The kola nut which is botanically known as Kola Atrophora or
Acuminata is characterized by having more than two cotyledons. To the Igbos in
the eastern part of Nigeria the kola-nut symbolizes peace, goodwill, unity,
acceptance, gratitude, and authority. Although, it’s believed in Ibo culture, the
pattern which the kola nut is presented symbolizes the attribute which the
presenter conveys' to the receiver.
"One day a neighbor called Okoye came in to see him (Unoka)...He
immediately rose and shook hands with Okoye, who then unrolled the goatskin
which he carried under his arm, and sat down. Unoka went into an inner room and
soon returned with a small wooden saucer containing a kola nut, some alligator
pepper and a lump of white chalk.
“I have kola,” he announced when he sat down, and passed the saucer over to his guest.
"Thank you. He who brings kola nut
brings life".
There is a great deal of tradition surrounding the kola nut. It seems to be a key aspect of being a welcoming host. The kola nut tradition is yet another way of communicating respect as earlier mentioned.
"As he broke the kola-nut, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies. When they had eaten they talked about many things: about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino".
Two things that I also noticed were the particular prominence during interactions between characters throughout Things Fall Apart are palm wine and kola-nuts. They are used not only in rituals of respect between friends and neighbors, but also as sacrifices to the gods. They are mentioned so often that I became a little curious as to more details of how they fit into Nigerian culture.
Palm wine had been significant throughout West Africa since before colonialism. As shown in the book, men often drink this traditional alcohol at home gatherings where they talk or tell stories. However, while Things Fall Apart generally shows that women have very little role in this part of the culture, they are now more able to take part in this in recent times. The drink itself is thought to help with high blood pressure, gout, malaria, and other ailments. In addition to this, drinking the dregs of the wine is believed to increase the production of breast milk in women and sperm in men, which is alluded to in the story when the men decide that Igwelo should be the one among the men to drink this part because he had just married his first wife and it is assumed that he will want many children.
Also another ceremony main part of the tradition of the kola-nut is the
breaking of it. Though it can vary slightly as earlier state, what was
demonstrated in the book is generally how this ritual is followed: the host
passes a plate of kola nuts to the most senior member of the group present, who
passes it to the next senior member and so on until it returns to the host.
Once the host regains the plate, he gives one of the nuts to his visitor and
say, “When the kola nut reaches home, it will tell where it came from.” This is
a proverb meaning that this person will have to show the people at home this
nut as proof of his visit. After this, the oldest man present blesses the nuts
by saying, “Whatever good he is looking for, he will find.” Then either the
host or a selected person will break a nut, followed by people close to him
breaking the others. The significance of breaking this nut is that the more
pieces it breaks into, the more prosperity the host and his gusts receive;
however, if it breaks into only two parts, it shows that the host has some sort
of sinister motive.
In conclusion, the Kola-nut ceremony is when a kola-nut is broken as part of a prayer that is supposed to take place at the start of a celebration. Breaking the kola-nut is supposed to bring good health and protection from one’s enemies. The person who breaks the kola-nut is usually the most respected person in attendance, and the breaking of the nut symbolizes celebration.
"One day a neighbor called Okoye came in to see him (Unoka)...He
immediately rose and shook hands with Okoye, who then unrolled the goatskin
which he carried under his arm, and sat down. Unoka went into an inner room and
soon returned with a small wooden saucer containing a kola nut, some alligator
pepper and a lump of white chalk.“I have kola,” he announced when he sat down, and passed the saucer over to his guest.
"Thank you. He who brings kola nut
brings life".
There is a great deal of tradition surrounding the kola nut. It seems to be a key aspect of being a welcoming host. The kola nut tradition is yet another way of communicating respect as earlier mentioned.
"As he broke the kola-nut, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies. When they had eaten they talked about many things: about the heavy rains which were drowning the yams, about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino".
Two things that I also noticed were the particular prominence during interactions between characters throughout Things Fall Apart are palm wine and kola-nuts. They are used not only in rituals of respect between friends and neighbors, but also as sacrifices to the gods. They are mentioned so often that I became a little curious as to more details of how they fit into Nigerian culture.
Palm wine had been significant throughout West Africa since before colonialism. As shown in the book, men often drink this traditional alcohol at home gatherings where they talk or tell stories. However, while Things Fall Apart generally shows that women have very little role in this part of the culture, they are now more able to take part in this in recent times. The drink itself is thought to help with high blood pressure, gout, malaria, and other ailments. In addition to this, drinking the dregs of the wine is believed to increase the production of breast milk in women and sperm in men, which is alluded to in the story when the men decide that Igwelo should be the one among the men to drink this part because he had just married his first wife and it is assumed that he will want many children.
Also another ceremony main part of the tradition of the kola-nut is the
breaking of it. Though it can vary slightly as earlier state, what was
demonstrated in the book is generally how this ritual is followed: the host
passes a plate of kola nuts to the most senior member of the group present, who
passes it to the next senior member and so on until it returns to the host.
Once the host regains the plate, he gives one of the nuts to his visitor and
say, “When the kola nut reaches home, it will tell where it came from.” This is
a proverb meaning that this person will have to show the people at home this
nut as proof of his visit. After this, the oldest man present blesses the nuts
by saying, “Whatever good he is looking for, he will find.” Then either the
host or a selected person will break a nut, followed by people close to him
breaking the others. The significance of breaking this nut is that the more
pieces it breaks into, the more prosperity the host and his gusts receive;
however, if it breaks into only two parts, it shows that the host has some sort
of sinister motive.In conclusion, the Kola-nut ceremony is when a kola-nut is broken as part of a prayer that is supposed to take place at the start of a celebration. Breaking the kola-nut is supposed to bring good health and protection from one’s enemies. The person who breaks the kola-nut is usually the most respected person in attendance, and the breaking of the nut symbolizes celebration.
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