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Red-spotted Ox. A Pokot Life. PDF

395 Pages·2011·6.14 MB·English
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RED—SPOTTED OX a Pokot Life As collected, translated and edited by Pat Robbins IWGIA Document 124 Copenhagen 2010 RED-SPOTTED OX A Pokot Life Author: Pat Robbins Copyright: The author and IWGIA — 2010 — All Rights Reserved Editorial Production: Marianne Wiben Jensen Cover and layout: Jorge Monrás Proofreading: Diana Vinding Prepress and Print: Eks-Skolens Trykkeri, Copenhagen, Denmark ISBN: 978-87-91563-70-6 ISSN: 0105-4503 HURIDOCS CIP DATA Title: Red-Spotted Ox — A Pokot Life Editor: Robbins, Pat Corporate editor: IWGIA Place of publication: Copenhagen, Denmark Publisher: IWGIA Distributors: Europe: IWGIA, Classensgade 11E, DK Copenhagen 2100—www.iwgia.org North America: Transaction Publishers, 390 Campus Drive, Somerset, New Jersey 08873—www.transactionpub.com Date of Publication: 2010 Pages: 396 p. — ill. — map Reference to series: IWGIA Document Series, no. 124 Note: Autobiography of a Pokot pastoralist ISBN: 978-87-91563-70-6 ISSN: 0105-4503 Language: English Bibliography: Yes Index terms: Indigenous peoples/Pastoralists/Pokot/traditions/changes Geographical area: East Africa (Kenya and Uganda) Geographical code: 5200 INTERNATIONAL WORK GROUP FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS Classensgade 11 E, DK 2100 - Copenhagen, Denmark Tel: (45) 35 27 05 00 - Fax: (45) 35 27 05 07 E-mail: [email protected] - Web: www.iwgia.org In memory of my beloved mother, Martha, who believed in me. For Larry, my cherished companion in Africa and in life. CONTENTS FOREWORD by Robert K. Hitchcock ...................................................................xiv PREFACE by Pat Robbins .......................................................................................xxii Domonguria — About the Pokot — A Brief Pokot History — From Tapes to Book PROLOGUE by Domonguria .....................................................................................2 CHILDHOOD When the Sun Died .....................................................................................................6 Prayer of Healing — The Sun Has Died — Sex Scandal — Eating Like Sakwar — First Weapons — A Stoning Thunder God ..............................................................................................................12 Moving — Ilat and the Flood — My Uncle’s Escape The Year the Earth Shook .........................................................................................19 Childhood mischief — More Trouble — Herding with Kilowan — Flash flood — The Curse on Kangaramoi’s Wife Making a Homestead ................................................................................................28 Building Our Homes — Ostrich Attack — Farming, Honey and Tobacco Life in Lossom ............................................................................................................34 My Lip Plug — Craftsmen — The White Cannibal Turkana and the Year of the Locusts .......................................................................41 Learning Respect for a Dwarf — Bow and Arrows — Locusts — The Disappearance of Kokwa YOUTH Sorcery and the Family Herds .................................................................................50 Cattle Exchange — The Cattle Scandal — The Curse of the Cow — A Spell Breaks Father’s Leg Wandering Years .........................................................................................................61 Government Trouble — Pulling our Donkey Teeth — Stealing Sex — Lokeris Wins His Bride — My Spear Dance, Songs and Stories .........................................................................................66 Dressing for the Dance — Animal Songs — Song of a Wife’s Tears — Songs of the Widows — Songs of Warriors Clans .............................................................................................................................75 Origin of the Lion Clan — The Buffalo Clan — The Sun Clan — The Baboon Clan — Clan Customs Call Me Red-Spotted Ox ...........................................................................................79 Let the Children Play — Ox of Ropes — Working for the Government — The Evil Eye — First Lion — Blindness Love, Lions and Elephants .......................................................................................87 Homestead of Youths — Elephants — Stalked by a Lion Bad Luck and Work....................................................................................................92 Test for the Knife — Karamojong Trouble — Pasture on Fire — Seized for Work COMING OF AGE Independence ............................................................................................................102 My Sweetheart Apeyo — Pasture Police Becoming a Man .......................................................................................................109 My Sapana Celebration — The First Pokot Sapana — The Stolen Child New Developments .................................................................................................117 Thunderstorms — The Draft — Unusual Wells — Abducting a Wife — My First Raid Chelima: Becoming a Woman ................................................................................129 Getting Father’s Consent — The Karemba Ritual — The Laleyo Dance — Circumcision — The Lupol Ceremony — Feast: Removal of the Grasses — The Mysterious Chemerin — Lapan — My Sister’s Sorrow CATTLE AND ROMANCE Deception and Love .................................................................................................142 Cattle Arguments — Meeting Cheparai — Tororut’s Denial — My Case against Munyan A Son ..........................................................................................................................153 Chepochesondu’s Good News — Curse on Munyan — The Birth of My Son — Circumcision — Fighting for Custody Chepusepa .................................................................................................................164 The Baringo Incident — A Suitable Bride — Negotiating the Bride Price — My Wedding LIVING THE POKOT LIFE After the Wedding ....................................................................................................182 Sex — The Beehive and the Leopard — White Man’s Dance — New Songs — Hunting — The Evil Eye Trading .......................................................................................................................190 A Ban on Ostriches — Becoming a Trader — The Death of Lorika — Pregnancy and Birth — The Case of the Spear — Purifying our Son Witchcraft, Magic and Divining ............................................................................203 Witch Hunts — Curses, Cunning and Revenge — Powerful Families — Casting Spells — Animal Magic — Divining Celebrations ............................................................................................................213 Songs of the Bards — Parapara for Pregnancy Family Changes ........................................................................................................223 Misfortune — My Bride Chepto — Chepusepa and the Spirits of Kadam — A Practical Decision — Leopard and Lion — How I lost my finger ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD AND ENEMIES Ilat, the Thunder God ..............................................................................................236 Ilat’s Chosen Neighbor — Punishment for Profanity Sub-Chief ..................................................................................................................240 A Stranger’s Calf — “It’s Nothing—the Gun” — Spell on a Car — A Blessing Completed Comets and Disasters ..............................................................................................245 The Comet of 1965 — In Turkana — Raiding and Revenge — Losing our Cattle — Attack on Lopedur — Helping — Purification Fighting for the Herds .............................................................................................257 Our Karamojong Cattle — Turkana Raids — Peace — Elephant Hunt — Simba DESTRUCTION AND HOPE IN A CHANGING WORLD Returning Home .......................................................................................................270 Tororut’s Will — My Sister’s Death — A Curse Idi Amin .....................................................................................................................276 Evil — My Children — Uganda — Chiefs — A Famous Turkana Bandit — Witchdoctor 1976 .............................................................................................................................286 Raids and Murders — Mourning My Parents — Karamojong Attack Plans for the Future .................................................................................................295 EPILOGUE by Pat Robbins .....................................................................................300 NOTES ........................................................................................................................306 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………330 Commentary — List of References PHOTO ESSAY……………………………………………………………………. 339 DIAGRAMS, MAPS, CHARTS Map of Story Area ..................................................................................................xxxiii Family Tree ..........................................................................................................xxxiv Chronology ...........................................................................................................xxxv A Pokot Homestead ....................................................................................................29 Cattle Brands of the Baboon Clan .............................................................................78 How to Read Intestines .............................................................................................211 SONGS Languages: Pokot (P), Karamojong (K), Turkana (T), Swahili (S) The context and use of each song is indicated. Circle of Houses—prayer (P) ........................................................................................6 Wild Bee Hive—prayer (P)............................................................................................7 Chepukopukwa, Eclipse—prayer (P) ..........................................................................8 Loweta—story (P) ........................................................................................................12 Semna Kengeiwa—story, dance (P) ............................................................................38 The Lizard Cries—story (P) ........................................................................................58 Traveler—story (P) .......................................................................................................61 Giraffe 1—dance (K, P) ................................................................................................67 Giraffe 2—dance (K, P) ................................................................................................67 Cattle—dance, fighting song (K) ..................................................................................68 Song of Tears—story, dance (P) ...................................................................................68 Chesupit Plays Alone—woman’s ox song (T) ............................................................70 Satisfied Ox—woman’s ox song (P) .............................................................................71 Detour—story, dance (P) ..............................................................................................72 Lowalan—story, dance (P) ...........................................................................................73 The Poor Man Cries—story, dance (P) .......................................................................74 I Met My Brothers—story, dance (P) ..........................................................................74 Domonguria—ox song (P, K) ......................................................................................83 Lorengaruk—ox song (P, K) ........................................................................................83 Motorcar—story, dance (P) ..........................................................................................97 Elephant—sapana, circumcision (P) ...........................................................................111 Setim the Warrior—story, sapana (P) ........................................................................112 Eating Donkeys—story, dance (P) .............................................................................119 Dikdik—story, fighting song (P, K) ...........................................................................128 Female Genitals—birth, circumcision (P) .................................................................130 Palm Tree—female circumcision (P) ..........................................................................131 Hot Vagina—female circumcision (P) ........................................................................131 Chesongol’s Desire—story, dance (P) ......................................................................133 Paretia—story, dance (P) ............................................................................................133 Big Occasion—birth, circumcision (P) ......................................................................158 Circumcision Children—birth, circumcision (P) .....................................................159 Kupeiyeng—circumcision (P) ...................................................................................160 Baringo—story, dance (P, S) .......................................................................................165 Help us, Chemichen—story, dance (P) ....................................................................186 Rukono—story, dance (P) ..........................................................................................186 Chemutarim—story, dance (P) ..................................................................................187 Ostrich—dance (K) .....................................................................................................191 Lorika, Who Told You to Come—story (P) ............................................................194 Cherotich—story, (P) .................................................................................................196 Riwoi 1—ritual, (P) ....................................................................................................201 Riwoi 2—ritual (P) .....................................................................................................202 Where Are the Soldiers—story, dance (P) ...............................................................204 Apula, Sorcerer—story, dance (P) .............................................................................205 The Baby Goat—story, dance (P) ..............................................................................214 Maiden in the Wilderness—story, dance (P) ...........................................................217 Greetings—parapara ritual (P) ..................................................................................220 Eko—parapara ritual (P) ............................................................................................220 The Gun—fighting song (T) ......................................................................................242 Son of Mole—story, dance (P) ...................................................................................248 Hyena and Vulture—song after killing (K) ..............................................................249 The Cattle Low—fighting song (P, K) ......................................................................253 Don’t Go to Turkana—fighting song (K) .................................................................253 Appealing Brother—story, dance (P) .......................................................................265

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PDF/outputs/ZC0256a.pdf; see also Ruto Phalya, Mohamud Adan and Isabella Masinde, Indig- cided to extract some maangaa (hardened sap) from a panyaret tree to eat. Little did I know that .. chemasas, a terrible name—the ultimate insult. This irked us, and finally, a man named Mirei took.
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