Why is the footpath important to the people in "Dead Men's Path"?

In the short story "Dead Man's Path," Michael Obi is the zealous headmaster of the Ndume Central School, where he attempts to educate and modernize the traditional community. After discovering an ancient footpath running through the school's compound, Michael Obi decides to block the path by setting up barricades at the entrance and exit of the path.
Three days after Obi closes the footpath, a village priest visits the school and attempts to persuade the headmaster to reopen the path. The priest informs Michael Obi that the footpath is essential to the village's well-being and is the route their ancestral spirits travel between the village shrine to their place of burial. The priest also tells the headmaster that it is the path children travel to be born. Unfortunately, Michael Obi does not open the path, and a young woman dies during childbirth.