Dudbul July 28, 1972 - 33A Peno

Recording #33A

Place of Recording: Peno

Date of Recording: July 28, 1972

Performance:

Informant: Agwa Alemo

Date of Transcript: March 24, 1973

1 000 Dudbul.

Text: Mentioning the name of the chief. Asking the chief to give him something politely. Requesting politely that he be given demoui and said, in our village there are no liars because we are living here. Asking the chief to make agreement with the wife of the big chief to agree on the price. Perhaps a chief that died. (the chief of the same village) Mentioning the name of one of his friends. A small goat, you can share it together with my friends. It can be divided. In the village there is a man called, GOYE. I’m thinking of a price from you, a leader in the village. A man called WIETH has given 5 dollars to this singer and he told him, it will be your pleasure to give him another price again. When we agree to make a dance in our village even there is starvation, we will never think about it. When I slept, I’m thinking about a big price or a cow from the chief. I’m dreaming as if he has given me a demoui. Repeats the song.

2 092 Dudbul.

Information: Some chief or some friend will give something but not seriously. In the song when it is produced, they will say that he gave me as he didn’t think of it. If I lost your spear or something very important to you, I may say I lost your spear. You will say it doesn’t matter. Take it easy. This is common in Agwa’s area. Take it easy don’t worry about it. (According to what Agwa says, in the Gallas or Amhara, they OK pay it back right away but the Anuak. It is OK. It doesn’t matter. A very common practice among the Anuak.)

Text: Requesting something to be given to him from the chief. My bad luck will never end and if you think of giving me a price you can keep it for me and I will take it from the big lady. (If I married a wife when I die my wife will be taken by my son. And she will not be called his wife. But respected as yours. Agwa’s) (The chief was willing to give the singer a price. He will not give it alone but make agreement with the big lady and give the price together. The wife of the father.) Mentioning his friend or person who knows how to beat the drum. Telling him to beat a drum nicely because in our village dancing which we dance makes everybody worried. Everybody envious because it looks so nice. (The old men say, Oh, how nice we never had dances like this when I was young) Mentioning the wife of the big chief. What he has given: 5 beads of demoui when he gives this price, he will never consider it as a big price but as a small thing. (This big chief is the one that died) Mentioning the name of NYIKUGO if NYIKUGO can join this group to agree on the price to be given to the singer, he is requesting this. (NYIKUGO is the prime minister) I’m always after the price to be given to me because I don’t have another village or parents such as you are. Because I used to fear this Amhara because of the war we fought against them. My poorness cannot be hidden. I can make it known to everybody so that I can get something to marry with. Mentioning the name of his friend or those who know that he is poor just to express the chief that this boy is very poor and he must be given some help Mentioning that my poorness will never be helped by an ordinary man. But it will be helped by the group of the chief and the ordinary men together. Mentions that this is the time to dance in the region of AMHARA To remember you, I’m not a good singer but because of my poorness God gave me a chance to produce a song. He mentioned the name of the people and mentioned when he was given many prices from the chief and from the ordinary people, people were murmuring against him. Were jealous. Because he was getting enough money to marry one girl said something to her parents about him. Because of that, he answered, in the song, I didn’t call that girl for sure. She wants me to be in danger, but I didn’t call her or I didn’t want her at all.

3 266 Agwaga.

Information: Solo voice with men accompaniment. (This song was sung during the attack. One village came to attack another village. From PENO. (We have done this one before)

Text: The singer informed all the villagers to go to the field of war. When they picked up their gun and went to war, they chased away the people who attacked them. They answered the question of the people, we refused to fight with you because of that we fought but you didn’t face us. A snake fish – those who used to eat same fish we controlled them not to farm on the other side of the river When we went early in the morning when the morning star raised up, we killed a person who is not really Anuak. His father is Anuak and his mother is Nuer. We ignored (the first step, don't you want to fight with me. No. but the person being asked with record it in his mind. Do you want to fight with me? Asked the second time. The person being asked will say no but will again record it in his mind. Asked the third time and the fight will occur and the person asking will be defeated.) The people of POWL the first and second time. But the third time we fought. And they defeated them. (In our area that is common to ignore the person the first and second time but the third time, everyone will agree. Why don’t you fight him? He is repeating the same thing always.) (If you kill him many people will support you. Saying he ignored the request to fight the first 2 times and will not blame you much if a killing occurs) Boasting is different, when somebody boasts and another one boasts in his village, they may not be equal. One must boast – boasting is different. During the war we killed a person with the evil eye. (comparing that he is not a pure Anuak who is very important to the villager) Insulting each other in the song. When the killed the son of the chief, his wife remained without husband. We people of POWL. Repeating. About ignoring the first and the second time. Repeat the chief. Agreed to fight. Named after his animal. He agreed to fight against people of POWL. He is named after a crocodile. NYANG is word for crock. Mentions about the chief’s son. They say he died as an ordinary person and not as a chief’s son. Because each one was thinking about the big death that happened in the village and not about the chief’s son. The war will never make you handsome. But it will teach you a good lesson He mentions that everybody became against himself. Quarreling. Who caused this war? Murmuring against themselves and not against the PNO people. Insulting the big lady of the chief. The wife. Continuing to insult. (When they killed many people, not in the village itself but beyond the village when vultures come, they eat the woman) References to sex.

4 515 Dudbul/Marching song.

Information: Strong voice. With men and children inside house. With gourd and bottle accompaniment. In the modern dancing they don’t sing according they can bring many parts in sounding nicely, bringing song sung at Gilo and joined together many parts.

Text: Mentioning of the names of the boys and girls together. Sang at first in form of a Dudbul, but now in the form of a marching song. This song was sung when they had killed an elephant. I know that the young generation are looking for an elephant in the forest. But if they don’t see an elephant, instead of having an elephant we will attack Nuer villages. The marching we are going to do will be heard from DEMBIDOLO as well as ASMARA. Note that the drumming stops. This is probably the start of the marching part. Now with the addition of drums. Changed to dancing song. Mentioning the names of the girls and an elephant that they killed. Drums with solo mans voice. Repeating that part where an elephant was killed. (We killed the elephant by ourselves. We did not see a dead elephant in the forest, but we killed it yourself. Note the fine accompaniment. Children and others join. (This boy got married. The girl he married is not active in work. She doesn’t care about neatness) His parents didn’t like her and he wanted to divorce her. He said the new one I go, even thigh she is in a place (comparing) or in the town of Arabs. I can go and get her from them. She is really lovely to me. I think we will go and dance until morning and the type of dancing we are going to dance will be seen in the cinema. (ATHUDHN JAMI means she is beaten because of the money which has been paid to her parents. Not because they love each other. The lady is beaten by the rich person because of the money he paid to her parents. Not because he loved her.) What makes you very thin. An old man made me think because he used to box me every morning or every day. Repeating. ATHUNJAMI. In this part they brought a part insulting the boys at Gambela. How can you fall in love with a boy in Gambela where they don’t have a place to sleep or anything to eat? When he finished singing, he said OK Good bye. Not to the one who sang but his friend.