INSTRUMENTAL July 28, 1972 - 33B Peno 1972

Recording #33B

Place of Recording: Peno

Date of Recording: July 28, 1972

Performance:

Informant: Agwa Alemo

Date of Transcript: March 24, 1973

1 000 Dancing song.

Information: Sung against Adongo people when they were wanting to fight the king of Adongo. He refused to fight against the Anyanyas.

Text: He said how can I fight with those who are thin. They don’t have something to eat in the forest. When they went to war, they captured girls and some other boys. Because of the result of that the people of Adongo said, don’t kill my daughter or my son. Let me give you demoui so you can give my daughter or my son back to me. Repeating. Let me change for my daughter.

2 020 Agwaga.

Information: When the fought against Arabs in POCALA, Solo male singer. (In that war, Agwa was in 3^rd grade. They kept Arabs from getting water from the river for 7 days. Without water to drink, Arabs thought of something They collected AJIBA tribes to go and get water for them from the river but Anyanyas told them you come to our side and don’t join Arabs. When the Ajiba side refused to go to Anyanya side they were killed but those who agreed came to their side.)

Text: The leader who was there was ABAC (ABA CH) they defeated the Arabs who were there and captured the daughter of the governor. The governor is called ABAC. We are revenging our sons who have been adopted or who have been used to eat Arabs food. (They say that because the war broke away between Arabs and Anyanyas, they thought they would never see their sons any more) (this governor they said that he refused to go to Khartoum because of the food we are eating and having in our area. Insult the Ajiba tribe. Because you believed Arabs more than us, you have seen your consequences. Because you believed Arabs more than us you have seen your consequences. Means they were killed. By that time, there were only a few guns. 8 or 10 people. Fellow the person with one gun. So about 14 people with one gun.) Said, when we went to war, we divided ourselves into 2 parts, one group took the right hand to fight against those who are circumcised (Arabs). Second group to Adongo people. The second group who went to fight with Adongo people defeated them. The people of Adongo did not come for war, there were looking for grain or corn because of the starvation in their village. (Used to name the people of Adongo after the Ajiba tribe meaning that they’re not pure Anuak) When they are insulting one eye person that they killed, why did you come to attack us if you know you have only one eye. Those who caused war (are singing against the Adongo people, not the Arabs) they did not come for war but because of the starvation in their villages, when they came for attacking, they went directly to where the corn and grain was kept. Insulting. A lady supporting Adongo people but they killed her. From OWELO.

3 161 Agwaga.

Information: Stopped after beginning.

Text: Advising the people who are liars not to tell lies anymore. Between Adongo and Anyanyas. Because of that the liars who used to go around, there was one person who went for hunting and he saw a group of liars and he shot them.

4 189 Marching song.

Information: Swore not to eat wild pig. (In our area, there are young fellows who want to cause a war between two villages, they will be sent by the old men saying, if you don’t want war you better go and fight an elephant in the forest. An elephant buffalo or a lion. Old men used to say that to young boys who don’t know war at all.) In 1970 when Agwa was teaching in Gilo river, I went with brother, if we get an elephant, what will you do. Agwa said, if we see an elephant or a lion I will never run away. Or never climb a tree) they saw a buffalo, Agwa shot it first, in the hip the animal chased my brother away. Agwa shot it 4 times.) Slow drum accompaniment. Change the drummer of it but the same song. Very interesting accompaniment when they came from hunting, the girls went to them singing this song in the form as they slowed it down. We are glad you are coming. Speeds up the accompaniment when the girls went to the young boys singing in the form with the hands out and going up and down, they reached there, they beat the drum in a dancing form and danced together. This is why the music speeded up again.

Text: Wild pig looks like a person who has played in the mud. When we kill an elephant, everybody in the village will buy a gun. After that they went for hunting to kill an elephant and they fought with an elephant. If you don’t know war then you better go fight an elephant. If there is a war now in the village, I know now that you are going to fight.) Repeating. When they fight an elephant, said we didn’t fight an elephant because of the meat but because of the ivory. Continuation with instruments. When we fought elephant, we captured a small one. Repeating. Captured a small elephant. Daughter, repeating this part. Said, you refused the old men that the young boy that is going to marry you will give you the ivory of an elephant that we killed.

5 383 Dancing Song.

Information: flute, drum, bottles and voice. Produced when you are ready to go for a long journey or when you are coming from a long journey.

Text: Requesting your girlfriend saying you better sing me a greeting when I go. Means, greeting many people. You can greet the people that you know well. Though he is in Addis or Gilo, you can greet them. Are making agreement with these girlfriends, saying in the evening, you better come to the house of my brother. He’s saying I’ll never leave the girl because the old man can kill her. Never leave her. Repeating. A rich man is eating alone rather than in a group. The rich man doesn’t have relatives or friends. His friend and relatives are lonely food he’s going to eat and not a person.

6 536 Dancing song.

Information: Begins with solo flute. Dancing song.

7 578 Dancing song.

Information: Flute with gourd and bottle. Very nice. Actually, the same as 5 383. A song of greeting. No vocal. Can be danced as KRUMA or in Dancing form. Beating of the drum is the same as KRUMA sounds like this. This can be dancing also. Boys and girls in opposite lines. The girl will select a boy to dance with. If it is a greeting or love song, the singer will go to where the drummer is. The singer will sing with the drum but not everybody is going to sing. The singer sings by himself in the KRUMA.

8 740 Demonstration.

Information: Bottles. Demo of sound of the beating bottles. Into the ground. Can see this in Gambela and everywhere. Melotti and Ambo water bottle. Note the changes in rhythm (or timbre). As the thumbs are taken off the top of the bottles.