The Feather Of Glory (4)
“I hate something a man can’t swear of” Awar said. CHAPTER FOURTEEN As Madut had been away from the village for ten days in his death swearing judgment, many cases had been waiting for him. He was admired by his clan because of his talent and competence in dealing with social issues. One of the cases was between his cousin Majier and his wife. Majier had married. He had borne children with his wife Panjok. Majier was a notorious man and Madut supported him very much. Majier said “my father, my mother, my brother and my sister. If your bull, your he-goat, your he-sheep gets lost, do not look for it. It is meaningless. It belongs to the travelers.” When some people told madut this statement, he said that in every clan home there are good and bad people. Five days passed and Majier was caught slaughtering someone’s bull. He was beaten thoroughly and the bull was compensated with six cows. Madut himself gave one cow. Majier stole a child and went to sell him to a neighboring tribe for twenty-five cattle. People wondered where he had got the cattle from. The owner of the child went to the neighbouring tribe and found his child. He came and opened a case. All cattle were taken from Majier. When the clan complained to Madut about majier, he said every clan has thieves. Majiers wife opened a divorce case “I’m tired of Majier. Majier is poor, he does not dig in the farm, he beats me when he is drunk” the wife complained. “Have you heard Majier what your wife is saying?” asked Madut. “I have married this wife with thirty-six cattle” Majier said. “I am going away whether you have married with a hundred cattle or thirty …what! We are going to divide the children” the wife said. “Our law does not allow the division of children” Madut explained. However, madut with his chief power stopped the case that afternoon and in the evening went to Majier’s home. He persuaded Majier’s wife until she dropped her divorce case. This prompted one man to say “if there was no Madut in this clan many issues could have been going wrong. Thank god for Madut to be our chief”. After Majier’s wife’s case, came the Deng wife cousin to madut with Ringdit. It was the rainy season and cattle were released from the Pabiec enshrined cattle camp. The cattle moved into the farm of Nyang., Deng’s wife. Nyang took a horn and blew it. The cattle ran away from eating the sorghum in the farm. This action of the woman provoked Ringdit, the god of the clan. Ringdit called it Madut. “Whose wife chased my cattle away from her farm” Ringdit it asked. “Why has she done that?” Ringdit asked. “You know our father (Ringdit), women are always foolish” Madut said “She doesn’t know that I am the one who brings rain that they may sow the seed?” Ringdit revealed. “Forgive, my father” Madut prayed. “You know, my other gods in the village are loved, respected and feared because of their harshness and evilness to their ants (people)” Ringdit warned. “Long live my father, forgive, my father” Madut prayed. Madut the chief went to Deng and narrated to him what Ringdit was saying about his wife. The wife of Deng was a very stubborn woman. She said “ I don’t have cattle, my cattle are the sorghum. If I go to Ringdit, ask me” Madut advised Deng to go and apologies for what his wife had done. But Deng had failed to go and apologize. When the sorghum had been harvested and had been put in the granary, the granary burnt down from an unknown fire. After four days of the granaries burnt down, one of Deng’s children also died. Madut came to Deng and ordered him to give a bull and sacrifice it at Ringdit’s shrine in order to stop his anger. In the following year, cattle were released from pabiec and moved into the farm of another mancalled Chol. Chol’s wife when she saw cattle, she rushed into her hut and allowed the cattle to destroy her sorghum farm. She didn’t say anything. During the harvest Ringdit ordered Madut to collect sorghum in a basket from every hut in Akoi village. When the sorghum was stored at Ringdit’s shrine, he called Chol’s wife and told her that she was a good woman who knew that Ringdit was a good god and provider of everything. At a celebration at the end of the same year at Ringdit’s shrine, a bull was slaughtered. The dirty bull was skinned in the evening. It was put inside after some of it had been cut in parts prior to distribution in the next morning. One of the skinners called Mac cut a piece of meat in the darkness and put it somewhere near the door of the shrine hut while they put the meat in the shrine hut of Ringdit. After they had finished putting the meat, he picked a piece of meat. While on his way home, the meat twisted in his hand. When he scrutinized it, he found it was a fatty snake, because he missed the meat and picked the snake. He rushed back to the shrine praying “long live my grand father, forgive me. I will never repeat” and put the snake back where he picked it. In the morning Ringdit summoned Madut and Mac. “What did you do last night, mac?” Ringdit asked. “Long live my grandfather. I will never repeat” Mac prayed. “Tell Madut and these people what you have done last night” Ringdit ordered Mac to tell the incident. “People when we were putting the meat inside, I stole a piece of meat and I placed it at the door. When I was leaving I picked. When I was on the way home, I found it was a snake” Mac told them. “ When you stole you thought Ringdit our father was not looking at you?” Madut asked. “ He thought I don’t look at what they do.” Ringdit mocked him. “ You Mac, bring a bull to sooth our grandfather Ringdit” Madut ordered. “ Mac, Mac, Mac, you people I will finish, I will finish you if you don’t change your gluttonous heart and stop your thieving behavior” Ringdit warned. CHAPTER FIFTEEN During dry or rainy season, all people had been used to gathering at Madut’s Luak. If there were no cases to judge, Madut the chief could have been playing the Tokurou game. Or one of the elderly men could tell all sorts of stories of things that had happened. Stories that had many proverbs and sayings in the village had been drawn. As Madut luak had been all people, it occurred that nine magicians had gathered at the Luak one afternoon. “Who is the most powerful magician in Riet clan?” one magician asked. Each magician claimed that he was the most powerful one. The magicians agreed that they should test themselves to see who was the most powerful. The first magician said that they should meet in one place. Their calabashes were brought full of food. The first magician told the women to take the food to another Luak. When time came for eating, the first magician told his friends to go to the Luak where the food had been taken. The nine magicians went. When they were about to eat, the first magician said “ No, don’t start eating”. “Why?” asked another magician “We shall go back to Madut Luak” the first magician said “Who will carry the food there” another magician asked “Don’t mind of that. Leave that for me” the first magician said. They had returned to Madut’s Luak. The first magician stood up and pulled the food from the other Luak to Madut’s Luak. On the second day, the second magician struck his spear in the air and hung in the air for ten hours. It remained in the air until he removed it in the evening. On the third day, the third magician milked a young heifer which had never given birth until it gave out milk. On the fourth day, the fourth magician put cow dung on water in the pond. He crushed the cow dung in the water, he dried the cow dung in water, he burnt the dung in the evening. On the fifth day, the fifth magician brought a goat and he invoked his magic to kill the goat without a knife. He pleaded until the goat died. On the sixth day, the sixth magician stood before his friends, raised up one of his legs. There was lightening and thunder. All the eight magicians fell down and were fainted. On the seventh day, the seventh magician made rain pour on the other magicians’ herds and not on the whole cattle camps. On the eighth day, the eight magician made mosquitoes to bite other magician’s herds but the whole cattle camps were not affected by mosquitoes. On the ninth day, the ninth magician stopped all the other eight magicians from eating. The eight magician refused food for four days until they were about to die. Madut rushed to the ninth magician and told him that people are dying and the clan will be in disaster. The magician listened to Madut. “Eat your food my friends” said the ninth magician. CHAPTER SIXTEEN The in-laws of Lang had come to negotiate the bride price of their daughter Akec. Aleng was one of the poorest men of the Riet clan. The in-laws said they wanted their cattle. Leng had eloped with their daughter three years ago and there was no single hen that was paid. Madut the chief put his feather of glory on his head and called the clan members to assemble under the tamarind tree of Leng’s father home where his in-laws had been sitting very thirsty. It was a custom that in-laws could not drink or eat food at their daughters home if the washing of the mouth ritual was not performed that by giving the father in-law Alokthok cow. “You Leng’s parents, we need cattle.” The uncle of Akec said. “Your daughter’s husband has no cattle.” Said Leng’s uncle. “If there is no cattle, give us our daughter and her two children” the said. “NO. We can’t give her to you” another Leng’s uncle said. “No, we shall give our daughter to the man who will give us ten cattle”, said Akec’s uncle. “This man Leng is a good hearted man. Leave your daughter with him” Leng’s uncle requested. “His good heartedness means which cow?” Akec’s uncle asked. “Just give us our daughter with her children.” Akec’s parents continued demanding. Madut had seen the argument on the bride price negotiation was going out of hand. He stopped the talk and he told the guest (in-laws) to give an hour in order that they should think of what to do. “Good! Go!” one of the elders said. “That is what we want you to decide. One thing to give us the daughter, or cattle” another guest added. Madut walked away and the clan members followed him. They moved away from the in-laws. “You people of the Riet clan, Leng Ayol has no cattle, no goat, not even a hen. And you have seen what his in-laws are saying. What shall we do?” madut put it to the clan of Riet. “What shall we do? We shall do nothing. The owner of the wife must bring his one cow first and can encourage us to help him. If he can’t bring one cow, his wife will be given back to her parents” one of the Riet clansmen said. “No. If we give them their daughter, who is our wife? It would put shameful story and evil proverb on our clan. Other clans may abuse us and our children.” Another elder said. “It had been said that if you get a ripening gourd fallen down, rise it up because you will you it for drinking water. If you get the son of man fallen down, don’t rise him up, he may kill you in future” another elder urged. “Those who help themselves are those who are united. Helping each other maintains relationships in families, in the lineage and the clan as a whole. I contribute four cows and a bull” Madut said. All the clan members burst into clapping their hands for what their chief had done. “I contribute two cows” Manut Wol announced also. Many more members of the clan had contributed other three cows that gave a total of ten cattle. The Riet clan returned to Leng’s in-laws, gave in their ten cattle, and a bull was slaughtered and eaten as a blessing to Leng’s wife – that Biol bull. After six months, it was found that Leng had committed adultery with the wife of an Aror clansman. The case was taken to the court tree. Leng was fined seven cattle and he had no cattle. All his Riet clan members refused to attend the hearing. “That dog Leng is mad” one man said. “Recently we saved his wife from being taken and he has done this again” another man said. Madut the chief even refused to attend the hearing. Leng was given a deadline to pay seven cattle. Seven days passed and Leng didn’t pay any cow. Leng was taken back to the court tree. The owner of the wife Ayom Ayac and his brothers demanded that if Leng could not bring the cattle within the next three days, they would do one of the two conditions. Condition one, the wife of Leng be brought to the court tree and should be allowed to sleep with Ayom Ayac who Leng slept with his wife. Condition two, they should castrate Leng and cut his ears off. This shocking of chilling story spread to all the clans. That evening, madut was sitting with his wife Abuk and she asked of Leng’s case and Ayom Ayak. Madut said that he could not do anything. His wife, Abuk said “don’t forsake your people in bad times and difficult moments.” In the morning Madut called the clan to discuss leng’s case. Madut said my people in every clan, there are bad and good people. Every community has its own wickedness but is covered up by the glory, honesty and pride of the community. We can’t allow one of our men or women to be humiliated, Madut paid seven cattle alone. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Madut Kuol’s four wives had been bearing him many children, fourteen sons and eight daughters. His eldest son Ajieng was by his first wife Abuk. His eldest daughter Akon by Abuk had just been married. The husband to Akon gave forty five cattle including a bull to the father of the daughter, Madut. Madut moved to the cattle camp for the first time in many years. He had gone to the cattle camp to rear his new cattle brought by his daughter. He sharpened the horns of his bull so that his bull could pierce the other bulls well. He groomed his cattle while singing. Every evening Madut had been going to look for wine. He was going to drink with his oldest friends of other clans and villages. These friends were Deng Mawut, Mayuol Kon, Alier Abung, Mattieng Mac. When they were drank they started narrating clever and funny stories. Old brave grandfathers of each clan. From there they could move to other libelous songs sang satirically against some clans and ridiculous stories narrated as a mockery to other clans. “Madut, do you have cattle?” Alier asked. “Why not?” Madut answered. “You have cattle. You were just brought up on the pond in the village. You have never been in a cattle camp since you were born” Alier said. Madut made long laughing and said “I bought a bull for ten cows until the poor looked with cold, cold, cold eyes.” Madut was referring to the bull he bought in his youth. “Have you ever bought a bull?” Madut asked “I can’t buy a bull. I don’t have ugly cows that are going to be changed to beauty. A man who has ugly cows buys a bull to change his cows’ stomachs to give birth to beautiful cattle” Alier said. “How many men from your clan have been marrying with one hundred cattle as bride price?” Madut asked. “You are just a fisherman” Madut added. There was a fisherman standing behind them. “Why do you mention a fisherman?” the fisherman asked. “You go away fisherman. Go and talk to farmers. This is a cattlemen’s conversation. Do you have cattle?” Madut asked. “Who have you ever seen giving fish as bride price among the fishermen. You are just pouring water on your face and some of men from cattle keeping clans have their wives being taken away with their children because they don’t have cattle. Take this fisherman way. I can’t talk with him.” Madut urged. “My clan is a clan of beauties. Every good thing is found in my clan. If a girl wanted a most handsome man, she comes to my clan. That’s why girls always say if you are not engaged by a man from Riet clan you would wish you were not born or the god might hate you. And if a man is looking for the most beautiful girl, he comes to Riet clan. That is why the men say that is you haven’t engaged a girl from the riet clan, you haven’t engaged any girl on earth.” “I hate a liar, Madut you are a liar!” Alier said. “How many children do I have? And how many children do you have? How many cattle herds do I have and how many cattle herds do you have? How many people does my clan have? And how many people does your clan have?” Madut poured these questions to Alier. “I will not tell you the number of my people. That evil witching thought is a death wish for my clan because of the jealousy from your heart” Alier said. Other friends stopped Madut and Alier from arguments. At that point they departed to their respective places. In the following morning of the argument day, the girl engaged by Madut’s son Ajieng came and said she loved Ajieng and she wanted to be married by Ajieng, but Ajieng refused her. The parents of the girl came for bride price negotiations but the payments didn’t take place because Ajieng had refused to marry the girl. “Why do you refuse my daughter, madut and Ajieng?” Anyang Lual, the father of the girl asked. “There is a relationship between us and you now. If the relationship had not reached sixth generation people, we can’t marry from that relation. You know the result of marrying among related people kills”. “Tell me that relationship. Is it from me or from my wife?” Anyang asked
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