TFA Glossary of Terms and Characters PDF

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Things Fall Apart GLOSSARY OF SIGNIFICANT CHARACTERS Abame Agadi-nwayi Agbala Akueke Akunna alusi Anglican Church Ani Baal Bride-price Bush Calabashes Cassava Chi Chielo Chika Chukwu Church of England Clan Collective punishment

Colonialism Cowries Diviner Efulefu Egwugwu Ekwe Ekwefi Ekwensu Enoch Evil Forest Ezeudu Ezinma Feast of the New Yam Foo-foo Harmattan Idemili Ikejioku Ikemefuna Ikenga Ikezue Ilo Imperialism Inyanga Iroko Isa-ifi Iyi-uwa Jigida Kits Kola

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TERMS

A nearby village An old woman Goddess of the Oracle of the Hills and Caves; also, a woman with no man of her own Obierika’s daughter High-ranking member of the tribe who doesn’t convert to Christianity but sends one son to mission school to be educated Gods Another name for the Church of England The earth goddess A false god The price paid to a woman’s family by the family requesting marriage; a dowry Jungle Drinking gourds A fruit An individual’s personal god Priestess of the oracle; a widow with children in the village Priestess before Chielo The High God that rules all other godds Official chruch of the country; also called the Anglican Church A tightly knit group, often related British practice where an entire village or group is punished for an offense of an unidentified individual; “The Collective Punishment Ordinance of 1912” was passed to make this practice legal.” Control by one power over an area or a people A kind of shell, used as money in the novel A person who interprets what the Oracle says Derelict, worthless person Masked dancers who acted the part of a spirit in Ibo religious ceremonies Drums and gongs Okonkwo’s second wife Evil spirit The person believed to have killed and eaten the royal python; takes mask off egwugwu during ceremony; his compound destroyed by elders A cursed area of land near the village; given to the missionaries for a new church Oldest man in the village Okonkwo’s favorite daughter; daughter of Ekwefi, the second wife Festival that marks the beginning of the yam harvest each year; a time of celebration Cooked and mashed yams; an important food source in tribal life A dry Saharan wind in January God associated with the sacred python God of yams Compensation from Mbaino, a neighboring village, for the murder of one of Umuofia’s women; name means “Let my strength not become lost.” A carved household god One of the wrestlers Village square The control of one nation by another Showing off in front of others A tree Ceremony where a woman declares she has been faithful to her husband while they were apart; also part of the wedding ceremony A stone with magical powers to link the ogbanje to the spirit world; the child will live if the stone if found and destroyed Strings of beads worn around the waist A scavenger bird A mildly narcotic nut/fruit, used in social settings like welcoming a guest to one’s home

Kotma Kwenu Leper Market days Matchets Mbaino Mbanta Mr. Brown Mr. Smith Nkechi Ndichie Nri Nso-ani Nwakibie Nwoye Obi Obiageli Obierika Ochu Ofia Ogbanje Ogene Ogwu Ogwugwu Ojiubo Okafo Okagbue Uyanwa Okoli Okonkwo Oracle Osu Ozo Palm-oil Plantain Rite Sisal Tufia-a Uchendu Udu Uli Umuada Umunna Umuofia Unoka Uri Week of Peace Yam Additional Terms:

Messengers from the white man’s courts A cry of greeting A diseased person, an outcast Days that come once in every four; people gather to trade goods knives Neighboring village; Ikemefuna’s village The village of Okonkwo’s mother Missionary who tries to understand tribal ways New missionary, replaces Mr. Brown Okonkwo’s daughter (from third wife, Ojiugo) Elders of the tribe Coming from god A sin Man whose land Okonkwo planted in return for yam seeds of his own Okonkwo’s eldest son The central hut in a living area, used by the senior male in the household Nwoye’s sister Okonkwo’s friend Murder or manslaughter Nigerian word that means “bush” – it has the connotation of being untouched by European influences A child who dies soon after birth and is reborn over and over but dies each time; Yoruba word “abiku” refers to the same thing Drums and gongs Magic Giver and protector of life Okonkwo’s third wife One of the wrestlers Medicine man, specialized in treating the presence of ogbanje Convert to Christianity Hero; protagonist The place where the priest interprets the warnings or suggestions of the gods Slave or outcast because of a physical condition (being a twin, having a deformity) A title of rank in the village Product of oil palm; used to make soap, burn in oil lamps, used in cosmetics and cooking Type of banana Ritual Plant A curse spoken against someone Okonkwo’s uncle Drums and gongs A dye used in body paints Gathering of the women of a family for a wedding or a funeral A group of relatives Okonkwo’s village Okonkwo’s father Marriage celebration Yearly festival leading up to the Festival of the New Yam A root crop, similar to sweet potato...