O-O'MENAALA: TRADITION

By Amarachi Ogbonnaya

This portrays tradition of some tribes in Nigeria before colonization- Women subjugation, Child marriage, preference for male child, slave trade, etc. This story tells a lot about how slave trade started, how women were punished, how men valued male children to female children, OSU system and a lot more. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Nov 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9783748763055

Book preview

Chapter 1

O-0`MENAALA

Adaugo stared at Njoku in tears as she watched him bring out his wine skin so as to take it to the new woman he intend to marry. Adaugo never imagined her life would be like this, she had always pictured herself in the house, surrounded my her 3 male children and one female child, if only the gods heard her prayers and her wish, but the gods chose to keep silent at her plight, the gods are wicked, she muttered in between her clinching teeth.  

Adaugo is a very beautiful lady, tall, fair, the wish and prayer of every man. Her parents  gave her out in marriage at the age of 18years to Njoku who is 30 years, the marriage was arranged between their parents to seal their friendship. The union has lasted for 3 years, Adaugo is yet to conceive, Njoku proceeded to marry a second wife, Njideka, he desperately needed a child, and not just a child, a male child to continue his legacy.

Njoku looked at Adaugo, he pushed her hand with his booth, he carried his keg of wine and instructed Adaugo to move into an empty thatched house close to his own, that would be her new home while the new wife would occupy his room with him. Adaugo  wept, she rolled herself on the floor for three minutes, by then Njoku had gone, she picked herself up because crying wouldn’t solve the problem, she rushed into the room, searched for the fertility cream  the messenger of the gods  that abandoned her gave to her, she burnt it in front of the house, screaming and cursing the gods.

Adaugo and her husband, including all her family members live in a Umuigo village, somewhere in the eastern part of the country, the land belong to their ancestors. Legend had it that one man known as Umuigbo came to the land with his wife, cleared the land and started procreating on the land, another legend had it that the gods created a man and named the man umuigbo and created a woman too to serve as the maid of the man.he real story, nobody know the correct story.

Adaugo went back inside the house, packed her things quickly because her husband clearly told her that he wouldn’t want to meet her in the house, she tried her best to beg her husband, but, his mind was already made up. She carried her udu, the few wrappers her husband got for her. 

Why is the gods silent? E mere m ihe ni le o siri mu mee na oge ori izu ahia. I did my ritual as requested on orie market day, a zuru m ewu. I bought goat as requested, e nyere m oji na udu, gini mere nke mu jiri puo iche. I gave kolanut, and new mud pot, why is my own different?,

she thought as she walked absent mindedly to the new hut given to her by her husband. She needed someone to talk to, atleast clear her mind before meeting her co-wife, she quickly dropped her things and went straight to Erimma’s house. Erimma has been her friend since childhood, she also had arranged marriage, she has children, unlike Adaugo, but she has two female children and have had 2 miscarriages due to constant beating from her husband, her husband beat her on every slight provocation.

Adaugo met her crying, her husband beat her again. Immediately she saw Adaugo she quickly cleaned her tears with the back of her wrapper tied firmly on her breast,

" Nne, e zo kwala ihe a ebe m no, I nugo?. Nne, you don’t need to hide that from me, have you heard?" Adaugo said as she dragged a seat beside her ,  

A ma m Ada, Ihe a na emezi m ihere. O kuru m ihe maka m wuru mmiri n’ ukwu ya amaghi ama mgbe m no na enye ya nri. I know Ada, this is becoming embarrassing, he beat me because I mistakenly poured water on his leg while serving him, mama Bomboy had to save me, or else, your friend would have been dead?

"Don’t you think that you have to report to your parents?’’ Ada asked

O baghi uru. Of what use? Ha kwenyere na umu nwoke anaghi emejo, ha na agwa m na olu chi bu olu nwoke. They believe that men are always right and women must always please their husband, they will remind me that the voice of the gods is that of a man, Ada, hapu okwu ,

" otu di gi mere ? Ada, how is your husband?’’ Erimma asked

Husband? My husband went to bring his second wife home oo, I was depressed, so I came to talk to you and at least cheer myself up, but I ka na anya godinu akpa g, but you are still carrying your bag

Erimma looked at her in deep thought, 

"What is it Eri?’’

Erimma gave her a concerned look, "Ada, let it not be what I am thinking"

What are you thinking?

I saw your husband enter that house(Pointing at a house) with a keg of wine, and you know whose house that is, okwaya?

Adaugo stared at Erimma for a minute, then looked at the house she pointed at,

That is Ichie Nduka’s house, that is, Ogochukwu’s house, I hate that girl, she is too proud  Ada continued And to think of the fact that my husband told me to move into that abandoned house close to our main house breaks my heart

Really? Nawah oo, Ada my friend, you have suffered, sorry oh. It’s the fault of our community, they have no regard for us, beside the voice of the chi is a man’s voice.

"What of your husband Eri?

"I don’t know, and I don’t care" Erimma whispered to Ada, What are you going to do once your co-wife arrives?

Adaugo kept