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All the umunna were invited to the feast, all the descendants of Okolo,
who had lived about two hundred years before. The oldest member of this
extensive family was Okonkwo's uncle, Uchendu. The kola nut was given to
him to break, and he prayed to the ancestors. He asked them for health and
children. 'We do not ask for wealth because he that has health and children
will also have wealth. We do not pray to have more money but to have more
kinsmen. We are better than animals because we have kinsmen. An animal
rubs its itching flank against a tree, a man asks his kinsman to scratch him.'
He prayed especially for Okonkwo and his family. He then broke the kola nut
and threw one of the lobes on the ground for the ancestors.
As the broken kola nuts were passed round, Okonkwo's wives and children
and those who came to help them with the cooking began to bring out the
food. His sons brought out the pots of palm-wine. There was so much food
and drink that many kinsmen whistled in surprise. When all was laid out,
Okonkwo rose to speak.
'I beg you to accept this little kola,' he said. 'It is not to pay you back for
all you did for me in these seven years. A child cannot pay for its mother's
9. Melon seed, which is roasted, ground, and 1. Children of the father (literal trans.); the clan cooked in soup. (male).
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milk. I have only called you together because it is good for kinsmen to meet.'
Ya m pottage was served first because it was lighter than foo-foo and because yam always came first. Then the foo-foo was served. Some kinsmen ate it with egusi soup and others with bitter-leaf soup. Th e meat was then shared so that every member of the umunna had a portion. Every ma n rose in order of years and took a share. Even the few kinsmen who had not been able to come had their shares taken out for them in due turn.
As the palm-wine was drunk one of the oldest members of the umtinna rose to thank Okonkwo:
'If I say that we did not expect such a big feast I will be suggesting that we did not know how open-handed our son, Okonkwo, is. We all know him, and we expected a big feast. But it turned out to be even bigger than we expected. Than k you. Ma y all you took out return again tenfold. It is good in these days when the younger generation consider themselves wiser than their sires to see a man doing things in the grand, old way. A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. Whe n we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. You may ask why I am saying all this. I say it because I fear for the younger generation, for you people.' He waved his arm where most of the young men sat. 'As for me, I have only a short while to live, and so have Uchendu and Unachukwu and Emefo. But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. You do not know what it is to speak with one voice. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. A man can now leave his father and his brothers. He can curse the gods of his fathers and his ancestors, like a hunter's dog that suddenly goes mad and turns on his master. I fear for you; I fear for the clan.' He turned again to Okonkwo and said, 'Thank you for calling us together.'
Part Three
CHAPTER TWENTY
Seven years was a long time to be away from one's clan. A man's place was not always there, waiting for him. As soon as he left, someone else rose and filled it. Th e clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another.
Okonkwo knew these things. He knew that he had lost his place among the nine masked spirits who administered justice in the clan. He had lost the chance to lead his warlike clan against the new religion, which he was told, had gained ground. He had lost the years in which he might have taken the highest titles in the clan. But some of these losses were not irreparable. He was determined that his return should be marked by his people. He would return with a flourish, and regain the seven wasted years.
Even in his first year in exile he had begun to plan for his return. The first thing he would do would be to rebuild his compound on a more magnificent scale. He would build a bigger barn than he had had before and he would build huts for two new wives. Then he would show his wealth by initiating his sons into the ozo society. Only the really great men in the clan were able to do this. Okonkwo saw clearly the high esteem in which he would be held, and he saw himself taking the highest title in the land.
As the years of exile passed one by one it seemed to him that his chi might
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now be making amends for the past disaster. His yams grew abundantly, not only in his motherland but also in Umuofia, where his friend gave them out year by year to share-croppers.
The n the tragedy of his first son had occurred. At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. But it was a resilient spirit, and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. He had five other sons and he would
