Whether you are thinking about becoming an independent retailer or are already running your own business, there are some tricks you need to know. Big retailers like Macy's and Bloomingdale's use tricks of the trade to boost productivity, sales, and profits. You can learn and use these techniques to compete with them and to maximize your store's sales and profits. Joanna Bradshaw, who has served at the highest executive levels with several of America's best known and most successful retailers, and has also enjoyed a career as an independent retailing entrepreneur, explains the challenges you will face as a shopkeeper today. She walks you through the process of creating the proper foundation for your store and helps you master invaluable skills for your success. You'll learn how to; create a successful business plan; develop and convey a mission statement; harness your strengths to achieve a competitive advantage; refine and differentiate your products and store; and; use innovative cost-effective ways to promote your business. This easy-to-understand guide is filled with practical information and keen insights distilled from decades of experience in all types of retail venues: department stores, specialty stores, outlets, and big-box retailers-as well as with start-ups, turnarounds, and liquidations. Get the tools you need to Be a Millionaire Shopkeeper. My Roots, My Love, My Destiny is the story of two strong women, told across an epic and rich canvas painted by two wars and two unique destinies. In her ninety-six years, Ogeri, author Beatrice Akpu Inyang Eleje's mother, experienced danger, heartbreak, and great love. Her journey spanned most of the twentieth century and was dictated by the societal norms, values, and traditions of the Nigeria of her time. Lovingly reconstructed, these are a few of Eleje's most beloved and revered memories of her mother. For the daughter, her journey was spent attempting to naviga

MY ROOTS, MY LOVE, MY DESTINY

By Beatrice Akpu Inyang Eleje

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Beatrice Akpu Inyang Eleje
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-3467-0

Contents

Preface..........................................................xiPrologue.........................................................xiiiMY ROOTS.........................................................11. Afikpo In Early 20th Century..................................32. My Matrilineal Clan–Ibe Odom Ali........................53. My Maternal Grandmother: Orie Ugbo............................104. My Mother, Ogeri Orie Egwu....................................155. My Patrilineal Kindred, Nde Nwachi Udu........................286. Enugu In The Early 20th Century...............................357. Auchi In Early 20th Century...................................408. Father, Peter Okpani Nwachi...................................459. The Incident Of The Talisman..................................5510. The Fate Of Twins In 20th Century Afikpo.....................60GROWING UP IN MID-20TH CENTURY AFIKPO............................71Author's Note....................................................7311. A Single Girl-Child Is Born..................................7412. Christmas At Enugu In Mid-20th Century.......................8213. Suitors' Invasion............................................9014. My First Marriage............................................10015. A Widow At Twenty............................................10916. Struck Down By The Same Illness..............................114FATE.............................................................119Prologue.........................................................12117. The Pest Surfaced Again......................................12318. Love Crept In Unobserved.....................................129MY LOVE, MY DESTINY..............................................139Prologue.........................................................14119. My Word Is My Walking-Stick..................................14420. We Sought My Parents' Approval...............................14821. Ifeanyichukwu—Nothing Beats God........................15422. Settling Into Marriage.......................................16423. The Nigerian Civil War.......................................16924. No Victor, No Vanquished.....................................17825. Alas! My Love Is No More.....................................18426. Life Without IE..............................................193THE MAMA WE KNOW.................................................199Addendum.........................................................20127. The Children.................................................202

Chapter One

Afikpo In Early 20th Century

My mother, Ogeri Orie Okpani was of Ibe Odom Ali matrilineal clan. She was the only surviving child of my grandparents—Orie Ugbo, my maternal grandmother and Egwu Ogeri, my maternal grandfather—before my grandfather's premature death a few months after my mother's birth.

Her roots were from Afikpo, an ancient, culturally rich town in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria, now in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State in Nigeria, West Africa. Afikpo, situated at the extreme north-east of the state, right on the banks of the middle Cross River just where it turned south wards on its journey to empty into the Atlantic Ocean was a beautiful hilly town, well watered and well secured. It nested in a trough of soothing undulating hills, in an elevation of 250 to 300 feet above sea level. Its eastern border was protected by the Cross River, while the west, the north and the south were protected by a limestone ridge of considerable extent which extended to Okigwe, Agwu and Enugu Axis.

Afikpo lay between open grassland of the savannah region to the north; and tropical rain forest belt that bordered the banks of the Cross River to the south. It enjoyed a warm tropical climate with two pronounced seasons: rainy season and dry season. At the height of the dry season the town experienced a brief period of harmattan which Afikpo people called Uguru; a period of dry dusty chilly weather.

It had a population of over 130,000 people, according to the Nigerian Census of 2000 and consisted of 30 compact villages, which in the course of the centuries had amalgamated into five village-groups, namely—Nkpoghoro, Ugwuegu, Ohaisu, Itim and Ozizza. That arrangement made for administrative convenience and was said to reflect the sequence in which the different Igbo migrant groups came into Afikpo. The five village-groups were bound together by common governmental institutions, rituals, economic and numerous social ties.

Afikpo was a border town between Igbo speaking peoples of the South Eastern States of Nigeria and their non-Igbo speaking peoples of the Cross River States with the Cross River forming a natural boundary between the two peoples but was not a barrier to cross-cultural fertilization between them. Her proximity to her non-Igbo neighbours greatly influenced her culture. The two cultures blended with the ancient cultures of the Egus—a non-Igbo peoples, autochthons of the area—whom Igbo migrants who arrived in the area around seventeenth century conquered and absorbed to form modern day Afikpo. In social organizations such features as double descent system, compact villages with age grade structure and some secret societies were said to be non- Igbo. Even some Afikpo names like: Okpani, Ewah, Okon, Inyang and Obasi were believed to be Efik in origin. Such cross-cultural influences greatly enriched Afikpo culture.

Chapter Two

My Matrilineal Clan–Ibe Odom Ali

The organization of Afikpo society was a mixture of matrilineal groups, Ikwu and patrilineal groups, Umunna known as double descent system in anthropological terms. In the pure double descent system into which my mother was born in the first half of the 20th century each individual was a member of groups that traced their descent from both male and female ancestor—patrilineal, a male ancestor through male line only; and matrilineal from a female ancestress through female line only. Thus, instead of being matrilineal or patrilineal as were other Igbo societies Afikpo was both.

At that time and as of now Ikwu system was so strong that members of the same clan couldn't marry each other no matter how distant the relationship. As long as they were of the same clan it was an abomination to even contemplate marriage between them much less carry it through, it was considered to be incestuous. Thus, if two people of the same clan unknowingly got married, the moment their relationship became known the marriage would be dissolved, the abomination quickly exorcised with purification sacrifices to appease Mother Earth.

In addition, ikwu ties were so strong that if any member of a clan were killed by a member of another matrilineal clan, the clan had the obligation of blood revenge to avenge it against the offending clan. As a result, once such a crime was committed every member of the offending clan would run away from Afikpo for fear of retaliation by the affected Ikwu. That was because it was accepted that the head of any member of the erring clan could be taken for appeasement. In some cases it could be negotiated, but such cases were rare.

The ties that bound members of the same clan were stronger than the ties that bound members of a patrilineal group. Your matrilineal clan was everything. They owned you, your children and your possessions. For instance, my mother's direct descent line known as Odom Ali matrilineal clan was traced from our great ancestress called: Odom Naakpa. That made any member of Odom Naakpa my close cousin, what Afikpo would call Ikwu era m ... my matrilineal breast. That made such a person a very close relation, the person was believed to be as close to me as my own children and my sister's children and were certainly considered closer to me than my father's other children from different mothers.

That social situation greatly affected Afipko man's attitude towards his children whom he saw as belonging to his wife's clan; and their wives who saw the children as belonging to them. As a result men tended to lean towards their sister's children rather than towards their own natural children. At mother's time the main reason for marriage between a man and a woman of different clans was to procreate, to perpetrate names of members of their lineage. Each person trying to ensure the continuity of his/her line. It was the responsibility of every member of a descent group to carry on the line and maintain the strength of the lineage and clan.

These days however many young Afikpo men tend to marry from outside Afikpo in order to own the children they fathered because, if a man married a woman from a society that was patrilineal the woman and her off-springs would belong to her father-in-law's Ikwu; such a woman would have more rights to her husband's property than an Afikpo woman of another ikwu married to an Afikpo man. Such marriages with non-Afikpo women or between a man and a member of his father's clan were said to cause the family's wealth and inheritance— such as Ikwu lands, palm groves, etc—to remain within the family.

It was after the above explanation that I came to understand why mother's ikwu played such an important role in her life and why she had to delve down into her family tree to name my fifth daughter after my great, great, grandmother, Awo, in order to ensure that her name was not lost to posterity. For that reason, she explained, a girl child was as important to a woman as a male child because, a woman inherited some of her husband's wealth through her sons. On the other hand, she ensured the continuity of her lineage through her daughters. Consequently, in mother's days, it was not uncommon to see Afikpo woman who had only male issues with her husband leave him for another man whom she thought would father a girl-child with her to ensure the continuity of her own lineage, her immediate descent line.

Unfortunately there was a time in mother's family history when her matrilineal descent line was threatened with extinction. Mother said it was the period between my great, great, grandmother Awo Eze after whom mother named my new baby and her time.

During that trying period there was a dearth of both male and female children in our lineage. At the time, either they were not born at all to any of our daughters or they died at birth. She said that great grandmother Ugbo Awo had only three children one of whom was a son whose birth was greeted by the family with great joy and fanfare because, although each clan found continuity through female line, the affairs of the clan were administrated by the male elders. They controlled clan farmlands and played important role in the burial of clan members, title-taking, inheritance and marriage. They also ensured support for their members in disputes at the meeting of Afikpo Supreme Council of Elders, who were the administrative, judicial and legislative arm of Afikpo government. The leadership of the clan was vested in the hands of the oldest male of the group who was also in charge of the clan shrine called: Nja

For the above reasons, the absence of a male-child to a clan was as serious as the absence of a female child because it meant that nobody would protect your interest at the Supreme Council of Elders. But mother said that my grand uncle Onya Ugbo, the only son born to great grandmother Awo Ugbo was a sickly man. He suffered from an incurable disease that had infected his leg while he was still very young. He eventually died of it without an issue leaving my great, grand uncle Agwo Awo the sole torchbearer of the male folk of our immediate matrilineal clan–Ikwu era.

Unfortunately, although Agwo Awo was a very successful and influential man he had no child. Mother said he was in his late sixties when she got to know him. He was of the legislative age grade, Essa age grade, the administrative and judicial arm of Afikpo government. Eto age grade was the executive arm and the armed forces of Afikpo government; while Onikara age grade was the Advisory body to Essa. The three age grades together constituted Afikpo Supreme Council of Elders whose decisions on any legislative, administrative and judicial matters in Afikpo was final. Their staffs-of-office were the walking-sticks they carried. Until his death Agwo Awo walked upright without the aid of walking-stick. Mother said he carried a walking-stick only as a symbol of his office when he was going for a ceremonial or formal occasion.

Mother said that he was highly respected among his people because although he was a known warrior he was a man of peace. He was a great orator who used to speak slowly and distinctly as if watching and weighing his every word. All those attributes coupled with numerous titles he had taken earned him the respect and reverence of his community and the exalted position of Spokesman of Essa age grade in his village. The position of Spokesman was usually conferred on a person of great eloquence who had sound knowledge of the customs and traditions of Afikpo. Those attributes Agwo Awo was said to have possessed in abundance.

He was a handsome man, but to the sorrow of his clan he had no child to continue his line, inherit his looks or his vast wealth. But mother said he was a man of great foresight endowed with a pioneering spirit which led him to migrate from his village of Egeburu to settle in the middle of an uninhabited mass of wild palm grove. Mother said he built his compound and those of his wives in the middle of the palm grove which was about half kilometer away from the village. Soon some enterprising members of his lineage went to join him. That was how Evuma village came to be. It became the smallest village in Afikpo. That explained why Evuma and Egeburu regarded themselves as brothers.

Because of his childlessness my great grand uncle lavished all his love on his only sister Ugbo Awo and her two daughters–my grandmother Orie Ugbo and her sister. On his deathbed Agwo Awo willed the new village he had founded to his sister and her descendants in perpetuity. The palm grove came to be known as Ebo Ugbo Awo, that's, `Ugbo Awo's palm grove.'

Agwo Awo's childlessness put pressure on my grandmother and her sister to increase the stock of the clan and produce a son who would represent their immediate descent line at clan issues. That period of childlessness had continued until my time. It had only now been arrested by my junior sister Elder (Mrs.) Grace Orieoma Oti and I who have eight and nine children between us, with enough sons and daughters. That explained why my great, great grandmother's name was only being redeemed now at the birth of my fifth daughter.

Chapter Three

My Maternal Grandmother: Orie Ugbo

As mother said, my grandmother Orie Ugbo had married my maternal grandfather Egwu Ogeri in the first half of the 20th century when Nigeria had just come under colonial rule. My grandfather was a road worker under government employment which meant he had a steady monthly income and for that reason he was highly regarded among his people. My grandmother was therefore considered to have married well because at that point in time Afikpo people were mostly farmers. But some of those that lived in villages along the banks of the Cross River were fishermen who went as far south as Calabar, Ikom and Obuara for fishing and trading. Exchange in goods went hand in hand with exchange of ideas and cultures. Some of them even got married to non-Igbo speaking wives. The more daring among them went as far south as Fernandez Po called Panya by Afikpo people. Both farming and fishing were seasonal occupations that brought in little remunerations. So anyone who had a steady source of income like my grandfather was considered well-off.

In spite of their seemly elevated social position my grandmother couldn't afford to be lazy as Afikpo people were intolerant of laziness in a man or woman. To be considered a well brought up woman you must be very industrious, well mannered and virtuous. It was said that my grandmother was endowed with all three virtues. She was said to be never idle. In addition to her family's vast palm groove at Evuma village she used to rent other palm groves and oil mill for the purpose of producing a variety of palm produce. It was a messy job, but she didn't mind the mess as long as the proceeds from her labor helped her augment her husband's meager income of one shilling a month.

Moreover, there was market for palm produce then. It was the era of industrial revolution in Europe and the colonial masters were weaning Africa from slave trade. At the same time they were channeling their energy towards sourcing raw materials desperately needed in the new factories in Europe. They encouraged people of Eastern Region of Nigeria located in the rain forest belt to grow and produce palm produce for the industries; the people of Western Region being in the dense forest belt were encouraged to produce and export cocoa; while the Northern Region in the savannah belt grew and exported groundnuts.

In Afikpo industrious women like my grandmother with vast palm grooves at their disposal seized the opportunity to make money. The colonial masters had converted the unfortified slave-forts at Allison beach—where slaves used to be kept before shipment to the New World during the slave trade era—into warehouses where the palm produce were received from the natives and shipped down the Cross River to Calabar and from there to Europe.

But it was a seasonal vocation and for the remaining part of each year, my grandmother who was said to be very artistic, would use such artistic gifts to supplement her income. During festivals; especially the dry season friendship festival called iko Okochi, she would suspend her work at the oil mill to apply her skills in executing intrinsic designs of Nkasali murals on the nubile bodies of iko maidens as well as weave their hair into maidens' ceremonial hair-do called yagayaga. For newly married women, it was a distinctive hair-do called orufuru di enya, meaning: "pluck the husband's eyes;" She also tattooed beautiful designs on their bodies using nkasiali, or rub cam wood or odo on their bodies.

But, alas, despite her virtues and though her husband's relatives loved her she was a very unhappy woman. Her family's misfortune of infant mortality had followed her to her new home. She felt unfulfilled. For eight years of marriage she had no children to show for them. She had lost three children in infancy, leaving her empty and desolate. In a society focused on procreation the stigma of childlessness hung over her head like a witch's curse. Her husband's compassion and love couldn't dull her anguish and grief; especially when she remembered that her lineage was at risk of extinction.

Then she conceived for the fourth time. Nine months later she gave birth to a healthy baby girl whom they called Ogeri Orie, my mother, in 1905. Her joy was boundless. But alas, it was short lived. Tragedy again dodged her footsteps, for shortly after the birth of her baby her husband was apprehended and wrongfully detained for a crime he was later found to be innocent.

My grandmother was devastated. With his arrest she and the baby were left alone to fend for themselves as her own mother was too old to go and nurse her. As she watched her husband languished in police custody, she feared for the life of her baby especially in the light of the family's history. But the baby hung on until the father's innocence was proved and he was released from custody.

(Continues...)

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