White Men In Black Skin

Origins of Black People-3

Uropa and Asiana were busy in the house preparing meals, since Afrikania who was supposed to be cooking had cunningly malingered, to spy on her father. She was the first to notice her father staggering and wobbling towards the house n***d. The sight of her nude father swaying helplessly, waving his hands like a clown struggling to walk, obsessed her with wild amusement. She burst into some delirious mirth and ran out gesturing at her n***d father. She screamed with crazy amusement when her father stopped momentarily as if electrified and started pissing staring and grinning at her. She felt a mischievous desire to hug and fondle her nude father surge through her body.

She wished her sisters had not yet returned home from the fields. This would have been a good opportunity to seduce her confused father. She had also consumed so much alcohol that she was totally intoxicated. She screamed wildly as she laughed.

Uropa and Asiana wondered what made Afrikania so hilarious. They ran out to find out what was going on. They were horror ‑stricken when they saw their n***d father staggering towards the deliriously laughing Afrikania. They were momentarily gripped in a trance. The nude Nuhu collapsed into Afrikania’s outstretched arms, but they both crushed down with Nuhu falling on top of Afrikania, due to his massive weight and size. Afrikania was thrilled as she pushed away his body to slither from his weight. Asiana was impulsively amused by the unusual drama and chuckled. She felt guilty of some sort of i****t taboo and sacrilege to have witnessed her father’s nudity.

As if freed from some hypnotic trance, Uropa realized her father was not well and needed help. She rushed into the house, took some cloak, put it on her shoulder, walked backward with her face turned the other way to avoid seeing her father’s nakedness. She covered his writhing body with the cloak without looking at him.

She called Asiana who was hiding in the house ashamed of laughing at their helpless father’s nudity. Both weeping, they carried their father to his bed. Afrikania, panting and exhausted with laughter, was visibly disappointed at the disruption of the fun.

Asiana and Uropa nursed their foaming father who was groaning and writhing with convulsions and concussions. They gave him cold milk and a lot of water to induce vomiting. They were sure it was not ordinary liqour that had put him in that state. They suspected he might have accidentally swallowed some poison. They did not sleep that night trying to calm him down and keep vigil. They prayed for daylight to come without his condition deteriorating. He did not regain full consciousness that night. He incoherently mumbled urging his daughters to take him to the oracle.

After two days of seizures, convulsion and confusion, he asked Asiana to fetch some wine to relieve his blinding headache and dizziness. Uropa almost restrained Asiana fearing the liqour might make his improving condition worse. Asiana rushed to the liqour store and filled a calabash with the adulterated brew. Nuhu slid into a coma soon after swallowing the brew. The effect of the liquor was so devastating that even Afrikania regretted adulterating the liquor.

CHAPTER FOUR

The whole family congregated at the oracle’s caves after he fully recuperated under his daughters’ tender nursing. Nuhu brought the biggest of his bulls and a large calabash of wine. Asiana brought a fat lamb that had a very fat tail. Uropa brought a fat ram, foodstuffs and some fragrance. Afrikania brought very huge white cockerel, some eggs and a big he‑goat. The family had to offer a lot of sacrifices to appease the divine ones. A bad omen had befallen the family. Nuhu had almost died from his own liquor. His mind was not working normally anymore. He suffered bouts and spells of mental blackouts. He could not coherently coordinate his thoughts. He spoke with slurred stammer like a drunken person. His body had lost strength. He felt impotent with fatigue. He was not the same strong Nuhu anymore. He felt life would not be the same again. He was sure the oracles had some explanations.

He could not understand how he stripped n***d and walked towards his daughters. He was sure some demon had laced his liquor with some deadly substance. But he could not imagine how that could have happened. Nevertheless, one thing was certain: there was something ominous in the brew.

Nuhu had brought samples of the liquor to the oracle for foretelling. The whole family presented itself to the oracle for cleansing, and repentance of any wrongdoings. They were all intoning facing the caves awaiting the ageless woman to appear. They had slaughtered the fattest ram and put the meat on fire. They had to feast on the meat and let the remnants burn into ashes. The whole hilltop was engulfed in smoke and the appetizing smell of the roasting mutton. It was a day of feasting, sacrifice and offerings.

The old woman peered through the thickets at the cave entrance. She grinned at the offerings. She said to herself “This is a great day! I must get down to some serious business. ”She had not tasted meat for some time. Good offerings were rare since the population perished in the floods. She brought out all her regalia and other articles of her trade to instill awe and fear. She sat on her ceremonial stone and listened intently, looking piercingly at the drawn faces before her. Nuhu’s daughters had traditionally hooded their heads and faces in black veils. Afrikania felt some cold shiver of guilt. She had caused all this commotion by lacing Nuhu’s liquor with concoctions.

She felt that although her intentions were good, the results were devastating and disastrous. She was extremely apprehensive. Nuhu stood up and faced the soothsayer.

“Oh soothsayer, the prophetess of our creator, the divine one, we summon you to help us! We have come before you with a lot of problems. The evil spirits have struck our family. When I came to consult with you last time oh prophetess! You warned me to visit you before proceeding on my intended journey. I defied and disobeyed you. For this, I repent oh guardian of the oracle!”

“When I reached home oh prophetess, I was tired and needed to relax with some wine. I brew my liquor with my own hands oh great one. As soon as I drank what I considered enough and sensible, terrible things possessed me. I became blind and was not myself anymore. My head does not think properly. At times I cannot even remember my name. My body has grown weak and tired. Even my sight has failed, oh guardian of the shrines. The way you see me now oh omnipotent! I am not the same person you saw seven days ago. My whole body and mind have undergone some transformation. I feel as if I am insane.

“Bad omen has befallen my daughters because they saw me n***d. It was neither their intention nor their fault. The devil stripped me n***d and threw me out of the liquor store, and struck me unconscious! Oh, omnipresent! We come to the oracle to seek cleansing and blessing through your intervention oh, prophetess!” Nuhu concluded.

He strode forward and handed the sample of the wine to the old woman. He was sweating profusely with exhaustion. He felt thirsty, but he could only drink milk because he was highly suspicious and afraid of his honey‑brews. The wine had almost killed him but he could not visualize why and how. Nevertheless, he was certain the oracle would come out with a definite answer and solution.

They helped the old woman put all the offerings at the cave entrance. She never allowed anyone beyond the cave entrance. After the ceremony was over, the oracle through the ageless woman demanded them to return the following day. They were instructed to wash themselves clean that night. The daughters were to come the following day dressed in spotlessly clean white garments. They were to wear some fragrance. They were also to bring some sweet smelling herbs to burn at the shrine. They were to appear exceptionally clean before the Creator. Nuhu was to dress in red robes and a red skullcap. He had to apply some ram oil all over his body. For the sacrifice, the family had to bring a black male dog and three spotlessly white he‑goats. Nobody should eat or drink anything that morning.

The family retreated home and ate heavily that night, to face the Creator the following day. The oracle would foretell the cause of the problems plaguing the family. They all went home relaxed and slept very soundly that night except Afrikania who suffered some strange anxiety and stress.

* * *

As they approached the oracle hill the following day, the whole hill appeared to be on fire. It blazed and roared with thunder and lightning. Terrified wild animals bolted from the hills to safer grounds in the valleys below. Frightened birds took flight into the distance. Nuhu and his daughters trembled with fear and awe as they approached the hill carrying their offerings. Their favorite huge black dog proudly and faithfully followed close behind wagging its bushy tail, with its oversize shiny testis protruding and dangling between its hind legs. Its long reddish tongue stuck out its gaping mouth dripping with saliva. The dog had never travelled that far from home. The shrine tree shone and twinkled with multicolored lights like a huge Christmas tree. It was a sight to behold.

The shrine under the tree where sacrifice rituals were performed had undergone some eerie transfiguration. Some four white stone stools were arranged in a semicircle, with the bigger stool a short distance from the others. There were some weird mist and glowing light at the cave entrance. Nuhu and his daughters sat transfixed gazing at the awesome marvel. He sat on the bigger stone a distance from his daughters. He had never witnessed such marvel in his entire life, nor had his father ever talked of any transfigurations in the hills. Nuhu who knew the rituals recited some prayers. He beckoned his daughters to the altar where they slaughtered and roasted the fattest goats. They were allowed to break their overnight fasting. The sweet smell of roasting mutton filled the hills. They feasted heavily as they waited for the ancient woman to appear. ‘Faith’, the black dog, ate so much meat it could hardly breathe. It was very excited as it lay panting loudly under the huge tree sticking out its long watery red tongue. They let the leftovers burn to ashes after offering the libation.

After they rested enough and to the dog’s surprise, they tied the dog’s legs and started thrashing and clubbing it so hard and mercilessly with clubs that it’s loud yelps and yaps echoed through the hills. It seemed to wonder what had gone so wrong to deserve such a beating. Mythically a dog’s cry dispelled evil spirits. The family was supposed to kill it by beatings without spilling its blood. They felt pity as it stared at them as if wondering why the only friends it knew had suddenly turned against it. Uropa wept at the dog’s pathetically pleading looks and yells as they repeatedly struck it. At times it cried like a human being in terrible agony. Although it was their favorite dog, it had to be sacrificed because it was the only black one. It had to die of its color to please the gods. As they beat it to a pulp, its last prolonged deathly yells, which sounded unusually loud, scared off some vampire bats out of the caves, which took flight into the horizon.

Suddenly, an apparition of a human face with long flowing gray beards and large fiery eyes appeared in the black ominously hanging massive clouds. It swirled staring menacingly at them. Nuhu and his daughters cowered at their stools. Nuhu was only used to the old woman but had never before seen the awesome face of a god.

As they froze on their seats, a thunderous voice boomed from the ghostly cloud, followed by streaks of brilliant lightning. The whole valley shook.