Chapter 5: Anine's story

Anine could not explain how she felt the day her father told her that he has found a suitor for her. At the age of nineteen, she was young for marriage and was also running out of time.

Since the villagers now give their daughters out for marriage at a very tender age, Ajonwa also danced according to the tune of the music played by the people of Ohanta. 

The disappearance of the Princess of Ohanta, who was just fifteen years old made the people know that Ajonwa understood the music steps.  

It took Mazi Ugwu three years to gather all the things that were demanded by her daughter's potential husband. He also sold all his lands to raise the amount of cowries Onochie's family requested. Mazi Ugwu was sad that he sold everything he had, however, he was happy that he kept Anine's mother's last wish.  

"She is my only daughter, please give her out to a man she loves. Do not allow Ajonwa to lay his filthy hands on my daughter." Mazi Ugwu recalled his wife's voice. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. 

"Father, I have followed my friend Uzoma to Uzofia community, I discovered that their men go after the women, but here in Ohanta, the women sold their properties just to buy one husband." Anine lamented. 

"My daughter, the men of Ohanta went after the women their heart desired in the past, we all know why things changed in Ohanta. Ajonwa changed our custom and tradition." 

"Tell me how Ajonwa started going after unmarried virgins," Anine asked.  

"The people of Ohanta had a festival known as irumgbede festival. The first moon that appears during the harvest season announces the beginning of irumgbede festival. All the young maidens who were of marriageable age would be assembled in the market square.

There were huts in the middle of Ohanta market. The young maidens would also live in the hut for one full moon. They were to take proper care of themselves, wash properly and apply some oil that made the skin glow.

After the full moon, the king would fix a date for their outing ceremony. Ohanta men who were ready for marriage would pick the ones their hearts desired. When they were done with their choices, the king would console those who were not chosen and give gifts to men who found new wives. 

In one of the outing ceremonies of the maidens, Ajonwa bulls came and took three young maidens away. All the efforts made by the king to secure their freedom proved abortive. The king sacrificed uncountable cows for Ajonwa, but none of the maidens returned. It was later rumored that one of the maidens gave birth to the first chief priest. 

The women sent words through the maidens who fetched water from the lake to the king. They narrated their ordeals and how Ajonwa manhandled them. All the villagers tried yielded no fruit. 

Their brothers organized themselves and set out to Ndikwe community, where Ajonwa was said to be driven away from, but nothing was found. Soon the women became forgotten. Nothing was said or heard about them again.  

The king stopped the women of Ohanta from fetching water from Ajonwa lake because two women mysteriously disappeared on their way to the lake. It was later discovered that the bulls took them to Ajonwa's shrine. None of them was ever seen again. Corpses of those who disobeyed Ajonwa were sent back to their parents. 

After some seasons, the people of Ohanta visited the king's palace, demanding the continuation of irumgbede festival, they vowed never to allow a wicked deity to stop them from upholding their age-long custom and tradition. The king assured the people that he would look into it and get back to them.

After some deliberation with his cabinet, the king announced that irumgbede would be celebrated that season. The villagers rejoiced and leaped for joy.

During that season's irumgbede festival, the king mounted his guards all around the market. He gave them swords, arrows, and spears. Ajonwa bulls came again and made away with two maidens. That season's irumgbede was the last that was celebrated in Ohanta."  Mazi Ugwu narrated. 

"Father,  I'm sorry you sold all your lands because of me.  Be it as it may, what has happened has happened. With gods on our side, I shall take proper care of you." Anine said looking admiringly at her father. Mazi Ugwu smiled and took his daughter's hand. 

"Ani nne the lands were given to me by your mother's relatives when they brought your mother to me. My mother gave out all our lands before my sister's hand was accepted in marriage, she later died while giving birth to her first child. It was a huge loss for us. We lost all we have and lost my sister also. We had no land at all.

To punish me for demanding ten separate areas of land, your mother named you Ani nne, which means 'mother's lands' hehe." Anine and her father busted into hysterical laughter. 

"Father it is not true. Ani nne means 'motherland', the community in which I was born, my ancestral home." Anine explained. 

"Eehee is that the only name in this world? This is why I prefer to call your name in full Ani nne and your mother hated it. You don't know your mother at all, I do." Mazi Ugwu said hitting his hand on his chest. "I wish she is here today to see how proud you and I made her". He added in a lower tone. 

"Mazi Ugwu!" A voice called outside his hut. Mazi Ugwu cast a brief look through a hole in the small window of his cottage. This was his formal way of finding out the identity of his visitors before going out to meet them. If the visitor was an unwanted one, he would remain calm as though he was not at home. 

"Ani nne they are here." Mazi Ugwu announced. Anine stood up quickly and peeped through the small hole. 

"Which of them?" She muttered to avoid being heard. 

"Dress up you will find out today." Mazi Ugwu responded before stepping out of his hut. 

Anine's face was suffused with joy. All the men she saw outside were handsome. She had a massive crush on one of the men she saw through the hole but was not bold enough to approach him. Although they had met and talked on several occasions, Anine lacked the courage to tell him how she felt. Some of the things Anine loved about him were his height, dark skin color, and masculine build. She also discovered he was gentle and soft-spoken the day she talked with him, since then, she had been wishing the gods would favor her and make her dream come true.  

She quickly changed her cloth, apply some coconut oil and camwood powder on her skin, ready to meet her prince charming. Soon she was called out. An elder handed a cup of palm wine to her and instructed her to give the palm wine to her prospective husband. Her father led her to the man he found for her. It was actually the one she was in love with. She looked at her father, who returned the gaze with a large toothy grin. 

"Oh, I saw you stealing a glance at him at the farm the other day." Mazi Ugwu whispered into her daughter's ear and they giggled.