Characters
The name of Okonkwo's second wife and Ezinma's mother.
Ekwefi
Ikemefuna is given to Umuofia for this reason.
His father killed a woman from Umuofia. Ikemefuna is a sacrifice to prevent a war.
The tribal court, the egwugwu, decides a case about this.
A man who habitually beats his wife.
The primary measure of a man's wealth in Ibo society.
yams
The people of the tribe spend a lot of time trying not to offend these.
the gods and ancestors
Okonkwo's father had this name.
Unoka
Okonkwo breaks the week of peace by beating his wife because she failed to do this.
She did not bring a dish for his dinner because she was getting her hair done.
Okonkwo fears being thought weak for this reason.
His father Unoka was known as a weak and lazy man.
This drink is also used as a symbol of hospitality and bonding between tribe members
palm wine
Wrestling matches are important to the people of Umuofia for this reason.
They promote village unity and provide a chance for people to bond.
This is the name of the priestess of Agbala.
Chielo
Okonkwo lost his first crops of yams for these reasons.
Okonkwo does not want Ezinma to be taken to Agbala's shrine for this reason.
She is his favorite child, and he doesn't want anything bad to happen to her.
When men are doing business, they often share one of these.
kola nut
The trial scene with the egwugwu exists to show this about African tribes.
They have a well-developed system of justice.
Okonkwo's oldest son.
Nwoye
The wedding of Obeirika's daughter includes three elements in common with western weddings
food, music, gifts, bridal party
Okonkwo dislikes his oldest son for this reason.
For this reason, Unoka is placed in the Evil Forest to die alone.
His swelling sickness is seen as an abomination to the earth.
This connection exists between the spirit world and the land of the living.
The two are closely related, and some spirits can cross back and forth.
The earth goddess of the Ibo people.
Ani
Ikemefuna's last words.
"My father, they have killed me."
The tribe tells Okonwko not to go with them to kill Ikemefuna for this reason.
Ikemefuna thinks of Okonkwo as a father, and the tribe thinks it might anger the gods if Okonkwo participates in the sacrifice.
People respond with this phrase when their names are called to guard against evil spirits.
Is that me?
The relationships between Unoka, Okonkwo, and Nwoye tell us this about fathers and sons.