Daily Life as Poetry: The Meaning of the Pastoral Songs of the ...

HAZA.MA: Daily Life as Poetry 37
[Song: Raiding 2]
e.foko kona akirworo a ngikakasikou.
aramu nyakirebe epolo Lotwalatwalameri 1 •
Lokwangfil topupi ngakiro ata papa, ata papa,
Makuk1.
ebala papa a Mangate 4 taramu ngaatuk anariyiete.
Angolia 5 topupi ngakiro ana.fore.
ana.fore ata Lomilio 6 , abasi inyakete oguma ngimoe
kibinoko
It's good now to be talking with my old men.
The army has driven Lotwalatwalameri already
big.
Lokwang, take heed of the words of the father,
of the father, Makuk.
The father of Mangat said, "Raid the animals
from foreign areas."
Angoli, take heed of the words of the army.
The army of Lomilo said, "While running
up and down, let's shoot against enemies"
speaking.
1
Ox name: small spotted markings
2
Friend Its name
3
Friend B's name
4
Younger brother's name
5
In-law's name
6
Friend Its name
livestock
118
At the most abstract level, the structure of the lyrics demonstrates a general tendency to refer to
collaborative activities involving the composer and others, in addition to referring to the names of
individual livestock. At first glance, comparisons among songs about only livestock, human beings,
or places underscored the prominence of songs centered only on livestock (Fig. 3). However, the
vast majority of songs associate livestock with human beings and places; that is, specific livestock are
positioned in specific places that also include people.
An ethnomusicologist who conducted field research in northeastern Uganda during the 1960s
noted that composers sang about personal events in ox songs and that singing the composition satishuman
beings
44
places
14
Fig. 3. Number of Songs referring to livestock, human beings, and places