First visit to Umoufia

Something that really stood out to me in the "village" of Umoufia was how decorative everything seemed. While reading the book, I imagined a lot of plain, wooden objects, but rarely anything like those shown in the pictures. I do remember a lot of mentions of the walls of the huts and compounds shining with red clay, and the painted patterns on the women's bodies, and the shaved patterns in the childrens' hair; but I am surprised at how little Achebe did not illustrate the details of so many objects.

The two decorated objects that surprised me the most were the walking sticks and the stool. I only remember the walking sticks from the scene where the men and Okonkwo walked with Ikemefuna outside the village to have Ikemefuna killed. I imagined middle-aged men walking down a rugged path with the aid of tree branches, like a sturdier version of what we use to cook marshmallows over a campfire. Instead, this is what was really used:

It almost looks like the top sections are little people, and I wonder if they represent idols, or maybe the owners of the walking sticks, or maybe they could each tell a story.

The other photo that grabbed my attention was the photo of the stool. Okonkwo and the other village elders would bring their stools to events like meetings and the wrestling match, but it was their eldest son who carried their stool and their bag. Okonkwo even let Ikemefuna carry his.

Again, I imagined a simple wooden object, and somehow my mind created the picture of a wooden version of our folding camping chairs. I think having this for a camping chair would be much more interesting, though:Again, I am astonished at how much we as readers are not told about the intricate decorations which obviously took some dedication- either this is stone or it's carved out of a tree trunk. I also wonder again what the face is- is it the owner, or the creator, or maybe an idol?

Perhaps this is slightly stereotypical of me, but I always imagined African tribes associated with things like lots of wooden and metal jewelry, brightly colored fabrics, and large pots. I could picture a man whittling something, a toy maybe, but not a walking stick for a grown man. I could imagine a simple log as chair, or a piece of cloth, but not a stool large enough to carve an entire face on one side, and then some. Seeing all these objects that are in the village and obviously a part of the Ibo's lives, I wonder why Achebe did not include descriptions and examples of these objects in his novel.