Lullabies July 22, 1972-24B

Recording #24B

Place of Recording: Pokwo

Date of Recording: July 22, 1972

Performance: Various individuals

Informant: Agwa Alem and David Omot

Date of Transcript: November 4, 1972

1 000 Lullaby

Information: Solo girl singers

Text: Praising the child and telling it not to cry. The third child, OBANG. By our grandfather, don’t cry any more.

2 029 Marching song.

Information: Solo girl singer

Text: Swore not to eat salt. When we swore, we are not going to eat salt till we kill elephants. When the Galla heard this they said how mad are the Anuaks that they refuse to eat salt.

3 052 Marching Song.

Information: Solo girl singer. All the generation in the village, the girls and the boys together will take the same vow until an animal is killed.

Text: Praising the chief of the village, our chief is known to the whole like his majesty. The man in the village asked where are the other people when they went to kill the animals. She is praising the girl, a girl from Okuma. When I reached where the men were sitting, I was asked by the men, where are you come from. I’m coming from the place where the girls are not eating salt. I refuse to eat salt and our village name will be known to all people

4 083 Dancing song.

Information: Solo girl singer. 10 years ago, used to take Gallas for hunting in the Anuak area to kill buffalo but the man who is expressed in the song took many Gallas and killed buffaloes for them. In the Galla area when you kill a buffalo, when you have the horns you will be known in your village and can get married easily.

Text: People don’t blame me because I don’t know where to get money to marry – Demoui. Praising the girl, if you beg I will give you your part. Praising the boy, I will accept what you can say. The son of the chief. I’m not joking, the truth that comes from God. Praising the boy who is called OKWAY asking why don’t you accept my song? Now I’m not going to marry any more. Because if I marry, I don’t get money. Praising the boy, named AGAL, saying why don’t you accept the song because you are the foundation of the song. Praising the wife of AGAL. Asking will you give me my part because you are our wife. You can give me what you would like. Because the singer doesn’t choose something bad or good but takes what he gets. Praising the boy praising the boy who brought the Gallas and provided for them. Praising the wife of the boy saying, you get married and were divorced. What have you done to God? Praising the other men. You are known everywhere in Anuak area and are praising her because you are a hard worker. Praising the man who his wife. The girl was a daughter of a king. Asking her that I didn’t know that you are going to miss something with me. I thought you were going to give me a gift. I’m hoping I will get a gift from you. I hope I will get what you are planning to give me. A man called CURO in the village. When I was planning to go to Gallas area, he asked me to wait or not to go till I will be give something. The man divorced his wife, the wife was a hard worker and kind to everybody. (reason for divorce was a quarrel) In the future if I’m going forever, I’m going because of my answer did not get a wife. Praising the fellow who was planning to go on the Baro River saying when he comes back, I will express him with a song. Sing was expressing the chief of the village. When your chief visits Gambela, everybody will be after him because he is known to everybody.

5 275 Dancing song.

Information: Solo girl singer.

Text: Song about the wife, saying when I was planning to go a liar went to tell the parents of the wife a secret. When the people heard that the girl was going to marry me, they said no don’t be married by that boy because he doesn’t have any money. You better look for a rich boy who can make money. You better find a rich boy who can make money. But when the girl was sold to the old man she explained to the boy, how are you. Being with an old man is like a disease and being like a slave I’m not fit for a rich man. I’m fit for a poor boy. How did we divorce each other the first time?

6 323

Information: Solo girl singer. Short songs for resting after dancing.

Text: Praising the boys and the girls. Repeating the same phrase:

7 338 Dancing song

Information: Solo girl singer. A song from Gok. A very long song expressing about the husband, even though he is blind I can lead him. This Adong is a song sung for friends begging if they can give something to the singer. Saying if the friend can accept the song with happiness.) (In Anuak area, difficult to express a person by name so they are expressed by animal, even a son can be expressed by an animal that the parents are named after.) (The village are divided into many places – clan and lineage. In our clan there may be a big tree (an old tree) the children of the village can be expressed though that name of the tree, every citizen of the village from the same clan can be expressed through the tree. In the songs it is difficult to explain it in English). Sung by a man who was paralyzed, named OGOTO (if you go to Anuak history, some parts are very difficult to understand because in a group, old man and young boys living in the same village – the old man cannot be called by their name they can be called by the name of the animal but the boys can be called by their name.)

Text: What did you husband give, blaming him. She said, even needed. Praising the fellow. If I go to a far place to work for demoui I will get it, saying that If I’m not confused, I will greet my wife which was controlled because of my poorness. When I lay on my bed, I didn’t sleep because of I heard the coming of my friend. I will never compare my friend with some other people. His wife was very kind to me, was very kind to me. Singer was praising the king. He was the leader of everybody in the village. Expressing a man from Gilo River. Saying that because of my song, you can give me one spear only. Expressing the wife of his friend. Prepare your part before your husband give me a gift. Though if you don’t give me a gift by now, prepare for it and then don’t let me sing a song for you without giving me anything.

8 641 Dancing song.

Information: Anuak children the girls and boys are in different schools. Girl can be taught to her mother and a boy to his father. For the whole family, the father can be the best teacher for his wife and his children.

Text: Solo girl singer. I sent a letter and greeting a man who doesn’t have wife can go anywhere and find a girl who doesn’t have brothers. The rich man doesn’t go to call for a girl but the girl can come and get contact with them. That did you known before, whenever agreed among each other. Though he is very poor, I don’t look into his poorness. He looks like the son of majesty.

9 691 Dancing song.

Information: Solo girl singer. Still the same song as above. A delay between parts. Reputed.

10 761 Dancing song.

Information: Solo girl singer.

Text: We swear in the name of the chief. Next year when will the examination be. It will be in the village. (dancing test or competition) we are very glad to put our son on the radio but the hunger of last year was even when our wife was shifting flour (sifting flour)

11 828 Marching song

Information: Solo girl singer.

Text: Saying about the boy, why don’t you go and kill the elephant because he explains to everybody that you are going to kill an elephant.

ANUAK Project: FIELD NOTES – July 22, 1972

Retyped: June 12, 2019

We arrive in the singing area of Pokwo village by 12:05. This is Tok’s house on the outskirts of Pokwo. We tape Oyeli Omot’s singing who we have listened to before. About 30 surround us as we listen.

Tape 1 Side A

000 1 Young boys making promise to kill elephant. When killed, they make the song. From the village of Okuna.

041 2 General dancing from Okuna.

111 3 General dancing from Okuna (Pitch in question)

Picture 11 4F 15’ recording the girl singer.

211 4 When singing, young men dancing, men moving in and out. Some jumping in circle. From Okuna.

243 5 Nir-nam. An agreement will not eat salt till they kill elephant. When they killed the elephant, they made the song. So, went back and ate salt. A whole generation will make this vow.

256 6 General dancing from Okuna.

366 7 General Dancing from Okuna, not completed.

Tape 1 Side B

000 1 Lullaby

019 2 Nirnam: formed in marching: Okuna

030 3 Nirnam: from Okuna.

052 4 General dancing from Okuna

146 5 Love song.

172 6 Third woman sing song for general dancing from Gok (Athum Aballa)

179 7 Song for general dancing from Gok

337 8 Love Song

400 9 Love song.

435 10 Love song.

Side A tape 2

000 1 General Dancing.

Session concludes at 2:35 and we pay a fee of $2.00.