Chapter Three

One day, when you were three months old, something happened. The palace yard was quiet, incredibly quiet but for the noise of little children playing around. Their mothers and older siblings had gone to the farm. I had not yet resumed my farm work because the baby princess was just three months old. Six other children had been born to the king. You were a chubby little beauty. You were exceptionally light skinned and ever happy. You used to scream and play with every animal kid or mother who came near her. At only three months you could sit on the mat and was trying to change her position. I was sitting a short distance away washing plates. Queen Mupah was more of sister than a mate. She had seven children and together they helped me on my farm, provided me with food, firewood, and fresh water from the stream.

“I want you to concentrate on the princess” Queen Mupah kept insisting.

It was because of this closeness that the women had delegated Queen Mupah to try and convince me into setting a date for the naming ceremony.

I finished my washing and noticed that the baby had fallen asleep on the mat. I carried you into the hut and laid you on the bamboo bed. I had prepared a special corner for you with woolen clothes so that the coarse bamboos don’t spoil your delicate skin. I covered the baby with a wrapper and heard a knock at the door and turned to see who was there.

Queen Mupah entered “sleeping already?” she asked.

“Like a lamb,” she answered, “but you are back early today.” she commented.

“Yes, I left those stubborn children to finish up with the work while I come back to prepare food” she said sitting on a low stool. She removed yams from her bag and arranged them in the corner of the hut.

“Oh sister, thanks a lot, you do not have to cook anything. I prepared enough food for all of us.” she said pointing to the pot.

“This pot is too small; you know how boys eat. They will use this as an appetizer so let me go and prepare the real meal” she said laughing “eh before I forget, the women insists that you must give a date for the naming ceremony.”

“Aha there you go again. You know I cannot lie to you; I can’t mince words when talking to you. There will be no naming ceremony and that is final” she said looking at the baby.

“You said that before friend, but you must change your mind. There have been six babies after her and you know if you don’t name her, they others wouldn’t be named. So please forget about the negative thoughts and make a date” her friend pleaded.

“Never, what pains me about the death of my other children is because I know each of them by name. With names you can never forget that they existed. For her, I would call her princess, if she dies, she would just be a little girl, a passing wind that had no name. A wind that may cause ravages along its path but with no name it’s easily forgotten even before the next season” Queen Annah said and sat down to pack the yams neatly. Her friend carried her basket and left. She knew her better than to insist, she was a head strong woman when she wanted to be. She would simply relate to the women what she had been told. Check who is at the door.”

Babe princess put down her basket of unpeeled beans and got up to open the door.

“Anna Mupah welcome.” she greeted helping her with the basket she was carrying.

“Welcome my sister…eh thank you so much for my food. It reminds me of when babe princess was a baby. In fact, you came at the right moment. She wants to know why she has no name” she said pulling a chair for her.

“Eh my daughter, you don’t have to worry about things past and gone. What is important is the fact that you are healthy and strong and most of all full of life” she said joining in the peeling of the beans.

“I know mother but please just tell me when mother told you she would not allow the Queens to name me what happened?” please I am curious to know.”

“Tell her my sister. It will stop her constant questions.”

After leaving your mother’s hut, the first Queen that I met retuning from the farm just a short walk away and told her verdict was Queen Maya, but the news upset her very much. She just threw her basket on the yard rallied the women who had returned earlier from their farms and together they left for the Queen Mother’s hut.

I followed; I do not understand why this Queen took the matter so personally. I started to believe that there was more to that naming ceremony, and I decided to stand by my friend and make sure that nothing bad happened to the kid.

The queen mother was sitting on her veranda supervising the children at work. There were about twenty children working with her that day, they were threshing corn and cracking ground nuts in readiness for the upcoming market day. The children each had a basket, and they were busy working like termites to fill their baskets and impress their grandmother. They were aware of the fact that they were over a hundred of them and they she couldn’t remember all of them by name except if they did something extraordinary to her. The queen mother looked at the kids and smiled. She seemed blessed to have such a big family and she adored the idea of everybody trying to please her.

The moment she saw us coming toward her she stood.

“I hope you are not coming to announce a death.” she said.

With a family this size she had many births, many illnesses, and many deaths too. We reached her fence and waited for her to give permission for us to enter. She nodded at us, and they opened the low gate and entered. We bowed at her and sat on the veranda.

“Mother, there is a problem.” Queen Maya started.

“What, tell me daughters.” she said attentively.

“Queen Annah says there will be no naming ceremony for the kid, you need to set a date yourself and force her.” she said panting.

“Not so hot” …she said and pondered for a while “poor woman. I wonder what happens to her children. I talked to her earlier and if she still hasn’t changed then it’s complicated.” she said.

“You see what I was saying, so she disobeyed even you, queen mother. We need to name all the babies beginning from hers or is it not so sisters? Maya asked.

“It is so, they chorused, it’s our wish to organize ourselves and carry food to her one of these days.” they said.

“You have my approval; you can prepare and go to see the baby” she said the women got up and left for their huts. I promised to keep the secret but later I recounted it to your mother. Together we waited for the women, who had a plan well mapped out, but I pretended she didn’t to know of the women’s plan.

“Three days later”, Queen Annah continued “I was sitting in front of her home watching over the baby when I heard some singing. I saw the group of women from a distance approaching my hut. I could see women singing and dancing under the weight of baskets of food and kitchen utensils. Some had baskets with maize, others ground nuts, others melon seeds, plantains; it as a wide variety of all the produce from their farms.

“Your mother is a character. As we were coming” I saw her stood up at jerk picked up the baby and disappeared into her hut. She knew what that was; it was your naming ceremony.”

“I laid the kid on the bed and went out to confront my mates. The group of women was already at the doorstep as she got out. Queen Maya was leading the procession of women.

“Where is our baby Queen Annah “bring it out here so the mothers can name it” she had said mockery in her voice.

“I am very sorry to disappoint you mothers; the baby will have no name” I said defiantly.

“You must be joking Princess is not a name, it’s an appellation for all of them, she needs an identity of her own.” an elderly woman added.

“Please I don’t want my baby to die, please don’t name it “she said kneeling on the ground crying.

“Ok if you don’t want a name let’s at least shave its head, Queen Maya said brandishing a knife.’

“Shaving is synonymous to naming, there will be no name and you won’t shave its head,”

“Nonsense, who do you think you are, you are just a woman and how dare you try to make laws in this palace. The king must hear this... Just wait for me till he beats sense into her head” she said throwing away the knife. She ran as fast as she could towards the royal courtyards. The other women sat down waiting for the verdict while women tried to comfort your mother. She was rolling on the floor wailing as if the child had died. All the women felt sorry for her.”

“I ran after her trying to plead with her. But, before I could reach her, she was already in the royal presence. So, I watched because knew there would be trouble.”

to be continued.

(All rights reserved, Tifuh Awah, 2023)

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