"That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death . . . Yes, Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves have pronounced it" (Achebe 57).
Part of the customs and traditions of Umuofia is to have an oracle. The villagers are very trusting of their oracle and rely on him or her to guide them and tell them what will happen. In this chapter of Things Fall Apart, Ogbueli Ezeudu pulls Okonkwo aside and tells him that it has been decided that Ikemefuna will be killed and that Okonkwo should not be a part of the killing. It was part of the custom of Umuofia to take someone outside of the village to be killed, so Ikemefuna was told that he was going home and then he and nine other villagers set out to journey to his home. While Ezeudu told Okonkwo to abstain from participating in Ikemefuna's death, Okonkwo did not want to be seen as weak, so he took a turn in cutting Ikemefuna. This passage revealed a lot about the customs of Umuofia because it showed how big of a role the oracle plays in the lives of the people. The villagers are very superstitious and listen to everything the oracle says. Also, almost all aspect of their lives involves some sort of ceremony. The killing of Ikemefuna revealed a lot about Umuofia's traditions because every part of his death was based on the words of the oracle and the customs involved when someone is to be killed.
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