Visit with the chief

There is a certain protocol that must be followed in gaining entrance to a village. First you must find someone known in the village who will approach an elder and request an audience with the chief. In this case we used Pastor Daniel who had once lived in the village. He approached the elder who was also the linguist for the chief. The linguist speaks to and for the chief since it would not be acceptable for us to speak directly to him. The elder set up the meeting, and on the appointed day we went to the house of the elder and gave him what is called "Kola" which is actually money. In this case the amount was about $5. In former times this gift would have been in the form of Kola nuts which have a great deal of caffeine and are chewed by the men for the buzz it gives them. The elder/linguist then took us to the chief's lodge or greeting house where we were granted an interview with the chief and all the rest of the elders. When we entered the presence of the chief we bowed and clapped for him. The linguist explained the nature of our visit, gave our names and passed the Kola to the chief. The elders clapped for us and we were then questioned by the chief through the linguist as to our purpose. Having satisfied himself about our intent he granted us permission.