Things Fall Apart - Vocab/Reading Quiz (Losen)

Abomination

anything hateful and disgusting

Agadi-nwayi

old woman

agbala

woman, also used of a man who has no title

Agbala the Oracle

the prophet of the Igbo. Achebe bases the Agbala Oracle (the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves) on the Awka Oracle that was destroyed by the British. Chielo was the priestess who spoke to Unoka on behalf of the god Agbala.

Agbala do-o-o-o! . . . Ezinmao-o-o-o

Chielo, the priestess, takes on the voice of the divine Agbala to ask for Ezinma to come to her.

alligator pepper

a small brown fruit of an African shrub, whose hot seeds are like black pepper; also called offe. The seeds may be ground and blended with kola nut in the ritual welcome of visitors.

Amadiora

the god of thunder and lightning

Amalinze the Cat

undefeated wrestler eventually defeated by Okonkwo as a young man.

Ani

the earth goddess who owns all land.

anklet of his titles

When a man achieves a title, he wears a special anklet to indicate his title. He may wear more than one anklet to indicate more titles.

Aru oyim de de de dei!

egwugwu language translated as greetings to the physical body of a friend. The egwugwu speak in a formal language that is difficult for the the Umuofians to understand. Each of the nine egwugwu represents a village of the Umuofian community. Together, the egwugwu form a tribunal to judge disputes.

bride-price

in some cultures, money and property given to a prospective bride's family by the prospective groom and his family. A dowry.

bull-roarer

a noisemaker made from a length of string or rawhide threaded through an object of wood, stone, pottery, or bone; a ritual device that makes a loud humming noise when swung rapidly overhead.

Calabash

the dried, hollow shell of a gourd, used as a bowl, cup, and so on.

Callow

young and inexperienced; immature. Achebe uses this word to describe Nwoye.

cam wood

a dye from a West African redwood tree that is used by women to redden their skins before decorating themselves with other patterns for special occasions.

Cassava

any of several plants (genus Manihot and especially M. esculenta) of the spurge family grown in the tropics for their fleshy, edible rootsticks that produce a nutritious starch. Here, the plant also provides valuable leaves for livestock feed as well as tubers, which are prepared like coco-yams.

Caste

rigid class distinction based on birth, wealth, and so on, operating as a social system or principle.

Chalk

a material that represents peace. The Umuofians use chalk to signify personal honors and status by marking the floor and the toe or face, according to the level of honorific title they have taken. For example, Okoye marks his toe to indicate his first title

chi

personal god; also, one’s fate

Chielo

the name of the current priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves.

Chukwu

the leading god in the Igbo hierarchy of gods.

coco-yam

the edible, spherical-shaped tuber of the taro plant grown in the tropics and eaten like potatoes or ground into flour, cooked to a paste, or fermented for beer. Here, the round coco-yam (a woman's crop) is a different tuber than the elongated-shaped yam (a man's crop).

cowries

shells of the cowrie, a kind of mollusk related to snails and found in warm seas; especially the shells of the money cowrie, formerly used as currency in parts of Africa and southern Asia.

efulefu

worthless man

egwugwu

a masquerader who impersonates one of the ancestral spirits of the village. leaders of the clan who wear masks during certain rituals and speak on behalf of the spirits; the term can be either singular or plural.

Egusi

melon seeds prepared for a soup

Eke day, Afo day

The Igbo week has four days: Eke, Oye, Afo, and Nkwo.

Ekwe

a drum made from wood

Ekwefi

Okonkwo’s second and favorite wife. Ekwefi is also the mother of Okonkwo’s favorite child, a daughter named Ezinma. Ekwefi gave birth to a number of children who either miscarried or died at birth or shortly thereafter.

eneke-nti-oba

a bird that flies endlessly.

eze-agadi-nwayi

the teeth of an old woman

Evil Forest

the name of the leader of the egwugwu; also the name of the forest where taboo objects and people are abandoned, including twin infants.

Eze elina, Elina

a favorite song of Ikemefuna's about how Danda the ant holds court and how the sand dances forever; it was introduced as a story at the end of Chapter 4

Ezeugo

the name for a person of high religious significance, such as an Igbo priest

Ezinma

Ekwefi and Okonkwo's daughter; meaning true beauty. She is also called Nma and Ezigbo, which mean the good one (child).

Go-di-di-go-go-di-go. Di-go-go-di-go

the sound of drumbeats on the ekwe, or drums.

a great medicine

a supernatural power or magic that may take the shape of a person. In the Umuike market, the medicine assumes the shape of an old woman with a beckoning, magical fan.

a great queen

Queen Victoria, reigning head of the British Empire for sixty-four years (1837-1901).

gyre

a circular or spiral motion, a revolution. The word appears in the book’s opening about a WB Yeats poem, “the Second Coming”

harmattan

a dry, dusty wind that blows from the Sahara in northern Africa toward the Atlantic, especially from November to March.

I am Dry-meat-that fills-the-mouth / I am Fire-that-burns-without-faggots

two phrases suggesting that Evil Forest is all- powerful. Faggots are bundles of sticks for burning.

I cannot live on the bank of a river and wash my hands with spittle.

One must act according to one's fortune and circumstances; spittle is one's spit.

iba

fever, probably related to malaria.

Ibo or Igbo

a member of a people of southeastern Nigeria; known for their art and their skills as traders. Today, the word is spelled Igbo (the g is not pronounced).

Idemili title

This title, named after the river god Idemili, is the third-level title of honor in Umuofia.

Iguedo

the name of Okonkwo’s village, part of the Umuofia.

Ikemefuna

From Mbanta, part of a trade to avoid a war. Ikemefuna is a delightful boy, smart, but also like Okonkwo, hard-working and athletic. The clan decides that Ikemefuna will stay with Okonkwo. Ikemefuna is homesick and scared at first, but Nwoye’s mother treats him as one of her own, and he is immediately popular with Okonkwo’s children. Ikemefuna knows many stories that the children have never heard before and he possesses many impressive skills, such as making flutes out of bamboo sticks and setting traps for little bush rodents. To Okonkwo’s delight, he also becomes like an older brother to Nwoye. Okonkwo himself grows quite fond of Ikemefuna, but he does not show any affection because he considers doing so a sign of weakness, which he refuses to tolerate in himself or others. Ikemefuna soon begins to call Okonkwo “father.”

Ikenga

a carved wooden figure kept by every man in his shrine to symbolize the strength of a man's right hand.

ilo

the village green, where assemblies for sports, discussions, etc., take place. A large area for celebrations and special events.

inyanga

showing off, bragging

iron horse

the bicycle that the white man was riding when he apparently got lost

isa-ifi

the ceremony in which the bride is judged to have been faithful to her groom. If a wife had been separated from her husband for some time and were then to be re-united with him, this ceremony would be held to ascertain that she had not been unfaithful to him during the time of their separation

Female ochu

Crimes are divided into male and female types. Okonkwo's accidental killing of Ezuedu's son is considered manslaughter and therefore a female crime.

iyi-uwa

a special stone linking an ogbanje child and the spirit world; The ogbanje is protected as long as the stone is not discovered and destroyed; a special kind of stone which forms the link between an ogbanje and the spirit world. Only if the iyi-uwa were discovered and destroyed would the child not die.

Jigida

strings of hundreds of tiny beads worn snugly around the waist.

A just war

Societies throughout history have rationalized certain wars as justified for religious or cultural reasons.

Kernels

the inner, softer part of a nut, fruit pit, etc. Here, found in the fleshy remains of the palm nut after its husk is crushed for palm-oil. The kernels can be processed by machine for the extraction of a very fine oil.

Kites

birds of prey with long, pointed wings and, usually, a forked tail; they prey especially on insects, reptiles, and small mammals.

kola nut

the seed of the cola, an African tree. The seed contains caffeine and yields an extract; it represents vitality and is used as a courteous, welcoming snack, often with alligator pepper.

kotma

the native Africans hired by the British to carry out their law enforcement activities; also called Kotma. Kotma is a Pidgin English word derived from the words court and messenger.

markets

Igbo weeks are four days long, and the market day is on the first of day each week; therefore, three or four markets is a period of twelve to sixteen days.

Mbaino

This community name means four settlements. A woman from Okonkwo’s tribe is killed here. The community makes a deal to replace the wife with one of their daughters. They also give Ikemefuna, who will be adopted by Okonkwo’s family

Mbanta

The name means small town and is where Okonkwo's mother comes from, his motherland, beyond the borders of Mbaino (Ikemefuna's original home)

Ndichie

elders.

the new dispensation

the new system; the new organization of society under British influence.

nna ayi

our father, a greeting of respect

nno

welcome

nso-ani

a sin against the earth goddess, Ani; a religious offense of a kind abhorred by everyone; literally, the earth’s taboo. This happens when the week of peace is broken by Okonkwo who beats his wife.

the nuts of the water of heaven

hailstones.

Nwakibie

admires young Okonkwo and gives him 400 seed yams to start a farm. Later, she gives him 800

Nwoye

Okonkwo’s eldest son with his first wife. Because Okonkwo is obsessed with his father, he wants to make sure that Nwoye is like himself. He berates Nwoye for anything that might be deemed “feminine.” Nwoye becomes good friends with his adopted brother, Ikemefuna.

Nza

a small but aggressive bird.

Obi

a hut within a compound. The large living quarters of the head of the family.

ochu

murder or manslaughter

Ogbanje

a changeling; a child who repeatedly dies and returns to its mother to be reborn. It is almost impossible to bring up an ogbanje child without it dying, unless its iyi-uwa is first found and destroyed.

Obierika

Okonkwo’s best friend who tells the truth even when others are uncomfortable. He warns Okonkwo to not take part in Ikemefuna’s death.

ogene

a musical instrument; a kind of gong that summons villagers to the center of town

oji odu achu-ijiji-o

cow i.e., the one that uses that uses its tail to drive flies away.

Ogbuefi Ezeugo

a noted orator, announces that someone from the village of Mbaino murdered the wife of an Umuofia tribesman while she was in their market. The crowd expresses anger and indignation, and Okonkwo travels to Mbaino to deliver the message that they must hand over to Umuofia a virgin and a young man. Should Mbaino refuse to do so, the two villages must go to war, and Umuofia has a fierce reputation for its skill in war and magic. Okonkwo is chosen to represent his clan because he is its fiercest warrior

Okonkwo

a man of many titles; good at wrestling, has several wives and children. A harsh father. Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan, a lower Nigerian tribe that is part of a consortium of nine connected villages, including Okonkwo’s village, Iguedo. In his youth, he brought honor to his village by beating Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling contest. Until his match with Okonkwo, the Cat had been undefeated for seven years. He has three wives and eight children. He is abusive to his eldest son, Nwoye.

Osu

outcast. Having been dedicated to a god, the osu was taboo and was not allowed to mix with the freeborn in any way.

Ojiugo

Okonkwo’s youngest wife. He gets angry with her for having her hair braided instead of preparing his meal during the Week of Peace left her hut to have her hair braided without having cooked dinner. He beats her for her negligence, shamefully breaking the peace of the sacred week in a transgression known as nso-ani. The priest demands that Okonkwo sacrifice a nanny goat and a hen and pay a fine of one length of cloth and one hundred cowries (shells used as currency). Okonkwo truly repents for his sin and follows the priest’s orders.

Oye

the name of one of the four market days

ozo

the name of one of the titles or ranks

prophets of Baal

Mr. Smith is comparing the pagan worship of the warrior god Baal, mentioned in the Old Testament (I Kings 18) to the Igbo religion. The Israelites saw the worship of Baal as a rival to their worship of God, causing the prophet Elijah to challenge the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.

Python

a very large, nonvenomous snake of Asia, Africa, and Australia, that squeezes its prey to death.

Raffia

1) a palm tree of Madagascar, with large, pinnate leaves. 2) fiber from its leaves, used as string or woven into baskets, hats, and so on.

sacrament of Holy Communion

the most sacred ritual of participating Christians.

Saltpeter

potassium nitrate; used in the preparation of snuff (also in gunpowder and fireworks).

silk-cotton tree

any of several large, tropical, trees (genera Bombax and Ceiba) of the bombax family that have capsular fruits with silky hairs around the seeds. The tree is revered because it contains spirits of good children as yet unborn.

Singlets

men's undershirts, especially the sleeveless kind.

snuff

a preparation of powdered tobacco that is inhaled by sniffing, is chewed, or is rubbed on the gums.

Taboo

any social prohibition or restriction that results from convention or tradition.

tufia

a curse or oath

Twins

two born at the same birth. Here, according to Igbo custom, twins are considered evil and must be placed in earthenware pots and left to die in the forest.

Udo

peace

udu

a musical instrument; a type of drum made from pottery; a clay pot

uli

a dye used by women for drawing patterns on the skin

umuada

a family gathering of daughters who have left the clan for marriage, for which the female kinsfolk return to their village of origin. Extended family, clan.