The Great Ponds door Elechi Amadi

Points for Understanding
1

1 Why did Olumba tell Ikechi to eat some food?
A man who is going to fight must eat first with an empty stomach you will fight like an old woman. If you don\'t eat you can\'t go with us.
2 What did the men of Aliakoro plan to do at the Pond of Wagaba?
They want to steal fish from the Pond of Wagaba.
3 Why did Le Diali want to capture some of the poachers?
they must capture some poachers to bring them back to Chiolu, then they want to sell them back to their own village hopefully the people of the Aliakoro will stop stealing fish.
4 Why was Olumba chosen as leader?
Because he was the strongest man and don\'t want to spend a lot of time choosing a leader.

2
1 \'He says the pond belongs to us and not to Chiolu.\' Who was \'he\'? What pond was he talking about? Who were \'us\'?
It was one of the poachers, He was talking about the Pond of Wagaba and Us where the people of Aliakoro.
2 \'Who is this rude, stupid man?\' asked Olumba. What was the prisoner\'s reply?
He was Wago the leopard killer.
3 Why did Olumba stop being angry?
Everyone knew Wago was a very strong and brave man. Olumba respected brave man when he knew Wago was his prisoner he stopped being angry.
4 \'We\'re not thieves.\' said the prisoner. What reason did he give?
He said these fish are ours, so we can\'t steal them. The Pond of Wagaba belongs to Aliakoro.
5 Which prisoner escaped?
Wago the leopard killer.

3
1 What was the name of the god ‘who killed by night\'?
Ogbunabali.
2 How long did Eze Diali say the Pond of Wagaba had belonged to Chiolu?
For over thirthy years.
3 Olumba agreed to sell the prisoners back for five hundred manillas if the men of Aliakoro would agree to do something. What did they have to agree to do?
He wanted them to agree the Pond of Wagaba belongs to the Chiolu then they will take only 5 hundred manillas
4 What was Wago\'s reply to Olumba?
We will not say that. Their fathers said this Pond belongs to them they will not let the people of Chiolu keep it.
5 The men of Aliakoro left Chiolu without saying goodbye. What do you think this meant?
They were very angry. They didn’t want to share the Pond

4
1 What did Ikechi see at the Pond of Wagaba?
He saw several man with matchets, and bows and arrows. He guest there where about twenty men altoghether. One of them was Wago.
2 Why was Olumba angry with Oda, his youngest wife?
She started to cry. Tears would make her man weak.
3 Clumba divided his men into three groups. What was Olumba\'s plan?
To guard the pond from the poachers of Aliakoro. He divided the men into 2 large and 1 smal group. The two large groups hid in the treeson either the path. The small group went onto the Pond itself with Olumba. The small group had quick runners. As Wago started to run along the path where the others sat in the trees the could surprise Wago.
4 Why did Olumba\'s plan not succeed?
Wago had help from other villages-->the group of warriors was to large.
5 Why did Elendu want to go to Chiolu to finish the fight?
He had lost many men, and didn\'t have one prisoner. What would he tell his chief when he got back to Isiali.

5
1 Why did Oda sleep in a room by herself?
She was pregnant
2 How many women were taken prisoner?
4 women
3 Why did the men of Aliakoro allow Elendu to take the women with him?
They were afraid that Elendu might attack them if they tried to stop them.
4 Why was Clumba unable to follow the men of Isiali?
It was dark and the didn\'t know the path to Isiali.
5 Why did the capture of Oda make Olumba miserable and unhappy?
She was his favourite wife and important because she was going to have another baby.

6
1 Who was Nchelem and who was going to look after him?
The only son of Olumba. The son of Oda. Nyoma his first wife was going to look after him.
2 Why had Ikechi not slept?
Chisa the daughter of Eze Diali , who he loved was captured.
3 One woman is equal to one man. How did Wago show that this was true?
A woman is very important because they will have babies and the babies will die without a mother. So one man is equal to one woman.
4 Why were the men of Aliakoro unable to sell back the women?
The women where at Isiali and not at Aliakoro.

7
1 What was unusual about the way Okehi\'s son caught the two birds?
He did not hit them with stones and he had not hurt them. They were strong and healthy. The boy caught them, There didn\'t fly away. They stayed in the boys hands singing happily.
2 Why was Okehi unhappy and frightened?
These birds will bring him bad luck.
3 Igwu said: \'Ali, the god of the earth, is very angry.\' Why was Ali angry?
The God of the earth does not allow to capture a woman with a child. The woman Okehi took had to be returned.
4 Which woman did Okehi have to give back to Chiolu in order to please Ali?
Oda, the woman who is pregnant.
5 What had happened to Oda and Chisa?
They had been sold as slaves.

8
I Olumba did not appear at the meeting to exchange the prisoners. Why was Wago worried when he noticed this?
He was afraid Olumba was hiding somewhere waaiting to attack them any time.
2 What had happened at Aliakoro while the meeting was taking place?
Men of Chiolu attacked the village of Aliakoro after the people of Aliakoro had left for the meeting.
3 Why did Wago become more important in Aliakoro?
Eze Okehi became ill with worry and fear. Most of the time he stayed in his bed. Eze Okehi became less powerfull and Wago became more important.
4 Why did the chiefs of the Erekwi clan decide to call a meeting? Who did they invite to the meeting?
The fighting between Aliakoro and Chiolu became so bad that the other villages also suffered. The chiefs of these other villages decidede to have a meeting of all villages in the Erekwi clan. They also asked the men of Aliakoreo and Chiolu.

9
1 At the meeting, one chief said: \'We must let the gods decide.\' How, was this to be done?
The Gods had to decide from who the Pond was. One man had to swear by a God The Pond of Wagaba belongs to his village.
2 Who was Ogbunabali and why was everyone afraid of him?
Ogbunabali, the God who killed by night. One of the most powerful Gods in the Erekwi clan. He always killed at night.
3 What would happen to Olumba if the Pond of Wagaba did not belong to Chiolu?
He would die within six months.
4 What promise was the Chief of Aliakoro asked to make?
The people of Aliakoro must not hurt the body or attack the spirit of Olumb
5 Olumba had to take great care to avoid ail danger What arrangements did the villagers make in order to help him?
Ikechi had to collect the wine from Olumba\'s wine trees. The people of the village would to the work on Olumba\'s farm.

10
1 Why was Olumba bored?
The elders didn\'t let him do any work.
2 Why did Olumba fall from, the ladder?
Because he wanted to remove a wasp nest and suddenly there flew a bird past the nest. They were stinging Olumba\'s face. The wasps were frightened and attacked Olumba .Olumba held the ladder with one hand and tried to step down two stairs at a time, but he slipped and fell and chrashed to the ground.
3 Anwuanwu said to the men of Chiolu, \'I knew you were coming. Why were Anwuanwu\'s words strange?
It is strange because he could not know of Olumba\'s falling down.. They had to bring Olumba a long way, because the dibia lives in an other village.
4 Who was hurting Olumba?
ordinary men

11
1 `Can a ,dibia be more powerful than a god?\' asked Ikechi. What was Anwuanwu\'s reply?
Yes sometimes.
2.Why did Wago go to visit Chiolu?
To bring the message Eze Okehi had heard Olumba was dead and the Pond now belongs to Aliakoro
3 Why would lgwu have to try harder next time?
Because Olumba was not dead but the dibia Igwu had to make him carelessly so that he would die and the Pond became a belonging of the Aliakoro.

12
1 Why did Wago steal a piece of Olumba\'s wrapper?
Igwu wanted to cook Olumba but he need something Olumba had touched.
2 Igwu threw a carved figure into the boiling pot. Who did the figure look like and what was Igwu trying to do?
It was a figure who looked like Olumba.
3 Olumba began to heat something strange. What was it?
It was the dibia of Aliakoro who was trying to cook him.
4 Anwuanwu looked at Olumba\'s wrapper and smiled. Why did he smile?
He know that the rat didn\'t took a piece of Olumba\'s wrapper but an enemy.
5.Why did Anwuanwu leave many charms with Olumba ?
These charms could help him fighting to the dibia in Aliakoro.

13
1 Why did Eze Diali send out a search-party to look for Oda and Chisa?
To make Olumba happy again.
2 What news of Oda and Chisa did Ikechi bring back to Chiolu?
The people of an other village by the river saw the boat turning into the water so they thought they were drowned.
3 What story was Ikechi to tell Olumba about Oda and Chisa?
Only the other part of the story otherwise Olumba becomes sad
4 Ikechi wished that the pond of Wagaba had never belonged to
Chiolu. Why?
Because of the Pond there was many war and he hated the war now.

14
1 Why did Olumba not go to look for the missing women?
His son and wife were ill.
2 What did Olumba ask Ogbunabali to do?
He asked not to let his wife die because she didn\'t swear but he did.
3 Why did everyone in Chiolu suddenly become frightened?
Many people died so quickly. They thought Ogbunabali was harming everyone in their village.
4 What did the people of Chiolu want the elders to do?
To release Olumba from his oath.
5 What did Olumba say to the people?
They had to wait 20 more days.

15
1 What did the men of Chiolu notice as they came near to Aliakoro?
There were also many deaths.
2 What name did the people of Aliakoro give to the sickness which was attacking their village?
wonjo
3 At first Wezume did not ask Eze Okehi co release Olumba from his oath. What change did Wezume make in his words to Eze Okehi and why did he make this change?
They asked to see Eze Okehi.
4 Wago laughed at Wezume. Why?
He know many men were sick in Chiolu also a lot in the family of Olumba he thought Olumba would catch the illness and die.
5 If Olumba died because of the sickness, what would everyone believe?
Ogbunabali had said the Ponbd belongs to Aliakoro.

16
1 1.Olumba knew chat Ogbunabali still thought him a special person. Why was Olumba certain of this?
Because everyone in his family had the illness wonjo he thought Ogbunabali would punish him because of his oath.
2 Olumba began to hear the strange voice again. What did the voice say to him?
He would die in a few days.
3 Olumba said to Eze Diali: It is different for you, my lord.\' What was the difference?
He had many sons and Olumba had only one son.
4 What happened to Olumba when Nyoma died?
He seemed to go mad.

17
1 What happy news did the ikoro give to the village?
Oda and Chisa were come back to the village.
2 Why did Olumba say that Oghunabali was working everywhere?
Soo many man died in whole the Erekwi clan.
3 Why did Chisa think that she could not marry Ikechi?
She maaried an other man but this man forced her to marry him.
4 What was Ikechi\'s answer to Chisa\'s fears?
He took her in his arms and embraced her.

18
1 Although many people in both villages were dying, Wago was thinking about something else. What was he thinking about\'.?
About the Pond of Wagaba
2 What did the dark shape keep saying to Olumba?
He would die.
3 But the leopard skin was left behind. Who had attacked Olumba?
It was Wago

19
1 How did Wago stop the people of both villages fishing in the Pond of Wagaba?
He killed his self in the river.
2 What was wonjo?
the great influenza.