Children's Songs July 26, 1972 - 30A

Recording #30A

Place of Recording: Pokwo

Date of Recording: July 26, 1972

Performance: Children

Informant: Agwa Alemo

Date of Transcript: February 24, 1973

1 000 A song for fun.

Information: Like a competition between the children.

Text: The song is saying because of one bird white crown and black body. Eats fish.

2 037 Children’s song.

Information: When the lady’s fish they see something lie in a basket. When the ladies used basket and the men use the spear, the small children use their hands. Put their hands in the water and catch fish. Will say to their mother, put the basket down, I caught a fish momma. Means that they need their mother to come to help them. This kind of song is known everywhere in Anuak area children play these games the same everywhere.

Text: Saying, mother pull the fishing basket strongly. My mother caught a fish with it.

3 065 Children’s song.

Information: There is one bird used to eat the small fishes That bird is gray when the small fish start their journey to the north of the river, he would follow them. The big fish tried to catch the small fish, which will jump. When the fish jumps the bird catches them.

Text: Song is saying, when the small fish are chased away by the big fish they will jump. The bird will try to catch them one by one. Say about the small fish. The small fish are going to look for a safe place by following the current of the river.

4 088 Obero: A fun song.

Information: Boys in a circle, 2 boys selected to be in the middle. Those who are in the circle will not let the boys to get out. They want to find out those who is quick to go out early. Some will never be able to get out. A small insect builds house on the roof with mud Insect used to when comes out from would fly and be able to be caught. This insect can be swatted with a horse tail. Swatter. Idea, there are some boys who are very strong, so if you want to go out of the center, they will push you into the middle. You might fall down some times, very easy to be thrown away.

5 118 Children’s song.

Information: Chant used by children when it is raining. Will jump while singing this song. Idea, when we feel happy, no other meaning but a sort of practice, who is going to win. Keep jumping, the longest.

6 135 Children’s song.

Information: Many children will form a circle together and will catch their hands together. One person they select will test the hands of the children to see who is weak and who is strong.

Text: Saying whose door is it? Your doors, can I destroy it? Yes. If they try to push it down, they sometimes will not get out. But if weak, hands will separate and they will get away. Who is this door? The boy will say OURS. Who’s this door? What is there? Will say Crocodile. One who is selected will say. Will I kill it: they will reply yes, and will try to push their hands.

7 171 Children’s song.

Information: Saying, when they play with clay, sing this song. Pounding a pot around it as they sing.

Text: This is my clay. Repeating.

8 206 Children’s song.

Information: Sung for a group of pelicans. When they fly, they form a line, they pretend to be like the pelicans. This is being sung while the dance is taking place outside under the tree.

Text: Where are you going pelicans, we are going to fish. Will follow by line.

9 251 Children’s song.

Information: When they reach the last part (this bird refused to show the crown to the children) Because he refused to show the crown, will try to walk skipping away from the children. The children will pretend as they are walking like this bird with the same head and body movements skipping away.

Text: A bird with a beak and crown. Ask this bird, let me see your crown. The bird said “No.” Why don’t we see it? Because I have smoke in it. How does the smoke taste? Bird replies, it tastes bitter. Keeps dancing.

10 312 Children’s song.

Information: This kind of playing is not Anuak but from the AJIBA tribe. The words are from that tribe. Cannot understand. This tribe is near ADONGO. This type of dance makes them look very strong.

11 366 Dancing song.

Information: Sung for the girls who are able to nurse from the breast. And those that have not developed will feel ashamed. They will dance by shaking the upper part of their body

Text: I cannot beg from somebody because I have my breasts. I will not beg from somebody; repeated many times.

12 418 Love song.

Information: Solo girl singers. Joined by others. Adult. There is a girl called CHAM. People cut elephant tusks for ivory and made bracelets with it.

Text: When this girl decorates herself with the ivory, she looks very beautiful. When I went to where the gold mines are, I saw the beautiful girl in the Gilo River. If you are going to Gilo River greet her for me. If you are going KUTEUDI greet yourself for me. Saying good bye. Greet those that are at Gilo River. Like OKIEL ALWRO and the children at Gilo River. We will meet where we agreed. Repeats over and over.

13 453 Marching song.

Information: New song without break. After repeated part. Solo girl singer. In Anuak region in ’59, many villages from Anuak area swear not to eat animals or fish those of AKOBO swear not to eat fish until they killed an animal.

Text: If you swear, I won’t eat this thing, it is imminent that we are going to kill a strong animal, like leopard, lion or elephant. One man called OTHWOL the airplane is waiting for us so we may go to Dembidolo. We swear not to eat fish without scales because it looks very bad to us. We swear not to eat this fish from NOWON the pot we used to cook this kind of fish with before is thrown away. We swear not to eat this fish. Because we are tired of fishing every summer, those we want to eat may follow the currents because we are going to kill all these fishes, for fun but not to eat.

14 511 Dudbul.

Information: Solo girl singer, without accompaniment as are the above. In Anuak area if you dance it is imminent that you are going to marry. There are some who have no money to pay for their wives. Those people will be lazy to dance. Because they don’t have money. The singer will encourage them to dance. Mentions one thing a little, when Anuak dance, if your girlfriend is missing, you will say that this dancing is not good. Because all the people and the girls did not come means my girlfriend is missing.

Text: Mentioning the name of the people. This is the first time for me to produce a new song for which I was not paid. I was looking for the best friend and I found a best friend from another clan. Don’t hesitate, just give me whatever you would like to give. A man called PURO this man is an old man who fought during the 2-world war. By begging him saying you re the foundation of the village, how can I miss a gift from you. Praising and mentioning his friends. Saying the beads, you gave me last year is not counted for me. I need some more from you. The song is from GOK. The singer always looks like a water flood. Means to say the flood comes every year. When I produced a song don’t think that I am going to miss you in my song. Saying this to his best friends. Mentioning the chief and his wife. When I make a journey to the villages of the kings, they blame me some times and now I knew Gok became the village of the Anuak. Or the village for the whole Anuak. Still mentioning the names of the people. This song for his friends, asking them what to be given to him I sang this song because of my poorness.

15 853 Love song

Information: Solo girl singers with can drum. When the man and his wife or his girlfriend want to go to a far village they will go at night and not in the day time. In our area, if you want to take our wife will take her secretly and not known to her parents. The girl sang this song because her boyfriend told her that we are going to leave for a very far village. From Gok.

Text: Said, the singer is sometimes against those girls who are given to the rich man. Said you can show your teeth to everybody but what is known inside is not known to everybody. Means: you show your teeth to the rich man but don’t give him your honest feelings. Said the teeth are burnt. What is inside the stomach is deep. Which can contain many things. Singer said, if the rich man pays ten demoui, that doesn’t mean that he loves you. But has paid the money for revenge. It’s not me who took you to the rich man or the old man. But you were taken by your father. That is why you get broken arm and broken chest. Not completed. (the last part: insulting the old and rich man saying, the rich man is mad and he doesn’t think.)

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