MIX July 26, 1972 - 29B Pokwo

Recording #29B

Place of Recording: Pokwo

Date of Recording: July 26, 1972

Performance: Solo girl singer without accompaniment

Informant: Agwa Alemo

Date of Transcript: February 19, 1973

1. Dudbul.

Information: Solo girl singer without accompaniment. Dudbul. From OKUNA. The belief in Anuak area. The king is from the river and not born.

Text: I’m not blaming all people because I live in my place. Mentions names of 3 people and their wives together. Uses term, if you married and daughter is controlled by her parents, you will swear not to marry any more AJWARA. If two boys want to fight and everybody will try to separate them if another one is defeated wants to fight again, I’m fed up. Mentioning the names of his friends Said the singer doesn’t want what is good or what is bad he accepts any gift from his friend. Continues to mention the names of the people. Praising the wife of his friend. All people were surprised about her work. (singer mentions something about the daughter of the king. I think that from my friends I will get something If I miss it, I will cry because of my bad luck One friend of his who is named after the animal, OCAAR when I was trying to go to the highlands, he didn’t let me go. OCAAR: A big bird who eats fish. Pelican. Extensive praising of the names of the people.

2. Dudbul.

Information: Short break. Solo girl singer without accompaniment. High pitched.

Text: Praising the name of the people. Main idea of the song. It is summer will be the time of dancing for the young generation. From OKUNA. When I heard the wedding of your wife I was not satisfied because I was in the highlands in the Galla areas.

3. Love song.

Information: Short break. Solo girl singer with can accompaniment. Sung mostly about the girl who is given to the rich man. In Anuak area, if the girl loves the young man, she will never be given to a rich man. She will refuse. If her parents force her to live with a rich man, she will hide from him. Get away from him.

Text: How did we miss our love? Repeats over and over.

4. Love song.

Information: Solo girl singer. Different quality voice. Joined by others.

Text: In the first part mentioning the names of the people. Mentioning different friends from Gilo river and from Gok. Saying, the dancing is we danced at Gilo river was the first of all. Our picture hanged in front of many people. Can drum added. In the song can be heard repeated a form of greeting. I sent my greeting and my letter to you, repeats. A poor boy can move from place to place. His wife is given to a rich man. My love why doesn’t you tell me if our refuse. If you are refused by me. If I get a better one than you.

5. Love song.

Information: Love songs are often mixed together. This is the common idea of the rich people: they don’t want to marry for themselves but they want somebody to marry for them. Like a poor boy who married but his wife is given to a rich man. All the love songs are from Gok. Those Anuak who are not educated they get so because of their married sisters. (something common in Anuak area. If I married one boy’s sister he will come and say, I want one spear or 5 dollars or soap from you. So, this if you refuse to give this, they will say that you are disobedient and they will beat you up.

Text: Sing the first part mentioning the names of the people. When reached the last part will say, I send my greeting and a letter to you. Then they will stop for a short time, start repeating another place. The singer mentions about the rich men. I was to go to AGARO but because of my wife, I didn’t go. When I try to supposed to sleep at night I fear greatly in my heart. If I try to steal demoui I’ll be blamed by the people

6. Love song.

Information: Different voice over continuing drum accompaniment. From POWATALAAM in a very thick forest. The rich man can beat the girls and try to chase her away. They can be happy with the girl if the behavior is right. If she works very had If she misbehaves, he will think she is thinking of her husband. So, she will be beaten and mistreated. Olieng produced this song, he married three times. Because of his poorness the parents of his wives refused to let him marry their daughters. The last he married loved him very much. In this song he was advising her not to refuse to live with a rich man. With drum accompaniment.

Text: Mentioning the name of the people. Said, if you refuse or if my parents refuse, there is no other way to get the money to pay except by going to the gold mines. I greet you my love I greet you. To live rich with a rich man will give you worry and many difficulties.

7. Love song.

Information: Short break. Girl solo with drum accompaniment. Strongly sung. Rhythmic. A common idea, not from the song, if I go to be a policeman in the government in Ethiopia, they will not give me a rank or a good place to be. The government will send me where there is a war. This is what is commonly done. Anuaks are separated, they do not serve together. Something has been written If Anuaks are together they will cause trouble. This article from MUSSOLINI time. During Mussolini’s time 400 Anuaks came to fight against Mussolini in Addis. When they lived in Addis many were given a rank when they walked in the town the people used to abuse them with slaps because they fought with the Gallas. Those who were given rank were taken out and went to the palace and the rank insignias were burned. HIM gave them the ranks. But the Anuaks became very angry and took the ranks off themselves. Many of them died on the way back to Gambela. Fought Gallas in the war. Still a few still alive in Addis. If young generation wants to be in police, they will be brought directly from Gambela to Oden where there is a war. Somali and Ethiopia. The old men are not glad of these modern songs. Anuak have respect for the war songs but not for the modern dancing songs. If a war comes, they will not face it They will run away. (The people want the younger generation to be lukewarm like the older generation does. A cause for much drink and smoking. We should show the older ones a good example. Much drinking done to forget the persecution. And bad treatment that the Anuak suffer even now. Anuaks study the behavior of the educated. If those educated drink alcohol, they will get like them also. The older and younger people imitate the behavior of the educated. Refugees from Sudan, these that were educated they can buy alcohol and beer and drink in a house when they drink and many girls will join them. So, the younger generation follows this a lot. The effect of the church is not good in combatting this. The Gospel needs young men who are an example for the people.

Text: I’m finished with thinking but there is no other way unless I go to be a police man. Singer mentions about the rich man. If the rich man loves with you, it doesn’t mean that he really loves you. Repeats. The song is mixed with the song in which Ningyoni is included. The girl reply’s that my nursing is to for the rich man but for the one I love. The part mentioning about Ningyoni: when He was the head of the Anyanya, he was known to all people. If he was to go somewhere, everybody knew it. The singer mentions I heard of the coming of Ningyoni to Gilo river. The first part the tis song is from Gok and the last part from several places. Repeats the same. Insulting a rich man. (If our daughter is keeping away from a rich man home you will take her to a far village and give her to someone who is very rich also, the lover of that girl mentions that my love become like a mirror which your ca sees your face. Means that my lover has been seen or used by many different people.

8. . Marching song.

Information: Short Beak. Girl solo. Song from OKUNA. POYAMARA age group when salt came. During this time there was no war. Peace came. So, they had salt.

Text: When Gallas and Amhara – if they want to make you a Christian, they give you something sweet. Don’t eat the meat of an animal that has been killed by someone that is not a Christian. Our generation was given this. And they are powerful to fight. They were given this sweet potato juice and they became very strong. If we tried to finish all elephants in the area don’t blame us because we know that the animals are controlled by the Ethiopian government not to be killed. If we boast that we are going to kill elephant, to have to face fighting an elephant, we are not to fear. Swear not to eat salt. When the old man and old ladies start from our but we ourselves, we were not having salt, means: the salt came during your age and not our age. They did not have salt before.

9. Marching song from OKUNA

Information: Short break. Girl solo.

Text: Very short explaining of their swearing not to eat salt.

10. Marching song

Information: Girl solo. From Gok. The rich man in Anuak area, a person who has many sisters, boys and girls are treated equally. Boys are more important than girls because boys are the people who your name can be known from. But they are being treated equally.

Text: When we play the bullets, we were going to shoot will be heard in Asmara. Repeating. When we try to march only one person didn’t see us. A governor. But everybody came to see.

ANUAK Project: FIELD NOTES – July 26, 1972

Retyped: June 12, 2019

12:15 Arrival in taping spot in Pokwo, sit down on our wood and skin chairs and soon the girls come out to sing. Thee first songs sung by Athur Abull a about 28 from Gok.

1 000 Nir nam made by the young in the village. They agree on refusing something. Often salt until they kill a certain animal. The men prepare themselves and the girls prepare for the successful hunt by preparing beer for that day when the animal is killed. After the animal is killed a song will be formed according to the action. Everyone will be glad; they will return to eating the thing they had sworn not to eat and the song will tell of the exploit. This song is about the killing of an elephant. From Gok.

2-3-4-5 All are short Nirnam from Gok

6 General dancing from Oleng.

7 080 From Gok for general dancing.

8 124 Oero: From Gok for the dead chief, Ojuly Akway killed in prison about 10 years ago.

9 166 From Oleng. Obero for the dead chief, Agua Kidi composed about the same time as the previous one. He also died in prison. He had fought the Ethiopians and so the chiefs were killed in prison as revenge.

10 244 From Oleng for general dancing.

11 355 From Okuna for general dancing. False start. Restart at 370. Onyeli Omot and Niro Omot on several of above and lower.

Side 1B

1 000 General dancing from Okuna.

2 095 General dancing from Okuna.

3 128 Love song from Gok (heard before)

4 147 Love song from Gok.

5 166 Love song from Kano.

6 193 Love song from Kano.

7 215 Love song from Gok.

8 240 Love song from Gok

9 Love song from Gok.

10 Love song from gok.

11 300 Love song from Gok sung by Gilo Akway

12 322 Love song from gok.

13 352 Nirnam: elephant from Okuna.

Picture: 2 8-5.6F 10’ Shot of recording leper lady by Toks house.

14 399 Nirnam from Okuna about elephant.

Picture 3 8-5.6 F 25’ Recording scene at Toks house.

15 417 Nirnam from Gok about elephant.

2:20 Tape 2A. Today’s designation: We are asked to come to Mary’s bead shop because children have prepared to sing children’s play songs. We do so. After listening to them sing in the bead shop, we go outside and they proceed to demonstrate the games to which the songs belong. This was a most worthwhile endeavor and I hope that the music and the film will coordinate to show an accurate picture of the games as played and sung.

1 000 The first game played (I believe in a circle)

2 019 Sitting in a circle with one girl who sweeps hand around in the circle to catch someone who is not quick enough in putting their hands behind their back.

3 034 Hands move in rhythm. No particular game.

4 046 Running in a circle.

5 062 Jumping.

6 070 Chant with hands in circle.

7 089 Circle: running around and then at each other.

8 100 Conga line.

9 129 Jump on beat.

10 160 2 lines jumping forward and backward.

11 182 Jumping snake line.

We conclude this part of the day at 3:30 feeling that it has been an extremely worthwhile part of the study for the day. We return to the original place for further taping. The leper girl continues to sing.

12 218 Love song from Owelo

13 239 Nirnam from Obwodi about an elephant.

14 266 Song for general dancing from Gok.

15 339 Song for general dancing from Gok.

16 song for general dancing from Gok.

17 444 Love song from Gok (Not quite completed)

Our activity for the day concludes by 4:15. A very full 4 hours.

The following film shot today:

All Kodak: J 153039

J 153045

J 153168