Agwagas July 25, 1972 - 28A Pokwo

Recording #28A

Place of Recording: Pokwo

Date of Recording: July 25, 1972

Performance: Olok Okae from Cham

Informant: Agwa Alemo

Date of Transcript: February 17, 1972

1. Agwaga.

Information: Praising a man called ODIM. The spear is the lowest part $50. So when the singer sings songs he will ask first for the spear before the cow or the beads (the highest part) When you have a daughter and she didn’t marry early (15 or 16) will give her to someone who has the money.

Text: The dry season is coming. I’m crying to the man WOROGEERA (name gotten from his father) Because of my bad luck I came too late and got nothing to eat. Praising someone who faced the war in the same field with him. There is a brave man in Cham and he always tells the truth. If he says there is going to be war, there is going to be a war. I didn’t know what killed this brave man. if I had known, we would have died together. Praising the people in the village. Praising his friend to give him a demoui spear (used to marry with. Because of that the singer said, if I don’t praise my friend in my song, he will be blamed like the lady that has been given to the old man for her whole life. Repeats. From Cham.

2. Dudbul.

Information: Praising the names of many people. A Song for Ojalo. Dudbul are frequently difficult to explain because they are simply praising the names of people with their wives together. If the singer doesn’t want anything, he will praise the names of all his friends. This makes it difficult to translate into English. In Gilo area, if a girl in your village is married by one man in another village, they will sing a song against the husband of the girl insulting and some bad things to let the girl refuse or come back from that man. If she is beautiful, they want a girl to marry in her own village. The singer of this song said he is going to marry from the Ojung tribe because the girl he expected has married by a person from another village.

Text: If I refuse to farm, I will refuse because I didn’t get this lady I expected. I will go to Ojung. (tribes near the highlands) village to get the lady who is left from these people.

3. Agwaga.

Information: General song from ADONGO. Includes all village around the ADONGO area. A trap when the rat touched the spring it would fall on him) singer said that this war was caused by one person.

Text: Adongo is a very large village which can be ruled by one person. God will give us a very big thing because I was carrying a gun without bullets. Talking about his stomach. If you eat much food you are satisfied for a time but not for long. A man called OBANG set a trap which made the people of ARIETH suffer. Repeated.

4. Agwaga from Adongo.

Information: Saying something about a man called ODOL LWAG. If when you die you have two sons, you will give your property to one.

Text: ODOL, this is only one spear (means this is the only war that will make everybody hit his friend.) A tribe in Sudan called AJWEL made a war with those tribes in Sudan. I didn’t know these were going to attack us. During the time of our grandfather the war broke because of the cattle not because of some other things. Praising the leader of Adongo. The property of the leader of Adongo was given to him by God not by somebody. Repeats.

5 Agwaga.

Information: Starts with high crying sounds.

Text: Talking about a man called OKEELO, saying when others are insulting you, because some people were against OKEELO. The singer said that’s not a good way to live: to be against other people. You have much grain to live on. Praising people in the village. Still praising the name of the people comparing them with lion and crocodile. This song from Cham, (boasting in Anuak – before the war starts people will boast. We will defeat them etc.) Because of boasting the singer said, don’t boast before you see the case, or the situation. Repeats. Insulting. The ladies are married to produce the children but they are not fit to go to war.

6. Agwaga

Information: A common song sung for Nikane villagers. A very short song.; song was from CHAM and fought this people of ARIWTH because of the revenge. (When people come from war and they are defeated, the drum will be beaten. People will dance around. This is a sort of song for that purpose.

Text: ODOL LWAG you listen to what some other villagers are saying. (he is an important man but not a chief. On prime minister level) a song but not from Cham. One person in the village. His brother was killed by another person and he revenged.

7 Dudbul.

Information: From Cham. If a person wanted to make a revenge, where the people would get water. Near the river, if he sees a man, he will kill him, if he sees a girl, he will take her and sell her in Nuer village to buy cows. That is what a robber would do in this area. This song is not from Tedo but father from Cham. Sometimes when they produce a song, they can mention the names of the people in Tedo as well as from Cham. Therefore, the confusion. Those who were sold by the robbers) to those that were living in LUL (A GROUP OF VILLAGES) mentions how to eat the meat of cows. They were not acquainted with before you better go back to the thick forest because your job was to get honey and not to hurt the cows. (ANUAK Area was divided into various areas: 8 AREAS; PENO, LUL, GILO, JOR, CIRO, NIKANE, TIERNAM, ODONGO. Gilo is divided into 3 parts: BUDGILO, JOR and CIRO.

Text: Singer said when I reach Tedo village, people finish the food already before I get there and they left for war when they arrived in a certain village they fought. A thief doesn’t have a certain village. He robs here and then another village causing war between the villages. (done a long time ago in Gilo area.)