Native years dating

Native years dating

By Abraham Nwankwo

Ezala the founder is buried in the spirit forest;

The oak tree to mark this resting place is planted,

And so the calendar base is fixed.

At the foot of the tree, lies a granite pot.

Every new yam festival ever since, a fattened ox is

slaughtered.

Also a crowed cock whose blood is ritually sprinkled,

At the foot of the ancestral oak tree,

And one oxen molar tooth dropped into the pot.

Count the number of molar teeth in the pot,

And you know the year on course:

“One Hundred New Yam Festivals after Ancestor Ezala”