This chapter describes the celebration of Obierika's daughter's uri, or bride price ceremony. The events include families arriving to help prepare, relatives and friends coming in the afternoon with palm wine, a feast after the suitors arrive, and dancing after. Cultural norms discussed are the women's role in the uri celebration, presenting the suitors with a goat, and how women must stop all tasks to catch a loose cow. The bride then leaves with the suitor's family for seven weeks.

1. Chapter 11
Things Fall Apart
By: Chinua Achebe

2. Basic Events
● Ekwefi is telling Ezinma the story of Tortoise and the
birds.
● Chielo is prophesying about Ezinma. Talks to Okonkwo.
● Agbala wants to see Ezinma.
● Chielo takes Ezinma and Ekwefi follows her.
● When they reach the caves, Ekwefi waits outside for
them to come back.
● Okonkwo comes and they wait together for Chielo and
Ezinma.
● Ekwefi thinks back to when she and her husband were
young.

3. List of Conflicts
● Ekwefi’s instincts vs. society
● Ekwefi vs. nature

4. Cultural norms
● Telling stories to young ones.
● Priestess and prophecies.
● “Life to you” - saying when someone sneezes.
● Ogbu-agali-odu - evil essences.
● Snuff.
● Shaving patterns in the hair.

5. Terms
● uli - a dye used by women for drawing
patterns on the skin.
● tufia - a curse or oath.

6. Connections to Today
● Motherly instincts.
● Mother-Daughter relationship.
● Being with the family after dinner and
relaxing.

7. Characters
● Okonkwo: Really does care for his family.
● Ekwefi: Learn more about how much she
loves her daughter. Learn more about her
and Okonkwo.
● Chielo: Nonhuman when she is possessed by
the oracle. Scary.

8. Questions?
What is going to happen to Ezinma? Why did
Chielo take her?
Can Okonkwo’s abuse of Ekwefi ever make her
want to run away from him?

9. Chapter 12
Things Fall Apart
By: Chinua Achebe

10. Basic Events
● Families arrived at Obierika's compound to
help prepare for the celebration of his
daughter’s uri
● In the afternoon Obierika’s relatives and
friends arrived and began to drink palm wine
waiting for the in-Laws
● After the Suitors arrived, they began to feast
● After the feast people began to dance to
music
● The bride left with the Suitor family

11. List of Conflicts
● Women vs Cow
● Women vs Time

12. Cultural Norms
● celebration of the uri is a women’s ceremony
● the bride family would present the suitors
with a live goat
● When a cow is let loose Oji odu achu ijiji-o-o
is called and every women is to find it and
return it to its owner and collect the heavy
fine. Regardless of what they are doing. After
counting the fine the women check to make
sure all those who were able were present.

13. Cultural Notes (cont.)
● the Suitors are to bring palm wine enough
for all to drink to the uri
● After breaking the kola nut prayers were said
between the two families and “ee-e-e” was
made after each
● After the feast the suitors take home the
bride for 7 market weeks
● When leaving the suitors pay courtesy visits
to prominent people in the village

14. Terms
● uri - part of the betrothal ceremony when
the dowry is paid
● umunna - wide group of kinsmen
● Oji odu achu ijiji-o-o - the one that uses its
tail to drive flies away

15. Characters
● Okonkwo - learn how much he cares for his
family although he doesn’t show it
● Ojiugo - Okonkwo’s 3rd wife
● Nwankwo - Obierika's relative
● Mgbobo - women with iba
● Udenkwo - women who didn’t show for the
cow catching
● Ezelagbo - wife of the man whose cow went
loose
● Maduka - Obierika's son

16. Connections to Today
● The uri is similar to Bridal showers where its
a female centered event
● The celebration is like how the wedding
feasts go late into the night

17. Questions?
Why do you think it’s the women who have to
drop whatever they are doing to find the
loose cow?
If the uri is a celebration centered on the bride
and mother why do the bride and women
only appear for greetings and only join them
during the after feast dancing?