On the first day, they sat in clusters, according to ages and experiences organising themselves for fresh talks and to anyone who had been reported stubborn in the recent. They nodded and shouted loudly. The family of Okoye was busy in the kitchen preparing their meals and answering their calls. This duty was for the direct daughters of the family, either Okoye’s sisters or daughters. In the event of no such, a close relation would be called up. Because Okoye’s sister, Mmuonu, had aged, she only sat down and supervised the daughters of her brother who answered these calls. It was a rule that every morning, they must break their fast with pounded yam and onugbu soup, prepared specially for them with a first-class stock of dried fish. Then they individually took their bath and went to the circle kept for them. They would maintain that position till the end of the funeral, after which they spent two days or more with their people, depending on the need and distance to their husbands’ homes, before they could go back to their husbands.
In the normal traditions of Umudi, the Okoye family would mourn their father for a full season. They would wear mourning clothes and they would not undertake frequent journeys or go to the farm during the period. The wives had to sit in their mourning room where fire did not go out. In this room, two big woods were brought together and with a light on it, it would smoulder as long as it remained. The fire did not go off, the ashes were not gathered, and they did not eat openly or bathed during this period. They did not walk around or touch their hair. They were only accompanied by a short machete, which would be destroyed at the end of the mourning period. None of the wives would have anything bad to discuss about the man till the end of three months when it was assumed that the skull of the man must have decayed. These rules were customarily followed without exception.
As for the rest of the family members, they were always around to answer a few questions about their health and family from visitors or neighbours every morning. So, all these times they waited compulsorily at home and entertained few visitors who usually joined them after the day’s farm work. The daughters and the daughters-in-law painted the grave with red earth on every four market days to keep it shining and the widows would be in their best, crying all night in the wake of the first cry of the birds to their husbands.
During their stay at Okoye’s funeral, Iremma, the wife of Udodi, was reported to umuada that she insulted her mother-in-law and her husband openly. Umuada delegated some women to ask her to go to them and ask for forgiveness. Iremma refused and challenged them, calling them names. She said she belonged to Oseka clan and her right as ada must be accorded her. They had asked her not to come in their gatherings anymore, which to the woman did not really matter.
One early morning before the last call of the bird, they came in a group and formed a circle on the wooden door leading to her room. It was the best time to meet people at home. Iremma woke up, opened her door to see daylight, and they seized her. Some slapped her in the mouth while others pushed her and salivated on her body. Who was she, a nobody, to ignore the daughters of the land? Ugene, the eldest of them, spat on her with her mouthful of snuff, with the mouth she had not washed for the day and called her akwuna. Akwuna was a bad thing to call a married woman. It meant prostitute, which to a married woman was adultery. It was enough to behead a woman. The old woman knew that it was the only thing that could make their visit serious and for having ignored their instructions, disobeyed her husband, another man might be in to look for her. It was also to make her fear that if eventually her husband died a sudden death, she would be held accountable. In this clan, every married woman was careful.
Her husband, Udoka, ran and pleaded for her rescue, but they beat him up and told him that before he could come out in the gathering of the men, he should provide five cocks and one head of snuff and render an apology to the umuada. The man knew why he was worried. The woman would come back to work on him. He never knew what to do next, other than to run for his safety. The daughters carried upper hand on decisions affecting families in the clan more than a married wife. They needed no one to show them the way. They broke her door and parked all her belongings outside in every form. She was asked to lead the way while they followed. Iremma was stripped to the waist, and they sang with palm branches as they moved:
He who cannot listen
Would learn
When he is taught to learn
The stubborn fly
Rests with the corpse
In the grave,
Iremma must hear
Whether good or bad.