Go-di-di-go-go-di-go. Di-go-go-di-go the sound of drumbeats on the ekwe, or drums.
a great medicine a supernatural power or magic that may take the shape of a person. In the Umuike market, the medicine assumes the shape of an old woman with a beckoning, magical fan.
a great queen Queen Victoria, reigning head of the British Empire for sixty-four years (1837-1901).
guttural loosely, produced in the throat; harsh, rasping, and so on.
gyre a circular or spiral motion; a revolution. The word appears in the book's opening quotation from a W.B. Yeats poem, "The Second Coming."
harbingers persons or things that come before to announce or give an indication of what follows; heralds.
harmattan a dry, dusty wind that blows from the Sahara in northern Africa toward the Atlantic, especially from November to March.
heathen anyone not a Jew, Christian, or Muslim; especially, a member of a tribe, nation, etc. worshiping many gods.
I am Dry-meat-that fills-the-mouth / I am Fire-that-burns-without-faggots two phrases suggesting that Evil Forest is all-powerful. Faggots are bundles of sticks for burning.
I cannot live on the bank of a river and wash my hands with spittle. One must act according to one's fortune and circumstances; spittle is one's spit.
iba fever, probably related to malaria.
Ibo a member of a people of southeastern Nigeria; known for their art and their skills as traders. Today, the word is spelled Igbo (the g is not pronounced).
Idemili title This title, named after the river god Idemili, is the third-level title of honor in Umuofia.
Ikenga a carved wooden figure kept by every man in his shrine to symbolize the strength of a man's right hand.
ilo the village gathering place and playing field; an area for large celebrations and special events.
impudent shamelessly bold or disrespectful; saucy; insolent.
iron horse the bicycle that the white man was riding when he apparently got lost.
isa-ifi the ceremony in which the bride is judged to have been faithful to her groom.
It is female ochu. Crimes are divided into male and female types. Okonkwo's accidental killing of Ezuedu's son is considered manslaughter and therefore a female crime.
iyi-uwa a special stone linking an ogbanje child and the spirit world; The ogbanje is protected as long as the stone is not discovered and destroyed.
