Dudbul July 26, 1972 - 29A Pokwo

Recording #29A

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. Marching Song

Information: Marching song from Gok. Girl singer unaccompanied. Young generation in Gok swear not to drink beer unless they killed elephant. Sung because of that. 10 years ago, Anuaks were fighting village against village. If one village and another don’t agree with each other people who swear, say, if we don’t kill the animal that we swear for, we will go and attack that village. When they went to kill the elephant, they shot the male elephant to death and the female elephant tried to chase the people away because of the male elephant. Gok people were the first in Anuak area to catch such a small elephant. When they tried to bring this small elephant to Gambela unfortunately it died on the way. (When the young generation killed the animal that they sweared they were going to kill, they will fix a date to play in. Before that everyone will work for clothing and good things for marching when the date arrives, they will play. For one or two weeks.

Text: Mentions that in the song, thought the female tried to chase us away we killed both and too the child of the elephants. This summer or this year will be a happy year. The young generation of Ethiopia will be playing. Our Quillwork will stand in front of an airplane and will be photographed. (Q was the leader of the generation Kwaclwak.

2. Dudbul.

Information: Cursing: before they fought with the Ethiopian government. Perhaps this is why they say we will be cursed by Galla and Amhara. From Gok. Very short.

Text: Whose village is it? It is the village of OKWAY (was in the parliament in Addis twice) this village will be cursed by Amhara and Galinias.

3. Dudbul.

Information: Solo girl singer. When you are poor and don’t have parents to pay money for your wife you will decide to go to Galla areas and be there either for your whole life or for many years. There is a place where mining is done. People will go to the mines. In Anuak area, if you are very poor and no one will help you, you will go very far away from your own village. Not mentioned in the song, a poor boy without parents if he tries to marry a girl of the chief or of the king, people will murmur about him. If he is highly intelligent, he will leave the girl. Because the king usually, if the daughter of the king is married by a common man they will go and take many properties from that boy (the king and the people) cows, goat, everything that they want. So, he is left with nothing.

Text: Praising the names of the people. Compare the leader of Gok with HIM. As HIM is known in the world, our leader is known in Anuak area. Continues to praise the names of the people

4. Dudbul.

Information: After short break. Solo girl singer. The girl who is singing: she is from Gok. Before she got leprosy when she danced, she made the people happy. Because of her voice. The whole area. There are leaders of the girls to help them to sing and dance well.

Text: Praising the names of the people. Begging his friends to give him something. Singer mentions something about the leader of Gok: the statement I heard from our leader was saying that you have much corn. You farm and leave your corn because our country and village are not mine now, it is taken by the Ethiopian government. Praising the name of the people. Singer uses term, used to say in the Bible let Jesus come and wash away my sins. The singer is mentioning it. When the Amhara says, I have bad luck or I don’t have a chance, the singer is saying, who is going to wash my bad luck away. In the last part, we are the generation of our leader, DHOGO. You tell those villages who are boasting against us and those who are saying rumor against us. Let them stop.

5. Obero.

Information: Short break. Solo girl singer. A song from Gok. Obero mostly can be used for dancing and also when the chief dies they will sing it. This one is for dancing. When Obero is sung, maybe the leader is dead. And will recall whether the leadership of the man was good or not. Not only the leader, the best friend in the village will also be praised in the song like that as well. Praising the best work, he has done in the village. An Obero can be for an ordinary man who is very important. Not only chief. This is not from GOK, she mentions, it is for AWOKY, near GOK. AWOKY and Gok were one village before. Two leaders one father with different mothers, they fought. So, they separated. These were sons of one man but different mothers. They both want to be the chief at the same time. Because of that they separated the villages.

Text: Mentioning the name of the people. Continues to mention the names of the people. Similar to Dudbul.

6. Obero.

Information: Short break. Solo girl singer. Obero from OLIENG or AWOKY. Same town with two different names.

Text: Extensive mentioning of the names of the people. The chief mentioned mostly. (when they separated from Gok village, the Ethiopian government did not collect taxes from them. They hate Gallas a lot. The singer mentions the chief in this way. The chief hates Gallas.) Continues to mention the names of the people.

7. Dudbul.

Information: Solo girl singer. When they went to crown a king special chair in ODONG. He sits on it and they put beads on him. And the special ones are called OCWOK. If you are not really from the king, the people say, if you sit on that chair you fall down. And you will be killed by the people who are bodyguard’s who watch that chair. If you are the son of king, that chair will move with you around. There is a special book written for the leadership of the king in Anuak area. A special book.

Text: Mentioning: try your best to lead your village those who persecuted will realize their mistake and come back to the village. This song is not only for our own village but it is for the whole area. It is the chief himself who gives something for the singer. Not the singer who can give the chief something. I mention all my friends’ names in my song. From all my friends who is going to volunteer to give me first. In the area when there are girls who work very, very well, they say, God give her all this ability to work very well. She didn’t learn it from somebody. When I produce a song to get something from my friends, instead of giving me something the people just give me love. He is complaining about that. Mentioning the names of the people From OLIENG or AWOKY. Singer was comparing the wife of his friend cannot be compared with gold but can be compared with a very special bead.

8. Dudbul.

Information: Solo girl singer. Short break. Dudbul from OJUNA. Joined by other girls. An old man is 36 or 40 or older. In the area, those who ae older than the younger generation, they call them the old men. The young generation considers themselves as the young. Those who have been kicked out of power are the old men. The young man doesn’t like the girls to be given to the old men. They want them to marry. When they are given, they are to married. Simply given a kind of exchange. Girls for money.

Text: Singer praising the name of his friends. When my friends play, his voice will be heard from here in OKUNA p to ASSOCA. Asking for something to be given. Continues to mention the names of the people. The singer continues to ask for something to be given to him from his friends. Repeats this request about 3 times. Mentions about the girls who are given to the old men. (they give the girl and the old men give money back) Among these girls who are given to the old men, who is going to live with the old men all their life. Mentioning the name of the people. Said, when I came from Gambela, the wife of my friend gave me two spears. Song is unfinished as the tape runs out.