come in the proper way to beg his wife to return she will do so on the understanding that if he ever beats her again we shall cut off his genitals for him."
The crowd roared with laughter. Evil Forest rose to his feet and order was immediately restored. A steady cloud of smoke rose from his head. He sat down again and called two witnesses. They were both Uzowulu's neighbors, and they agreed about the beating. Evil Forest then stood up, pulled out his staff and thrust it into the earth again. He ran a few steps in the direction of the women,- they all fled in terror, only to return to their places almost immediately. The nine egwugwu then went away to consult together in their house. They were silent for a long time. Then the metal gong sounded and the flute was blown. The egwugwu had emerged once again from their underground home. They saluted one another and then reappeared on the ilo.
"Umuofia kwenu!" roared Evil Forest, facing the elders and grandees33 of the clan.
"Yaa!" replied the thunderous crowd,- then silence descended34 from the sky and swallowed the noise.
Evil Forest began to speak and all the while he spoke35 everyone was silent. The eight other egwugwu were as still as statues.
"We have heard both sides of the case," said Evil Forest. "Our duty is not to blame this man or to praise that, but to settle the dispute." He turned to Uzowulu's group and allowed a short pause.
"Uzowulu's body, I salute you," he said.
"Our father, my hand has touched the ground," replied Uzowulu, touching36 the earth.
"Uzowulu's body, do you know me?"
"How can I know you, father? You are beyond our knowledge," Uzowulu replied.
"I am Evil Forest. I kill a man on the day that his life is sweetest to him."
"That is true," replied Uzowulu.
"Go to your in-laws with a pot of wine and beg your wife to return to you. It is not bravery when a man fights with a woman." He turned to Odukwe, and allowed a brief pause.
"Odukwe's body, I greet you," he said.
"My hand is on the ground," replied Okukwe.
"Do you know me?"
"No man can know you," replied Odukwe.
"I am Evil Forest, I am Dry-meat-that-fills-the-mouth, I am Fire-that-burns-without-faggots. If your in-law brings wine to you, let your sister go with him. I salute you." He pulled his staff from the hard earth and thrust it back.
"Umuofia kwenu!" he roared, and the crowd answered.
"I don't know why such a trifle should come before the said one elder to another.
"Don't you know what kind of man Uzowulu is? He will not listen to any other decision," replied the other.
As they spoke two other groups of people had replaced the first before the egwugwu, and a great land case began.
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1
communal
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| adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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3
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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6
awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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7
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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9
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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10
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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11
supervision
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| n.监督，管理 | |
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12
cult
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| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
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13
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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14
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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15
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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16
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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17
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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18
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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19
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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21
agitating
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| 搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论 | |
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22
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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23
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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24
rattles
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| （使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧 | |
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25
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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26
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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27
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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28
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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29
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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30
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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31
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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32
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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33
grandees
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| n.贵族，大公，显贵者( grandee的名词复数 ) | |
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34
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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35
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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36
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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