houses containing a hollow on
the floor called ukpafɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] into
which the rain-water flows from
an open space in the roof (v.
Roman atrium and piscina);
the various shrines of the
ancestors and the powers wor-
shipped by the family are found
each in one ikũ. So there is an
ikũ n-aɽu‿erha [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˧ ˧ ] ikũ of
the father’s shrine, and an ikũ
n-aɽu‿iye [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˧ ˧ ] ikũ of the
mother’s shrine. The former is
the first ikũ: ikũ n-uɣ-oɽe [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˧ ],
i.e. the ikũ of the outside uɣa
[ ˩ ˩ ], the latter, the second ikũ:
ikũ n-ɔk-adesɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] (ke [ ˥ ])
the middle ikũ. The third ikũ is
that of Olokũ: ikũ n-aɽu‿olokũ
[ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˧ ˧ ˨ ]; it is always long and
narrow and may contain an
ɛɣodo [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] or ukpafɛ̃ (which is
the same); not all houses seem
to possess it, but in former times
every house is said to have had
one. The third ikũ is the last
one of those to be found in the
houses of “ordinary people”.
It is then their private ikũ, ikũ
n-od-uw-owa [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˧ ˨ ] “ikũ of the
inside of the house”, and will in
that case not contain the Olokũ-
shrine which will be kept at
od-ɛriɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ]. The father’s and
mother’s shrines must, if pos-
sible, not be kept in the same ikũ;
therefore, if a house has only
one ikũ, besides the private
apartments, the mother’s shrine
is in the ukp-ube [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ], i.e. in an
ɔgwa [ ˩ ˥ ] opening into the room
containing the ɛɣod-ɛriɛ [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ],
or else the two shrines, though
in the same ikũ, are kept
on different ibas [ ˥ ˥ ]. There is
