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| Some Igbo Words |
Igbo
Nwaoke
Nwayi
Nna
Nne
Okarapa
Adda
Nwanne
Eze
Ololo
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English
a man
a woman
Father
Mother
Frist boy
First girl
Your brother or Sister
King
Queen
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Igbo
Kedi
Odinma
Enyi
Enyi m
Ego
Anyi
Nwa
Nwam
Umuaka |
English
How are you?
I am fine
Friend
My friend
Money
We
A child
My child
Childern |
Nbe the tortoise once went to the Sky God,ogaligwe, to try to marry his daughter. The Sky God said, "What makes you think you could marry my daughter? The richest men have all tried, and have all failed."
Nbe asked, "What is the price?" "The price is eke the python; agu-owo the leopard; agara the hornet swarm; and Nmwo the spirit." The tortoise replied, "I will bring you all these things and my mother, nne nbe, too.
The tortoise went home and told his mother, nne nbe, and his first wife, oma, what the Sky God had said. "How can I catch eke?" he asked. "Go and cut a branch from a palm tree and a length of vine, and bring them to the stream," said oma.
Nbe did as he was told, and then he and oma began to argue over the branch. "It's longer than he is," said oma. "You lie," replied nbe. "He is longer." The python overheard and, overcome with curiosity, asked what the quarrel was about. nbe replied, "My wife, oma, says that this palm branch is longer than you and I say it is not."
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So eke the python stretched himself full length along the branch. As he did so, nbe trussed him tight with the vine, all the way up to his head. Then nbe and oma turned their attention to agara the hornet swarm. oma told nbe what to do. He cut a gourd and filled it with water, and carried it to where he could see the swarm hanging from a branch. He spilled half of the water on the hornets, and half on himself. Then he cut a plantain leaf and put on his head, calling out, "Hornets! It is raining! I am sheltering under this leaf, but you have no protection. Why don't you come into this gourd to keep dry?"
So the hornets flew into the gourd, and nbe slapped the plantain leaf over the opening and trapped them inside.
Then oma told nbe to dig a pit. He dug it on the path between agu-owo the leapard's lair and the stream, and covered it with leaves. At dawn he went to the pit. There, helpless at the bottom, was the leopard. There remained the spirit Nmwo to catch. oma and nbe carved a doll from wood and plastered it with sticky gum from a tree. Then they set the doll down where the tree spirits play, with a brass basin beside it containing an appetizing mash of yams. When the spirits came, Nmwo saw the doll and asked it, "Can I have some yams?" The doll did not reply. So the spirit slapped the doll's cheek, and her hand stuck fast. She slapped it again; her other hand stuck, too.
Then nbe went to the Sky God with eke the python, agu-owo the leopard, agara the hornet swarm, Nmwo the spirit, and nne nbe, his old mother. The Sky God called all the other gods to him, saying, "See! Great kings have come seeking my daughter, but were not able to marry her. But Nbe has paid the price and added his mother, too. Therefore, today and forever I make a gift of my daughter to nbe the tortoise, and now they shall be known as husband and wife. |
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