1 TALUBE KAIBONO KUYANGA BOLEWA [CUSTOMS OF ...

TALUBE KAIBONO KUYANGA BOLEWA
[CUSTOMS OF MARRIAGE OF A VIRGIN AMONG THE BOLES]
Madu Bah, Malam Baba Ali, Alhaji Maina Gimba
(Alíadun Aure da Haihuwa a Alíummun Yobe [Customs of Marriage and Birth among Yobe Peoples], Yobe Languages Research
Project, 2002, pages 9-12)
AdH_BoA
000 TALUBE KAIBONO KUYANGA BOLEWA CUSTOMS OF MARRIAGE OF A VIRGIN AMONG THE BOLES
001 Ba lawo gorzo ala soni kaibono, If a boy reaches the age for marriage,
002 boni a ndina gama boti lawo mondu la ita ke manattu bobinto his father will go to the father of a girl that has achieved her
marriageable age
003 mana ba attus soni dir bai ba ma le soni dir kunum ba dir poo, such as if she has reached 15 or 13 or 14, and he will ask (about
loe.
having her as a wife for his son).
004 Lawo gorzo ye a ina mbosa ga lawo mondu ye sa har ai kaibono ye. The boy will not speak with the girl until one concludes the marriage.
005 Ba boti lawo mondu ye loutuwo, If the girl’s father responds (favorably),
006 dashit, boti gorzo ye a pora in lawoni na, well, the father of the boy will say to his son,
007 ìMu íyuwankanti bati Wane bo monduko.î “We have gotten you the daughter of So-and-So for your wife.”
008 Boi eme bowu ye a ele gabaga la a meneti ina sua ga bani mondu After that the father will bring cloth that suffices for making a gown
ye,
at the house of the girl’s family,
009 a esho na ìgabaga bentelî. it is called gabaga bentel.
010 Ko tene bolo ga memu la a patako bo na ishi ndolta ga kaibono sa. From that time there will be no person who emerges to say that he
wants her in marriage.
011 Ita a owa ga ga íyushe lawo gorzo ye har soni bolou ba kunum. She will remain in the hands of the boy for as long as two or three
years.
012 Jajin emei ye, le are salla ajimi yalla ba ma salla laya, During that time, at any festival for Id el Fitr or Id el Kabir,
013 bani gorzo ye a kosa karai gunyo mim mor ga sabul solo ga soso the household of the boy will collect girl’s things like body cream and
soap and sponges,
Bole, Marriage 1

014 a ele in lawo mondu ye. and they will take them to the girl.
015 Ba bani gorzo ye ndolan ngorti kaibono lawosu, When the household of the boy wants to perform the marriage of their
son,
016 dashi, boti gorzo ye a ndina loe bani mondu ye. well, the father of the boy will go and ask the household of the girl.
017 Ba i ke le ma yermati boti gorzo ye a ndina bo lou ye. It may be that a close friend of the boy’s father will go for the asking.
018 Bani mondu ye a porani na mate a ina shawari. The household of the girl will tell hiim that they will discuss it.
019 Boi ba mate an shawari ye, a zako ga bani lawo gorzo ye After they have discussed it, they send to the household of the boy
020 ga ko ba a ngorati, ba ma a nzemte in dom. about whether they will perform it or whether they will move it ahead.
021 Ba a ngorati, dashi, bani gorzo ye a ndina zai poti ngora ye. If they are going to perform it, well, the household of the boy will go
to set the day of the performing.
022 Ngora Kaibono Performing the Marriage
022 Poti ngora kaibono ye gorzo a ona kom, ba temshi On the day for performing the marriage, the boy gives a cow or a
sheep
023 ba ma ewe rewe dibino in lawo mondu ye bo sadakito. or he indicates a date palm for the girl for her bride price.
024 Boti mondu ye ke a ona temshi The father of the girl will give a sheep
025 ba ma ewe rewe dibino bo in banni za yane kaibono ngori. or he will show a date palm for his daughter, and then the marriage is
settled.
026 A ono tagarda gidi ga goro ba ma dibino in malum la a ngora They give writing paper and kolas or dates to the Malam who will
kaibono ye.
perform the marriage.
027 Boi kume sadaki ko bani boti lawo gorzo ga boti lawo mondu After hearing the bride price from the household of the father of the
boy and the father of the girl
028 ga ke ona tagarda gidi ga goro ba ma dibino in malum ye, and too the giving of the writing paper and kolas or dates to the Malam,
029 dashi, malum ye ngori kaibono ye ga dom luwar gorzo ga luwar then the Malam performs the marriage in front of the boy’s
mondu.
representative and the girl’s representative.
030 Molti boti lawo gorzo a owa luwar gorzo ye ishi, It is the younger brother of the boy’s father who becomes the boy’s
representative,
031 ita mondu ke molti boto a owa luwarto. she too the girl, the younger brother of her father is her representative.
032 Ba sadaki mondu ye kom ba temshi If the bride price of the girl is a cow or a sheep
Bole, Marriage 2

033 a eleto ga ji zani ga kom ba ma temshi ye ga bani mozito. they will take her together with the cow or sheep to her husband’s
house.
034 Ba sadaki ye rewe dibino, a eweto rewe dibino ye boi eleto ga
bonto.
035 Ba ngoran kaibono ye, mondu ye a suna ga bonsu sa kapa bani
mozito.
If the bride price is a date palm, they will show her the date palm after
they have taken her to her house.
After the marriage is performed, the girl does not spend the night at
her father’s house, just at her husband’s house.
036 Rina Bin “Entering the House” [Taking of the Wedding Gifts]
037 Rina Bin ga bo Bolewa ye jirni kunum: andi rina bin, ga íyuwa “Entering the House” in the Bole realm is of three types: there is
sara, ga goshiya.
“entering the house” (itself), “grasping the hand” and “goshiya”.
038 Rina bin: Bani mondu a jowwa karai la a eledi bassu. “Entering the House”: The household of the girl will seek out goods
with which they will take their daughter.
039 Karai ye mana min jampololo, min ngazar-ngazar min patarakusu The goods are things like jampololo pots, ngazar-ngazar pots,
min kula majijji, min kumba, min kindai, min buri, min tuma, min patarakusu pots, majijji gourds, faifais, woven baskets, water pots,
kotum bo tina otto gorzo ye.
mortars, and food bowls for eating of tuwo by the husband.
040 Andi ke min danda, min bini, min reen ga lariya satta. There are things like pestles, grinding stones, cooking tripods, and
sifters.
041 Bani mondu ye jam a ele lipira ga jonto ga jankar bawulo bo mbissa As for the household of the girl, they bring needles and axes, and
in sobawati gorzo ye.
seven spears for distribution to the friends of the husband.
042 Jam a ona adi, ga kirim ga goji ga jaa ga aska ga messe karai ruta Moreover they will give knives and tweezers and sickles and hoes
bo in gorzo ye.
and razors and remaining work tools for the husband.
043 Bani gorzo ke a kere oshi ba ma uwwa, The household of the husband will slaughter one or several goats,
044 ondi dawuna manda bo inka otto wuníyo. and they also give a bowl of salt for cooking tuwon wun’yo.
045 Eme a ishe ye, bolo ba elentun mondu ye ga bani mozito (poti rina This, one does it when one brings the bride to the house of her
husband (the day of “entering the hut”).
bin ye).
046 A ona íyam maina ye in miíyíyati mondu ye. One gives these things to the people (associated with) the girl.
047 Mate yane a inka otto wuníyo ga lo ga manda zan la bani gorzo
elengo ye.
They too will cook tuwon wun’yo and meat with the salt that the
boy’s household brought.
048 Mate a inka min wasa min otto damasar. They cook things like wasa-wasa [a coarse tuwo] and maize tuwo.
Bole, Marriage 3

049 Ba inkango ye, a poa kaaki dir bolou ko gani in miíyíyati gorzo
ye.
When they have cooked it, they will bring out 12 serving calabash
bowls of it for the people (associated with) the husband.
050 Messe otto ye a ona in gorzo ye ishi mbisse in sobawani. The remainder of the tuwo they give to the husband so that he might
distribute it to his friends.
051 A tina dom ga inko ye kapa somboi bawulo. They continue with the cooking up to seven days.
052 Anin gompo ke a ji rukua gumba ga min bare min jakkutu. As for the revelers, they go at it with gumba dancing and (dances
like) bare and jakkutu.
053 Otto la a inka ko boi zala rina bin ye, kaakini ye, a zala kaso, The food that they cook after beginning “entering the house”, its
serving calabash bowls, it will begin to get smaller (in amount)
054 ko ko dir bolou in poti juta rina bin ye, bolo a inka min kaaki
basshimoi,
from the 12 on the first day of “entering the house”, then they will
cook something like seven bowls,
055 min kaaki poo, har ele ga ji kaaki bolou ba ma moi (then) around four bowls, until it reaches down to one or two bowls
056 inko miíyya ye a zala lekita jisu ko boi somboi in bo dom ye. because the people will start to disperse after the first day.
057 Potim bawulo ye a duwa denje bie dawwo. The seventh day they will mix fura bid'e dawwo [fura of undoing
pants].
058 Ba antun íyan maine ye a da mondu ye ga girzato ko bonsu mana
moleto.
059 Moji ke ga girzani ko bonsu mana moleni. The husband too has his helpter from their (groom’s parents’) house
such as his younger brother.
060 Dande ye a owa har somboi bawulo ba ma somboi dir poo. The children [helpers] will stay up to seven or eight days.
061 Ba antun somboi maine ye, When they have spent these days,
062 gorzo ye a onasu shap íyalla ishi gituwoyi mate ndidi bonsu. the husband will give them whatever he is capable of, and they will
go back home.
063 íYuwa sara: íYalla shap a ina in lou ga ga kaibono rina bin ke a
ina ga tene
064 kapa de, ba ndin bo ele mondu ga binto, a ina ga rina bin sa. except that when when one goes to take the bride to her house, they
do not do the “entereing the house” activities.
065 A kosato karai inkoto ga karai rutato mana min kula ga kotum tina The will gather her the things for her work like calabashes and food
otto mozito.
bowls for her husband to at tuwo from.
When these things have been done, they will leave the girl with her
helper from their (the girl’s parents’) house, such as her younger sister.
Catching the hand: Whatever one does having to do with the question
of marriage with “entering the hut”, it is done here
Bole, Marriage 4

066 Poti ndakintango, a inato inko, dashi, mbisse in miíyíya ke On the day of her coming, they will cook for her and then serve out to
the people,
067 owwo, lelo lekite deito ga girzato. but that’s it, everyone disperses and leaves her with her helper.
068 Boi somboi bawulo ba ma somboi dir poo ke girza ye a mena After seven or 14 days the helper too will go back to her parents’
jito bonsu.
house.
069 Ba girza ye a ji mena bonsu ye, gorzo ye ke a onato íyalla sani When the helper is going to go back to their household, the husband
íyuwoyi.
gives her whatever he can [the thing that his hand holds].
070 Ba antum mamme, boi soni moi ba bolou yane, When they have done it like that, after a year or two,
071 ito rina binto mana la a isho le yalla. then they do her [the bride] “entering the house” like the one where
they do everything.
072 Goshiya: Kaibono eme ke a isho mana in ga rina bin ga íyuwa sara Goshiya: This (type of) marriage is done like that of “entering the
ye.
house” and “catching the hand”.
073 A isho ke inko poti ele mondu ga bani mozito ga karai shim-shim. They too do cooking on the day for takng the girl to her husband’s
house (but) with small amounts of goods.
074 Yane ke ga girzato mana in ga rina bin ga íyuwa sara ye And also there is her helper like that of “entering the house” and
“catching the hand”
075 kapa de emei ye bolo ga rina bin sa. except that this one, there is no “entering the hut” celebration.
076 Moto Kaibono Divorce [Death of Marriage]
077 Ga bo Bolewa, kaibono a mota sa Among the Boles, a marriage does not die
078 kapa ba gorzo ye ba ma bani gorzo ye kinan zowwa tishi in mondu except when the husband or the household of the husband(’s parents)
fail to seek out food for the wife,
ye,
079 ba ma gorzo ye ga ga dowwo sa. or the husband is impotent [he does not have “inside the pants”].
080 Ba gorzo ga mondu an washi, mondu ye a jina bani luwarto. If a man and his wife have a fight, the wife will run off to the house
of her representative.
081 Ba ita a bani luwarto ye boti gorzo ye ba ma molti gorzo ye, ba ma
bati gorzo ye a oppa mondu ye.
082 Mai kala gorzo ye a ndina ga sobani. For some people the husband will go with his friend.
083 Sobani ye a ina mbosa ye ishi gorzo ye a gononi. His friend will speak and he, the husband, will remain silent.
If she is at the home of her representative, the father of the husband or
the husband’s younger brother will pursue the woman.
Bole, Marriage 5

084 Le bani mondu ye porani le soba ye a kona ga ko gorzo ye. Whatever the (people of the) house of the wife say to him, the friend
will take as being the fault of the husband [take it on the head of…]
085 Ba a ji matato ga bonsu, a inato biiki ita ndidi bonto. If she is to be returned to their house, one makes flour for hre and she
goes home with it.
086 Ba ango-ango bo rama kaibono ye kinango yane gorzo a ussa
mondu ye.
If they try and try to fix the marriage (but) fail, the husband divorces
the woman.
Bole, Marriage 6