Tradition: Lost And Kept

Tradition: Lost and Kept

Tradition: Lost and Kept

Each culture in the world follows its own customs and traditions. These
traditions, however, are sometimes broken to allow a compromise in their society,
or are still kept throughout the culture's existence. In the story The Rain Came,
an African tribe faces a harsh and desolate time because their tribe is
experiencing a severe drought and as a result the livestock is dying from
dehydration, the crops are drying out, and the tribe's Chief is called upon to
remedy the situation. Following their tribe's tradition on asking the gods for
assistance, the Chief discovered the only way to eliminate the drought is by
sacrificing his daughter in a traditional ritual. The events that follow will
show how the tribe's customs will be kept and lost.

Tradition is shown in many parts of the story. The first example of
tradition is evident in the scene where the Chief speaks to the ancestors to
change the sacrifice; he loves his only daughter dearly and does not wish her to
die. Unfortunately, he could not abandon his position as Chief and let the
people die from the drought either. In the tribe, it was customary for the Chief
to have several wives and children. The Chief married five wives and the fifth
one brought him a daughter. Another tradition that was shown in the story was
the explanation of how Oganda (the chief's only daughter) received her name. Her
name meant "beans" because her skin was smooth, very much like the skins of
b...

Tradition: Lost And Kept

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