In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

207 8 A Girl Growing Up In Nso’: 1940-1943 JEDIDA ASHERI After Christmas in 1940, my mother said that I should get a small plot at the Mission and learn farming. Before this I used to go to farm with her but she said that she did not like my method of farming. I had not learnt the correct way. She gave me a fairly big plot near the ruins of our old house. It was about one hundred and twenty feet by sixty feet. I was glad to have a farm plot of my own. I had owned a very small plot near the old house when I was about nine years of age. Patrick had one too, quite close to mine. But we were small and could not till the gardens. Mamma prepared both and planted corn on them. One morning, while she was away at Mass, we started to fight. Patrick beat me and I ran into his garden and began breaking down the maize plants which were then in flower. Patrick rushed into my plot and did the same. Before this thoughtless destruction was stopped, we had done great damage to the crops. Of course, I got a beating from Mamma. Patrick was everyone’s pet, except Papa’s and mine. Since that time Mamma had not farmed any plots in my name. One Monday Mamma gave me a hoe and I took a basket in which I put a small calabash of water, after the custom of Nso’ women going to farm. I put the basket on my head, and carried my hoe on my back according to native custom. My new plot had been lying fallow for two years so the elephant grass was overgrown. Last year’s elephant stems lay dry under the year’s growth. The grass was brown and parched from the scorching of the dryseason sun. I was to root out all the grass and leave it to dry off completely. This was not an easy task, but I had seen it done by other people. As soon as I arrived, I started rooting out the grass-and cleaning around the plot. I started from the lower part and worked up the gentle slope. I had only done one fifth of it when I felt a sharp pain in my back, low down in my spine. I tried to stand up but it was not possible. Then I tried to sit down; this also I found difficult. I lay down flat on my back and rolled from side to side. There was no one to help me or tell me what to do. Luckily the pain began to ease off. As soon as I could I crept to where I had left the calabash of water and drank some. Then I sat under a banana tree for a long time. 208 When I was sufficiently recovered, at about four o’clock, I went home. This was unusual because women came home late from the farm. But Mamma had told me that whatever I did, it was my business to see that there was corn-flour in the house always. I came home early in order to get this foofoo corn ready and to fetch water. The next day I went to “my farm”, as I began to call the plot, and determined to finish what I had not done the previous day. I worked very hard, almost without break till midday. At sunset I had rooted up all the tall grass and cleaned around. The farm was taking shape. I made a small fire with dry grass, as I had seen Mamma do, and roasted some yams. I ate some and took some home to Selina and Patrick and my other brother and sister. I had finished the first major job on the farm. I went back the third day to begin the next stage. This was putting the dry grass into heaps and keeping these heaps in position by putting slabs of earth on them. The hoes cut out these slabs in the desired shape. I gathered the grass into heaps, taking care to leave good spaces between them. I did not put the heaps in rows. Having done this to the middle of the plot, I decided to experiment with putting earth on the grass. This was more enjoyable than heaping the grass. After I had put earth on all the heaps, the section looked very tidy...

Share