Dudbul July 19, 1972 - 19B Pokwo

Recording #19B

Place of Recording: Pokwo

Date of Recording: July 20, 1972

Performance: Various individuals

Informant: Paul Abulla and Henry Akway

Date of Transcript: September 25, 1972

1 000 Dancing song.

Information: Praising either the king or the chief (King). Solo girl: Omot, I sang this song with troubles in my mind. She’s not happy. With drum.

Text: Our father’s village has become a village of problems, a village of drunks. This is a village of our chief who protects people from different places. Praising the chief. I have given myself to the chief. His stomach is greater than demoui. Where shall I go? Try to protect your village, doesn’t want a wife. Then you have paid demoui. I going to eat it. Praised a certain girl asked her for a certain bead called GWUR: give it as to known by all the Anuaks that you have given me something. He who feeds a person is larger than he who pays a dowry. He is the owner of this village. He’s like summer when all people eat. You make our village better again. Whatever is given through a song is a small, a bracelet, my throat is dry. That village shall I go to. He doesn’t even count that it was my colleagues that asked me to perform song. Praising 2 people saying, your friend is now in difficulties why don’t you turn back to him. Praising people. Last person. Give me something for my song. Praising husband of a certain girl. At the time of drums, by midday, I went to ask for some dollars. You please give me spear to brother. Asking get me something. What we have talked about, I’ve never forgotten it I still know it. All the best girls have been taken by my colleagues but I remain without having any. Now asked the people: said get me a certain bead called TINYETH. Very important bead. I’m a poor Ogut. I do not have any sister. Putting some their people in the song. If I don’t get anything this time, where shall I go. Praising a certain person, praising another girl, saying a dancer is known at home. Whenever people go somewhere, he’s known as a star. Praising 3 people: assuring people I really proved poverty to be too much on me. Praising 3 or 4 people. Out of their category no one was weak. All were very strong. Praising a certain girl saying she is the person that helps me when I am sick. Asking another girl Give me TINYETH. What has been said will never be untrue.

2 079 Dancing song.

Information: Repeating highly appreciated by informants.

Text: A mature girl who can put the dancing into her song, Oh, poorness. Putting the name of AKIC and praising that girl very much. I’m going die in a foreign land. Mentions the name of a certain girl and praising her. God is the one that brought her to me. Let us not exceed the time. But she looks very much like a princess. (Don’t know if she is attractive or good in behavior). The girl looks very beautiful. Praising the girl coming back I recognize your hand writing. In the letter, praising the girl again. Don’t exceed that time. Teeth is just a bone. It matters not if you give it out or not. It won’t harm you.

3 110 Dancing song.

Information: Solo girl singer.

Text: Greeted the chief or the king saying that you greet him for me. Don’t go to the houses of other tribes you are a governor (Using Arabic here) The trumpet will sound and we shall bow down to him and ask him something. If you don’t give us something, where shall we go? If you are talking of giving him a bead called TEDDO, leave it to me. I have sung many songs except Obero. But still I’m going to honor him and be loyal to him and he’s going to give me something. If I go, to the houses of some other people, people will talk of my name but understand that our village has become the most outstanding village in the whole area (solo girl) More than satisfied, praising a girl. I have been isolated and who will give me. Praising 3 people, let him be given something. He has praised someone, suppose you didn’t give many any spear, our relation would have been broken. Give me TINYETH Let everybody be an eyewitness. Praising people. 3^rd was the girl. You can’t be happy if you are given to an old man. You are happy when you dance the drum. And then a handsome man will come and collect you from that dance Praising a girl and then a man. If you get a girl and don’t have anything to pay for the girl it’s really a problem. But she’s going to return back. Praising 2 people. The third is his friend. The drum was spoiled because the friend was absent. Praising some people, saying you bring wrist bracelets for the people.

4 155 Dancing song.

Informatión: Solo girl singer.

Text: When I will die, who shall cry for me. Aquate is the one. Praising that girl. I’m poor, I sing my songs without gaining. He has been taught to the rich to walk alone by night. Praising the name of the girl. The way of the rich must be showed to me so that I can get rich also. 18 years I’ll be going. I will never please her. Greeting the girl. Telling her I’m become very glad. I will never talk again. I have become very happy.

5 164 Dancing song.

Information: Solo girl singer.

Text: Absence is like death. I have greeted the last child. (her girlfriend) The last child in that family. Demoui though they are 10, don’t call because of properties. He’s just buying your children to let him say that I have bought her. Even if I break her its none of your business, I have already bought her. The rich people have become singing songs against the poor and they have made the poor as their mirror. He would have worked in an office but my father refused me. He has changed the name of my wife. Attracted by properties.

6 171 Dancing Song.

Information: Solo girl singer. Against the rich people. Dancing song.

Text: Who is the one that has tied this big bundle of dry wood? Repeats. It is your father who took you to the rich man for that man to pay some dowry. Repeats. I have never heard a song of a rich man. Why doesn’t the rich man die? The wife would remain out, then get children with them. Why should the poor man be aggressed in the songs? What has he done in front of God. What has he committed? What is the benefit of a rich man? He is just very lazy. It is the poor man who is better. He works hard and keeps himself clean. He walks as if he has a better place. He doesn’t know that richness is. A guest comes unknowingly to you. It visits everybody. So, a poor boy is better why is the student, I have greeted you.

7 208 Dancing Song.

Information: Solo girl singer. From Gok.

Text: Informing the people, what I have thought of has gone in vain. It’s because of this one liar who went around with my name. I have decided to move out of this village mentions the name of a girl, saying, I am really troubled. People have been talking to the girl, why do you trouble your mind. He has nothing to pay for the dowry. Saying, to the girl, people would look for a better rich man who could pay the dowry. You didn’t trust the properties found through trading. He traded by bringing tobacco, He has made it his way not for himself but for the rich man.

8 208 WORD FOR WORD TRANSLATION:

Dibwer gina cana apath paap, twot aciel mo obol

All the people talked liar one had abnormal

Wath opang ders.

Journey already decided to me

(Hes backbiting against the liar)

Acare athom nyikwo kie (akic) is the full name) kwar pwore yia ranyo

Deep finished title of akic grandfather title my stomach spoil

(yia: what I have in mind: ranyo: becoming unhappy)

Winya nyinga no cano, kekop ni cano okadho

Heard my name if about talked reported that poverty too much (very)

Dibwer ako kar ri cari ko okwar bang gwel yire

All the said don’t yourself to make yourself suffer for something with rich nothing property him

Yino manyi ko okwar mo lems paap gwel nuto piny

You search with rich that trade forest propery there is present

(piny: the real word means earth) Okwar: rich man)

Nyi geta kiri ngadho kanya bede yie, thaba gadho kiwie

Title of the family don’t trust the place that she was, tobacco traded with his head.

(kiwie; carrying with his head (not by car)

Ni kal galla

When came Ethiopian (any person in Ethiopia – meaning that is almost an insult.

(the dancing part)

Ala tore yiu okwar nikwo, Ala tore yiu okwar nyikwo

Had already made or prepared nicely for rich man title of the lady repeats…

(the above phrases repeated so sung a total of 4 times)

8 219

Information: Single girl singer. Refer to 19A 13 393

9 260

Information: Single girl singer. Explaining the position of the chief. To a certain generation.

Text: Said that the chief has become the most generous and the leader of all the chiefs and the kings. He is going to live long with which village shall we compare our village. It is like a village called, THABWORO. With whom shall you compete (telling the chief) When the trumpet sounds, we are near the chief. This is your village. You are going to live long. (Repeats) A certain generation called GENLIEC (those who can block the passage of an elephant) There are preparing to fight tomorrow. Probably with an elephant.

10 272

Information:

Text: Praising the king. Asking for something, he has asked for many years. I’m sure my father is going to give me something. Hoping of getting something, praising a certain girl and the king, saying that the king is the tip. The seed of the king. I can’t go more than this summer without getting something. (the seed: the person that would the only son, going to produce the family of the king) Single girl singer for Dancing.

11 285

Information: Praised some other people. Mentions the name of persons who are near the king.

Text: I didn’t expect that I would come out without getting anything. For Dancing. For Bul: an interval in the dancing. Now said that I don’t know whether I will get something or not, praising about 2 people. Said, I expect something. Said that the king has become better now, he has some trade, and my poverty will adjust throw me to a foreign land. Praising a girl, saying you won’t be taken by that rich man forever. You will be back with us. She’s a good girl. She has refused to be taken by the rich man and the rich man now troubled of what to do. You insult him and give him back his properties. Praising girls about their beautifulness. Praising girls. Praising the girls mentioning a certain girl. When people talk, she will be taken to a rich man she will simply reply, Oh our beautiful girl. I don’t expect coming out without getting anything. Praising some girls. Saying she has become like a daughter. For me, I have enough from a girl mentioned but I’m still looking for the next girl. Praising the girls saying that our wife has disappeared. Something that you have looked for. (meaning a girl.) If it is taken by somebody why don’t you die. Without feeling anything a bullet will strike you unknowingly. Without feeling I have never forgotten it. (That girl might have first promised to him) Telling somebody saying that we have not cultivated very well this year. Because we were not determined due to the trouble of the girl that has just been picked without our notice. What we have needed who is just like a girl, shall never be missed. Praising the generation, saying that I’m the poorest no body is like me. Praising the people, he would be called by that bead (the ones from the girl’s lower lip hanging to the floor) Praising the girls, with their titles. Praising a certain girl try to stop my poorness. Praising the people and wishing that demoui would become something very easy to be found. Praising people and mentioning the name of a certain girl called, WITH saying that she looks or I come you with a certain beautiful thing She works hard. Praising people, said, that we shall blame you (who will blame you) Praising a certain girl, she’s beautiful. Supposing that if I could find demoui, in the place that the rich man last gets it, praising another girl saying that your uncle is singing without getting something in return. What I know first was love with people but as I could see except a certain girl, that our love has gone deeply. You have been leaving her to the rich people, but I understand that love is not the same. Praising some people mentioning the same thing I have been saying for a long time, I have gotten no gain. Mentioning some people’s names saying that Try to give something if you don’t give Anuaks may look at you with evil eyes. Time has come for the harvest. We are now eating and drinking. But still we think of our wife, why does she not come and join us at this time. Praising many people. Mentioning somebody’s name. Saying you have half of the dance or perhaps other were occupied. You came and got only half of the dance which has no value. Telling the girl that you insulted that man YAKOBO (means area where gold is mined ((AKOBO; not in the Sudan) Praising a certain man saying he is brave, the generation that fought during the WW2 Praising somebody a cry of anger to you I won’t ask for any more properties. Saying you give only money I will never put into consideration. This is for the song. Praising a certain girl. How will I sing without getting anything from you? Get me a bead for the drum. Praising many people, last man said: whatever the piles of the beads have been given to me, the medicine of leprosy. Praising the girl and saying try to give a singer something because a singer is like a flood praising many people. Why are you that much poorer? (leprosy: called the last disease among the diseases, you die with it you won’t be cured – he thinks that the poverty he has is like leprosy)

12 438

Information: Continual praising by the girl will result in the boy bringing out the skins on which she will sit. And she will continue to praise. Then he will give her something. And in return she will give something bigger. Then he will give something larger, growing.

Text: I am poor, I am poor, but I’m very happy. I would become afraid of you sometimes. You have gone over our appointment. We are now ready to move out. Praising a girl. This is your time, repeats. The praise to the girl. Praising the girl saying we have really gone over our appointment. Continued praising.

ANUAK Project: FIELD NOTES – July 19, 1972

Retyped: June 11, 2019

2:45 Don’t leave Pokwo but instead enter Mary’s Bead Shop and listen to about 7 girls (ages 12-16) singing individually and as a group. Audience of children chased out in hope of better performance.

Tape 19A

Picture 29 2.8-1.4F 20-25’ 30x shot of recording area and singers.

30 5.6-8F 50’ 125x short of Mary’s bead shop from across the road.

4:00 Continue in Pokwo to living areas and work with a large girl, 20-25 of age, Oyeli Omot who sings softly and well a song for general dancing. She has sung before on tape from Tierlul.

Then listen to Gilo Akway singing a love song and others. She is a leprosy patient from Gok. Very pleasant girl about 20—23 but has stumps for fingers and a stump of a foot bandaged. Rain interferes with our process and so we return to the house.

5:00 home

Picture 31 2.8-1, 4F 12’ 60x shot of recording Gilo outside of Toks house.

Tape 19A and 19Bi