NyayejoCyanAyul_songTheBullOfHonour

Abstract

The recording at the center of this item is a Shilluk song. The dowry is ten cows. But after some years, if the married girl settles well in her new home, an extra bull is given to her parents. But the extended family of her husband must say that they are happy with her. The bull is decorated and a big bell is tied on its neck. The whole village take the bull and some other gifts like goats, spears and money to the girl’s parents. The parents of the girl make beer for their in-laws. The occasion is called "thyëk". Thyëg is a big feast. After thyëk, the two families are united. In this song, the composer is warning the mothers that they must discipline their daughters, so that they get the eleventh bull. And if the girls are not respecting their husbands, then the last bull will not go to their parents. The person named early on in the song, Pan Nyang, is the composer, Thabo Lapan. The song is about himself; he says that he will give the bull because his wife is good. Elsewhere in this collection, the topic of marriage in Shilluk culture is discussed in JohnsonOtorKwol_Marriage <http://hdl.handle.net/10283/472> (from a man’s perspective) and in NyathomThaboOdhong_SweetnessOfTheDrum <http://hdl.handle.net/10283/520> (from a woman’s perspective).