Conflicted Destiny - Season 1 Episode 2

8 years ago

Conflicted Destiny - Season 1 Episode 2

result, most towns in the area, including Owerri Nkworji, were densely populated. The most logical reason that the system thrived was that people’s livelihoods depended solely on subsistence farming. In order to cultivate large farms easily, men found it necessary to take many wives so they could bear more children, especially boys, who would work on the land. The children also helped with domestic work. The inhabitants of Owerri Nkworji lived in traditional huts that were mainly covered with palm thatch. Some of the huts were beautified with drawings of past heroes, great warriors, and dead ancestors. It was said that the presence of those heroes and ancestors could be felt through the drawings. These drawings were a constant reminder to the people that the gods and the spirits of their ancestors watched over them.
My grandfather, Onyechere Nmaduagwu, was a revered warrior. He was highly acclaimed for his fearlessness and bravery in battle. He single-handedly defeated notorious and fierce warriors from other towns. His gallantry and bravery earned him awards and favor among the people of Owerri Nkworji, including the king and his cabinet. His popularity went beyond his community, and people from neighboring towns would visit Owerri Nkworji just to see and shake the hand of the great warrior.

During this period, it was virtually impossible to travel from one town or village to another unchallenged. Travelers always had to anticipate being challenged to a duel at some point in their journey, and therefore employed strong fighters to travel with them. People who were defeated in duels lost their honor, and sometimes their homes and families. Traders were constantly anxious about being attacked during their travels. But my grandfather offered protection. He followed many traders to other villages, and no one dared to attack while he was with them.

Onyechere had seven wives and several children, and they all joined in cultivating his vast farmland, as well as doing domestic work. Before marrying his seventh and most beloved wife, his six wives were like a thorn in his side; they fought constantly among themselves. One day Onyechere traveled to a nearby village, where he was mesmerized by a young, beautiful, and absolutely charming girl named Nwaibari, known as Nwanyi Burunnu. She was twelve years old, with long, black hair and a celestial smile that revealed well-crafted, sparkling teeth parted in the middle with a slight gap. Her beauty and elegance put young men in and around her village in a trance-like state whenever they met her. She was admired by all, but had given in to none. Onyechere was overwhelmed by her beauty and fell deeply in love with her. He quickly obtained information about her family and met with them to express his desire to marry their daughter. Her family was pleased at the prospect of giving their daughter to a renowned warrior. Onyechere’s people were notified as to what traditions and customs had to be performed and fulfilled in order for the marriage take place.

However, due to financial constraints, my grandfather was unable to marry Nwanyi Burunnu right away. The demands from her family were so great that he could not meet them immediately. But he was not deterred. He sold some of his valuables, including his entire farm yield for that year, in order to pay Nwanyi Burunnu’s dowry and pay for the traditional wedding ceremony. He and his people completed all the traditional obligations, and he took her to his home as his seventh wife.

My grandfather’s love for Nwanyi Burunnu was extraordinary. He spent most of his leisure time with her, focusing all his attention on her and inadvertently neglecting his other six wives. This state of affairs did not sit well with them. They weren’t going to stand around and watch a twelve-year-old girl steal the heart of their man, at least not without a fight. They ganged up against Nwanyi Burunnu and were determined to make her life a living hell. She was treated badly, beaten, and brutalized. Even their children—some of whom were much older than Nwanyi Burunnu—taunted and abused her when their father was not around. She was isolated and treated like a slave. They compelled her do all the housework, and whenever Onyechere gave Nwanyi Burunnu money, foodstuff, or cloth, the other wives would intimidate her and steal all the giftsfrom her. Despite the hostilities and rejection from the other wives, Nwanyi Burunnu endured because of her husband’s great love for her.

The other wives and their children persisted in their vitriolic hatred and formed a diabolic united front against their common enemy. On one occasion they called a meeting among themselves to find a way to get rid of Nwanyi Burunnu and possibly win back the love of their husband. They decided to meet Old Man Ikuku, a powerful, well-known witch doctor whose specialty was telling fortunes, selling charms (voodoo objects), and remotely controlling people’s lives through his magic mirror. Ikuku was said to be capable of performing all types of magic and rituals, including taking people’s lives. The wives agreed to send two from their group on this mission.

Two days later, the second and third wives asked their husband’s permission to visit their parents in the next village. Onyechere, ignorant of their plans, allowed them to go ahead with the visit. The next day, they took off to meet Old Man Ikuku, arriving at his shrine at sunset. To their amazement, before they stepped into the shrine or uttered a word, the witch doctor proceeded to tell them of their reason for coming to see him. He requested three red kola nuts, two black hens, and three red cocks that would be used to make a sacrifice. The wives went away, and later returned with the requested items, pleading with Ikuku to help them win back the heart of their husband. Ikuku commenced his incantations: “Okirikiri ka ana agba ukwu ose adigi ariya elu … ochu nwa okuko nwe ada, nwa okuko nwe nwenwe oso.” He then said to the women, “Go. Go, my daughters, it shall be well with you!”

The women left with great joy, believing that the mighty witch doctor had solved their problems. When they arrived home, they found Onyechere’s compound crowded and noisy with celebration. They wondered what was going on, and then the first wife told them that it was a surprise celebration in honor of Nwanyi Burunnu. They were shocked at this news, especially since Ikuku had told them that all their problems had been solved. They were getting the exact opposite of what they wanted.

The love between Onyechere and Nwanyi Burunnu grew stronger, and the other wives remained steadfast in their quest to destroy her and win back their husband. Things became so bad that even the gods of Nwanyi Burunnu’s ancestors felt her pain and took pity on her.

A year after she came to live with Onyechere, Nwanyi Burunnu had a dream that changed her life forever. In the dream, she was visited by the spirit of her ancestors, who revealed the secret of success and told her what she should do to survive and prosper. In this revelation, she was taught how to prepare a ngbam, a unique traditional cake.

She woke up the next morning with the dream very vivid in her mind. She immediately started preparing the cake, and when she was done, it turned out to be so delicious and extraordinary that whoever tasted it wanted more. In time, she became famous in the entire region for her cakes, with some people coming great distances to buy them. Anyone who traveled to Owerri Nkworji and did not return with Nwanyi Burunnu’s traditional cake was said to not have traveled at all. At every joyful occasion, including wedding ceremonies, her ngbam was usually the “icing on the cake.” In fact, it was these cakes that earned her the nickname “Nwanyi Burunnu,” meaning “lady of salt” (“salt” in this sense meaning “good thing” or “sweet”). Nwanyi Burunnu became very independent and was able to support herself from this business.

About nine months after her marriage to Onyechere, Nwanyi Burunnu had her first son. My grandfather was very happy and showered her with gifts. His love for her increased with the arrival of baby, and she in turn loved and adored him, and remained very loyal to him. Despite the fact that she had just given birth, Nwanyi Burunnu continued to prepare her cakes. On the seventh day, according to tradition, the child was circumcised and named Monday.

When Monday turned one year old, his mother conceived again and gave birth to triplets—two boys and a girl, making Nwanyi Burunnu the first woman to raise triplets in Owerri Nkworji. According to tradition, it was a bad omen to raise twins or triplets, and such babies were taken into the evil forest, where they were sacrificed. The news of Nwanyi Burunnu’s triplets spread among the inhabitants of the town like wildfire. The other wives were thrilled with the situation and fanned the flames, broadcasting the news to whoever would listen. To their astonishment, there was no punishment for Nwanyi Burunnu and Onyechere for refusing to give up their triplets to be sacrificed.

Nwanyi Burunnu got pregnant again and, as usual, it did not deter her from her normal routine; she still prepared her cakes and cared for her four children. She hoped that this time she would have a “normal” single birth instead of twins or triplets. She worried every day and asked Chinaeke (God Almighty) not to give her twins or triplets again.

Unfortunately or fortunately—depending on who was asked—and to her greatest surprise, she gave birth to twin girls. The birth created uproar among the inhabitants of Owerri Nkworji once again. They became convinced that Nwanyi Burunnu was abnormal and began to discuss her fate.

The Igwe and the elders of the village decided to meet with the gods and present Nwanyi Burunnu’s situation, which they believed constituted a gross violation of their beliefs and customs. She’d had a set of twins and triplets, but she and her husband had refused to give them up for sacrifice as required by tradition. The Igwe and elders urged the gods to take prompt action against Nwanyi Burunnu and her children in order to restore the sanctity of Owerri Nkworji.

Meanwhile, Onyechere continued spending a lot of time with Nwanyi Burunnu, who kept getting pregnant and delivering twins or triplets, giving birth to twelve children within six years of marriage.

After seven years, the gods visited Owerri Nkworji, supposedly to reprimand and mete out punishment to the families that had kept their twins or triplets. Prior to the gods’ visitation, the Igwe and elders would go into the evil forest and render sacrifices of cows and cocks. The sacrificial cow would be guided by a virgin into the evil forest, located on a hill called Agbaala, on the outskirts of Ofeorie village. The group would face numerous obstacles to overcome to get to the top of the hill, where the sacrifices would be made. Upon reaching the top, the virgin would present the sacrifices to the gods, and then the oracle head, or Eze Nmo, would praise the gods with powerful incantations, followed by a speech from the Igwe. Although the gods were invisible, they were said to become very active and interactive at different stages during the sacrifices. All who went into the evil forest would be seated on cobras and rattlesnakes without any fear because the snakes had been subdued by the gods. The snakes would only react if a member of the party showed fear by remaining standing, at which point a snake would wrap itself around the person and compel him or her to sit. Through their powers the gods would slaughter the cow and cocks in the presence of the group. The virgin would then cook some of the beef, and those present would be served by the invisible hands of the gods. After the meal the Igwe would thank the gods, and officially invite them to visit the town and render judgment accordingly. At the end of the ceremony, they would all descend the hill and return to the town.

Every time the gods were about to visit, black worms would appear all around the town, and the people would know immediately what was to come. Visits from the gods usually caused a lot of trauma, as the people could never be sure what grudges the gods might have against them or what kind of punishment they would be given.

The gods would come at midnight, and they were heralded by a forerunner whose feet sounded like stampeding buffaloes. Around 2 a.m., the townspeople would hear bizarre voices from the forest and from all corners of the town. Then they would hear deafening cries, like roars of dragons, emanating from the center of the town, sending panic across the entire village. During each visit of the gods, many children and adults would lose their lives. Coincidentally, after the visit of the gods, two of Nwanyi Burunnu’s children died of snake bites, and it was believed that the death of the children was a direct result of the gods’ visit. Nwanyi Burunnu was devastated by the loss, and Onyechere did his best to stay by her side and console her. He also blamed the gods for taking their children.

A few months after Nwanyi Burunnu had lost her twin daughters, while she was away selling her cakes, the other wives gave her triplets poisoned food. When she returned, she found her children lying dead in the house with the leftover food beside them. She was too shocked and confused to even cry. Five of her twelve children were dead. She ran around asking everybody in the area if they knew who had poisoned her children, but no one took responsibility or claimed to know anything. She began questioning God for allowing such calamities to befall her.

Nwanyi Burunnu decided not to have more children and stopped sleeping with Onyechere.
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To Be Continued…