Summary

Chapter One. Ezeulu, high priest of the god Ulu, contemplates the new moon, and its implications – specifically, the rituals of farming that are timed to its appearance, which are his responsibility to schedule. He wonders what would happen if he refused to fulfill those responsibilities, and realizes that he would not dare. He also contemplates how he is resented by others in his tribal community for having a trusted relationship with the white colonizer, Wintabota, and how the community of six villages that he (Ezeulu) helped to bring together (Umuaro) is starting to fracture. This leads him to thoughts about how the world is changing, its traditions and values no longer honored the way they once were. In addition, Ezeulu contemplates how the god Ulu came into being as a result of the union of the villages, and was named...