Told by Ennanni, an Okuni woman.—[1.7.10.]
XXIV.—How ’Nyambi punished Chief Oga for trying to commit adultery
with his wife Obim.
There was once a fine strong man living at Okuni, whose name was ’Nyambi. He was a good dancer, drum-beater and singer, and these qualities, combined with his good looks and fine manly beauty, won him the admiration of many of the young Okuni girls. He knew many of them, but never asked them to marry him.
At last, when ’Nyambi was about twenty-five years of age, he met a girl at a big dance, to whom he took a great fancy, and whom he wished to marry. So he went to her parents, and, having given them the usual presents, told them that he wished to marry their daughter Obim. The parents, however, were unwilling, and told ’Nyambi that they had already promised Obim as a wife to Chief Oga.
When Obim heard this, she told her parents that she would never marry Chief Oga, as he was too old, and she intended to marry ’Nyambi, who was such a fine young man, and she was very fond of him. The parents did their best to persuade Obim to marry Chief Oga, as they would receive far more presents and a bigger dowry from him than if they allowed her to marry ’Nyambi, who was not a rich man. Obim, however, was obstinate, and absolutely declined to have anything to do with the chief, so at last her parents consented to her marriage with ’Nyambi.
Then Obim and ’Nyambi took an oath that, when they were married, they would never part from one another, and they would both try to help each other and upset any ju-ju that Chief Oga might make against them, as they knew him to be a most revengeful man.
’Nyambi then bought the usual presents for the parents and collected the dowry, which he handed to Obim’s father and mother, and rubbed the girl with camwood. She was then circumcised and kept in one room until the wound had healed.
When the gun was fired off and Obim was declared to be ’Nyambi’s wife, Chief Oga was very vexed, and, although he wanted to speak to Obim, he dared not do so openly, as he thought the people might laugh at him if they saw him going after a woman who had only just been married, seeing that he had so many wives already himself. So, when it was dark, he went to Obim and told her that if she came to him he would make her very happy, as he had plenty of slaves who would do all the hard work and she would not have to toil in the sun. Obim, however, would not listen to him, so in the end the chief went away more vexed than before and more determined than ever to get hold of Obim, somehow or other.
That night Obim told her husband of the advances made to her by the chief, and they agreed not to take any notice, but to be very careful for the future.
The next day Chief Oga consulted a ju-ju man as to the best way to turn Obim’s heart, so that she would hate ’Nyambi and come to him. The ju-ju man, after casting lots, told the chief that it would be quite easy to make Obim leave ’Nyambi and go to him, and that all the chief would have to do would be to give Obim some tombo to drink, which he would prepare with a strong medicine in it. The ju-ju man then made the tombo and put a ju-ju into it, and the chief, having given him a big present, took the tombo to his house, and sent word to Obim that he wished to speak to her.