The Young Archers

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ALL the young able-bodied men and boys of Obodo Nta assembled in my compound every evening, when the sun was no longer blazing hot and was subtly announcing its recess, according to their age grades, and responded to my commands.

They came every evening because they must go to farms(for those who chose farming as their occupation) and the river(for those who chose fishing as their occupation) and learn the trades that made our town buoyant and placed it at the top of the economically viable pantheon.

They also learnt the art and crafts that form part of our heritage, one of which is fashioning the bow and the arrow, our major weapon of warfare!

My compound was chosen as the arena for war practice sessions for two reasons: one, because, as the Great Warrior of Obodo Nta, it is incumbent upon me to teach the budding male youths, the art of physical combat and weapon wielding before my sun sets; two, the spaciousness of my compound, which can contain the whole indigenes of Obodo Nta, guarantees a convenient ground for such practice.

All the people of Obodo Nta marvel at my strength and my doggedness that are unusual for a person of my age. Again, my enthusiasm in teaching these young men and boys what I have to offer makes me an admirable and an awesome personality. They didn’t want me to be the last of my kind, and I didn’t want that, either.

I taught these young men and boys how to make a bow and an arrow.

First, they had to look for an ogirisi plant and scrape its bark. This stem of this plant is chosen because it is strong and bendable. This is for the bow.

Second, they would look for any straight plant that is not bendable, scrape its bark, too, and use it for the arrow, after carving a point at the end of the arrow.

Third, a string was tied at both ends of the bow, so taut that it couldn’t come loose easily.

Then, a quiver for holding spare arrows was made with the hide of a wild beast, particularly, that of a leopard, a hyena or an elephant.

Then, the bow and arrow was ready.

‘‘Nock!’’ I shouted orders, and quick, obedient hands nocked the arrows.

‘‘Draw!’’ I shouted again, and strings made creaking sounds as they were pulled back with all the mights of youthful vigour.

‘‘Loose!’’

The arrows came flying with sucking sounds and hitting at the makeshift bull’s eye that I hung on the mud earthen fence of my compound.

I smiled at them satisfactorily, and they clapped for their adroitness.

Then, my eyes fell on my twin children who were in the group of those not past the age of twelve. They were giggling with their mates and running to yank their arrows off the bull’s eye.

I watched their speed, their strength and their spiritedness and knew that, indeed, the gods of our land were with me.

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