This religious ceremony in Arrow of God is a reenactment of a story from the tribe’s religion:
As he approached the centre of the market place Ezeulu reenacted the First Coming of Ulu and how each of the four Days put obstacles in his way.
“At that time, when lizards were still in ones and twos, the whole people assembled and chose me to carry their new deity. I said to them:
“ ‘Who am I to carry this fire on my hare head? A man who knows that his anus is small does not swallow an udala seed.’
“They said to me:
“‘Fear not. The man who sends a child to catch a shrew will also give him water to wash his hand.’
“I said: ‘So be it. ’
This feels exactly like the spirit quests in King of Dragon Pass. I wonder if its designers or Greg Stafford has read Chinua Achebe or if it is a common trope in polytheistic religious practice.