ADAOBI (HISTORICAL TALE) 1
IN THE BEGINNING
Many centuries ago, in a small village called Idemili, located in the heart of Africa, the residents died from all sorts of sickness, their crops perished and feeding was difficult, rain refused to pour down, the land was too hard to till. It was said that the village was as one deserted and abandoned after a long war. The people of Idemili community were isolated from the neighboring villages, no one would associate with them, and rumors spread round all localities that the gods had promised to rain down the same plague on any village that would come to their aid.
Chinedu, the son of the late king was restless. How would he be king when there is no kingdom? After days of thinking, he came up with an idea. He suggested the whole village should provide an offering from each of their homes and plead with the goddess of the river to come to their aid. They all accepted the idea and agreed to do as he suggested, except for the family of the richest farmer in the village. He protested saying, he has enough and can’t spare any of his foodstuffs to appease a goddess.
CHINEDU: I strongly believe Nwanyi Mmiri (Mother of Waters) would assist us if we make this sacrifice; you have enough to last you for years, if not for anything, but for the people of this village, spare something for the Mother of Waters.
CHIEF: if your father were to be alive, I’m very sure he would never support this idea. The mother of waters is known for her greed, pride and selfishness; she is never satisfied with whatever you offer.
CHINEDU: Right now, she is our only option, our most trusted alleys have forsaken us, and those we helped in the past have deserted us. My father used to ask me, ‘would you rather die of thirst than challenge a crocodile at the river bank for a drink?’ we are both fortunate, we have enough, but the people of this village are dying.
CHIEF: I’m sorry My Prince, but I can’t do as you ask. I can grant every other wish, except this one.
The next day, CHINEDU led the entire village to the river bank where the mother of waters dwelled. The high chief priest said some incantations and the people of the village came one after the other, bowed their heads and threw whatever offering they brought into the river. Once again, the high chief priest said some incantations, and asked everyone present to take a sip of water from the river as they returned to their homes.
That night, the high chief priest had a dream…
MAIDEN: I have received the offering of your people, I have heard your plea, I have gone round your village and I’ve considered your requests, I would come to your aid. Create me a beautiful statue made from the bark of a cocoa tree and painted with the blood of a cock, place it in a shrine built from bamboo and palm leaves, ill possess it on 3rd market day and your plague shall be over.
As soon as the cock crow, the high chief priest rushed to the palace and delivered the message of the maiden to the prince. The statue was created as she asked and a shrine was built a miles away from the river bank. On the 3rd market day, the mother of waters possessed the statue and all the plague that befall the village was over as she promised. All the sick were brought before the shrine and she healed them all, their crops grew healthy and their livestock were the fattest. In less than a year, news travelled round the state and Idemili village became the envy of other villages.
One evening at a palm wine joint…
MAN 1: Ever since Nwanyi Mmiri came to our aid, I heard Chief Okafor haven’t harvested a single crop, when every other farmer is making millions every year, his crops have refused to germinate.
MAN 2: He is going from Grace to grass day by day, just yesterday, he sold his biggest portion of land at a very cheap price, it is no longer news that he’s gradually losing his fortune.
MAN 3: It serves him right though, when the prince went to his house months ago pleading with him to offer something to the mother of waters, he refused, despite the fact he has enough. I guess he is ripping the fruits of his stubbornness.
MAN 2: But come to think of it, we all know Chief Okafor to be a very generous man who assisted a lot of people during the time our village was plagued. Have we ever asked ourselves why he refused to spare even just a tuber of yam as an offering to Nwanyi Mmiri?
MAN 1: What reason would there be?
MAN 2: It was once rumored that Nwanyi Mmiri is responsible for the death of the first king, stories were told of how she terrified and pacified the people of this village until she was banished to the bank of the river. Have we ever wondered why no one was allowed to fetch water from the bank of the river? Is she was truly friendly, why were people restricted from treading to the bank of the river?
MAN 3: Ebuka! You ask too many questions, why not just appreciate this moment and be thankful for what she has been doing for us so far, huh? Some questions are best left unanswered.
MAN 1: Oh, I get you now. He’s been reading that big book his father brought from the city many years ago before his death. We’ve told you many times; the story contained in that book is mere fiction, even if it were to be true, it’s a legend long forgotten.
EBUKA: I can tell when I’m reading mere fiction, folktales or moonlight stories.
MAN 3: Then ask yourself, if it possible for the dead to rise up once again? How possible is it for a man to raise another from the dead? Besides, didn’t that book say you shouldn’t take strong drinks as it is bad? Then why are you here with us?
EBUKA: Fine, you guys win, but honestly, I think something isn’t right, if you guys choose to ignore the warning right in front of you, that’s your problem, but…
MAN 1: Jeez! Ebuka, can you shut up already? I hate it when you start to debate; we’re here to have fun and drink our worries away, not debate on the future or discuss Nwanyi Mmiri past.
EBUKA: (To himself) you guys can settle down and believe all is well, but I won’t rest until I clear this doubt in my heart. I think I’ll pay Chief Okafor a visit tomorrow morning. I have to know his reasons for picking starvation over prosperity.
Ebuka was known by many to be a curious fellow. People say it runs in their family. To some, it was a gift that enable them discovers new things, while to others, it was a curse as they are never settled, they are either trying to uncover the reason behind something, or trying to create something else. His mother was known to be the woman who discovered a particular type of leaf can be used to prepare a certain soup, and till this day, the soup she discovered is being used by many to eat various types of food. It was unfortunate she was killed in the process of analyzing another leaf; unknown to her it was poisonous.
Many people in the village believed Nwanyi Mmiri to be a dangerous and wicked woman, only a few believed she can do well. She is among the stories of old being told under a full moonlight, but just like the famous stories of the tortoise’s greed, no one can tell what she is truly like. Many stories are told about her good deeds, as well as her evil deeds, which makes it difficult for anyone to claim she is either good or bad. Right now, all they know was that she saved the village, and that was enough to rule her out as a good and kind woman. Her most famous story was how she saved the life of 10 men who went fishing on her river. They were attacked by a mysterious aquatic animal in the process but she intervened and brought them safely to the bank of the river. Every child in Idemili village can narrate the story from genesis to revelation, but still, no one could explain why the 3rd third king restricted the people of the village from fetching water from the bank of the river or once its sunset.
Many centuries ago, in a small village called Idemili, located in the heart of Africa, the residents died from all sorts of sickness, their crops perished and feeding was difficult, rain refused to pour down, the land was too hard to till. It was said that the village was as one deserted and abandoned after a long war. The people of Idemili community were isolated from the neighboring villages, no one would associate with them, and rumors spread round all localities that the gods had promised to rain down the same plague on any village that would come to their aid.
Chinedu, the son of the late king was restless. How would he be king when there is no kingdom? After days of thinking, he came up with an idea. He suggested the whole village should provide an offering from each of their homes and plead with the goddess of the river to come to their aid. They all accepted the idea and agreed to do as he suggested, except for the family of the richest farmer in the village. He protested saying, he has enough and can’t spare any of his foodstuffs to appease a goddess.
CHINEDU: I strongly believe Nwanyi Mmiri (Mother of Waters) would assist us if we make this sacrifice; you have enough to last you for years, if not for anything, but for the people of this village, spare something for the Mother of Waters.
CHIEF: if your father were to be alive, I’m very sure he would never support this idea. The mother of waters is known for her greed, pride and selfishness; she is never satisfied with whatever you offer.
CHINEDU: Right now, she is our only option, our most trusted alleys have forsaken us, and those we helped in the past have deserted us. My father used to ask me, ‘would you rather die of thirst than challenge a crocodile at the river bank for a drink?’ we are both fortunate, we have enough, but the people of this village are dying.
CHIEF: I’m sorry My Prince, but I can’t do as you ask. I can grant every other wish, except this one.
The next day, CHINEDU led the entire village to the river bank where the mother of waters dwelled. The high chief priest said some incantations and the people of the village came one after the other, bowed their heads and threw whatever offering they brought into the river. Once again, the high chief priest said some incantations, and asked everyone present to take a sip of water from the river as they returned to their homes.
That night, the high chief priest had a dream…
MAIDEN: I have received the offering of your people, I have heard your plea, I have gone round your village and I’ve considered your requests, I would come to your aid. Create me a beautiful statue made from the bark of a cocoa tree and painted with the blood of a cock, place it in a shrine built from bamboo and palm leaves, ill possess it on 3rd market day and your plague shall be over.
As soon as the cock crow, the high chief priest rushed to the palace and delivered the message of the maiden to the prince. The statue was created as she asked and a shrine was built a miles away from the river bank. On the 3rd market day, the mother of waters possessed the statue and all the plague that befall the village was over as she promised. All the sick were brought before the shrine and she healed them all, their crops grew healthy and their livestock were the fattest. In less than a year, news travelled round the state and Idemili village became the envy of other villages.
One evening at a palm wine joint…
MAN 1: Ever since Nwanyi Mmiri came to our aid, I heard Chief Okafor haven’t harvested a single crop, when every other farmer is making millions every year, his crops have refused to germinate.
MAN 2: He is going from Grace to grass day by day, just yesterday, he sold his biggest portion of land at a very cheap price, it is no longer news that he’s gradually losing his fortune.
MAN 3: It serves him right though, when the prince went to his house months ago pleading with him to offer something to the mother of waters, he refused, despite the fact he has enough. I guess he is ripping the fruits of his stubbornness.
MAN 2: But come to think of it, we all know Chief Okafor to be a very generous man who assisted a lot of people during the time our village was plagued. Have we ever asked ourselves why he refused to spare even just a tuber of yam as an offering to Nwanyi Mmiri?
MAN 1: What reason would there be?
MAN 2: It was once rumored that Nwanyi Mmiri is responsible for the death of the first king, stories were told of how she terrified and pacified the people of this village until she was banished to the bank of the river. Have we ever wondered why no one was allowed to fetch water from the bank of the river? Is she was truly friendly, why were people restricted from treading to the bank of the river?
MAN 3: Ebuka! You ask too many questions, why not just appreciate this moment and be thankful for what she has been doing for us so far, huh? Some questions are best left unanswered.
MAN 1: Oh, I get you now. He’s been reading that big book his father brought from the city many years ago before his death. We’ve told you many times; the story contained in that book is mere fiction, even if it were to be true, it’s a legend long forgotten.
EBUKA: I can tell when I’m reading mere fiction, folktales or moonlight stories.
MAN 3: Then ask yourself, if it possible for the dead to rise up once again? How possible is it for a man to raise another from the dead? Besides, didn’t that book say you shouldn’t take strong drinks as it is bad? Then why are you here with us?
EBUKA: Fine, you guys win, but honestly, I think something isn’t right, if you guys choose to ignore the warning right in front of you, that’s your problem, but…
MAN 1: Jeez! Ebuka, can you shut up already? I hate it when you start to debate; we’re here to have fun and drink our worries away, not debate on the future or discuss Nwanyi Mmiri past.
EBUKA: (To himself) you guys can settle down and believe all is well, but I won’t rest until I clear this doubt in my heart. I think I’ll pay Chief Okafor a visit tomorrow morning. I have to know his reasons for picking starvation over prosperity.
Ebuka was known by many to be a curious fellow. People say it runs in their family. To some, it was a gift that enable them discovers new things, while to others, it was a curse as they are never settled, they are either trying to uncover the reason behind something, or trying to create something else. His mother was known to be the woman who discovered a particular type of leaf can be used to prepare a certain soup, and till this day, the soup she discovered is being used by many to eat various types of food. It was unfortunate she was killed in the process of analyzing another leaf; unknown to her it was poisonous.
Many people in the village believed Nwanyi Mmiri to be a dangerous and wicked woman, only a few believed she can do well. She is among the stories of old being told under a full moonlight, but just like the famous stories of the tortoise’s greed, no one can tell what she is truly like. Many stories are told about her good deeds, as well as her evil deeds, which makes it difficult for anyone to claim she is either good or bad. Right now, all they know was that she saved the village, and that was enough to rule her out as a good and kind woman. Her most famous story was how she saved the life of 10 men who went fishing on her river. They were attacked by a mysterious aquatic animal in the process but she intervened and brought them safely to the bank of the river. Every child in Idemili village can narrate the story from genesis to revelation, but still, no one could explain why the 3rd third king restricted the people of the village from fetching water from the bank of the river or once its sunset.
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