Cultural Background Storyteller's Cabin			-2- Oba, as you may have guessed, is an African name. So our story begins in early nineteenth century Africa - the coast of West Africa to be exact, in the country now known as Nigeria. It is in the southeastern part of this country that the Ibo tribe lives, and has lived for hundreds of years. Early European explorers once called these people "savages," but the Ibos were anything but. They were spiritual, highly intelligent people well trained in the arts of agriculture, education and war. They tamed miles of tropical rain forests and coastal swampland into cultivable fields and wealthy cities. In fact, the Europeans found that there was little they could trade with the Ibos that the Ibos couldn't produce themselves. From the British Museum Oba lived deep within the interior of Iboland in a village founded years before by his great-grandfather. Oba was the proud father of two sons, with a third child on the way. He was tremendously excited about the new arrival, and even talked to the unborn child in his beautiful wife's womb. For the Ibo believed that the dead and the unborn were always present in their daily lives, and that their homeland was holy ground that they could never leave. As a hunter and a warrior, Oba was one of the most respected and relied upon members of his village. For it was his job to protect the village from enemies, both human and animal. Oba wore his responsibilities proudly, adorning his body with beautiful emblems that reflected his power and status. Early one morning, Oba prepared to leave on a hunt with some other men from the village. As he sharpened his arrows, he suddenly heard the voice of his unborn child, whispering cryptically... "The waters will bring you back to us." Startled, Oba looked back at his wife, still sleeping on their bed. "What does that mean?" he quietly replied in her direction. Again, the unborn child whispered, "The waters will bring you back to us." Oba thought about this strange message for a moment, then shook it off. Maybe my unborn child thinks I'm traveling by canoe on this hunt, he thought. But he wasn't - he was traveling on foot. Oba told his two sons to help their mother with the daily chores, then tenderly kissed his wife goodbye. "I'll be home soon," he said with a smile. Then he confidently walked away.
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