A folktale told by my mum
Long before the missionaries came to Nigeria, only traditional worship existed
And this is what happened
In Lasinta town inherited by gwari people
Loud voice of crying emanated from okoro's compound
"why has the great iroko fallen"? A rhetorical question right? adama who is now a widow cried bitterly finding solemn from the statement or maybe thought so, as that was what she altered all through the morning till even. That she feared the most has caught up with her .
Okoro died of cardiac arrest leaving behind adama his wife and a daughter who was 18, . It was so sudden in the eyes of everyone as it was a tradition that the gods should be aware and notify of ones death before hand otherwise it is considered to be a witchcraft from either the wife's or husband's side depending on who died.
The thought of being tagged a witch was her greatest fear and today it has caught up with her, there was nothing she could tell them to make them believe death happens natural or that she wasn't responsible for her husband's death. She cried bitterly waiting to hear the decision the gods will take over her.
"You are proven guilty of your husband death and the gods order that your daughter will be buried alive in the next seven days" the gods messenger announces. Adama for a moment preferred it was her to her daughter, she decided to find prove of her innocence before the dated time.
All her search went fruitless as no one was ready to help her. The only comfort she had which was the river goddess betrayed her, as she remained silent all through the period.
When adama realized there was nothing she could do to change the situation. She arised early in the morning at midnight and traveled far to a forest, where she undressed herself and laid a curse over the land that their daughters will always die at age 18 , just as her daughter and she hanged herself there of when she found no comfort living by herself.
That same day her daughter was buried alive. And from that day the curse was affected ,none of their daughters in that village ever crossed the age 18. They died immediately on their 18th birthday.
It was a curse no native doctor was able to break until the arrival of the Christian missionary whom God used to locate the problem leading to the death of their young females.
A prayer was held which lasted for 4 months, and it led to the curse being broken.