12 Questions
What was unusual about the village of Tos?
The men lived in square houses, and the women lived in round houses
What did the villagers plant in the fields of Tos?
Yams, corn, tobacco, and coffee
What happened to the villagers during the night of the volcanic eruption?
They ran out of their houses and hid in the bushes
What did the villagers do when they heard the voice of Mother Naka?
They cried and prayed, lying down and pressing the earth
What did the villagers wake up to when the sun rose the next morning?
Everything covered with ashes
What was the name of the narrator's grandmother's farm?
The Farm of my Grandmother
What did the villagers do when Old Naka began to rumble and groan?
Ran out of their houses and hid in the bushes at the foot of the mountain
What was the village of Tos known for?
Its fertile soil and abundant crops
What was the result of Old Naka's eruption?
The villagers were covered in ashes and their homes were destroyed
What was the arrangement of the villagers after Old Naka's eruption?
The men lived in the square houses and the women lived in the round houses
What was the villagers' primary concern after Old Naka's eruption?
Rebuilding their homes and restoring their village
What was unique about the village of Tos?
The men lived in square houses and the women lived in round houses
Study Notes
The Village of Tos
- The village is located at the foot of Mother Naka in the Bameni hills of West Africa.
- The villagers grow yams, corn, tobacco, and fine coffee in the Cameroons.
The Natural Order of Things
- In the village, men live in square houses, and women live in round ones.
- The narrator grew up in their grandmother's farm in the village and thought this was the natural order of things.
The Eruption of Mother Naka
- One peaceful night, Old Naka began to groan and rumble, and awoke from a long sleep.
- The villagers were frightened and ran out of their houses, hiding in the bushes at the foot of the mountain.
- The night was split open by a great white burst of light, and the voice of Mother Naka thundered out, shouting her anger to the skies.
- Red rivers of lava flowed down her sides as she spoke.
After the Eruption
- When the sun rose, the people looked around to see everything covered with ashes, including themselves.
- They resembled gray ghosts, trembling with fear but grateful to be alive.
- The villagers, still covered with ashes, faced the mountain together and went back to claim their homes.
- Only two houses were left standing: one square and one round.
Rebuilding the Village
- The village chief called the people together to rebuild the village.
- He instructed the ash-covered men to live in the square house, the women and children in the round house, and the small gray stones to go out to the fields to plant crops again.
- The women prepared food for everyone in the round house, while the men stayed in the square house.
Explore the African village of Tos, where men and women live in square and round houses, respectively. Learn about the unique customs and traditions of this West African village and its people.
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