The Feather Of Glory (6) Maker Magar was buried with forty five pieces of elephant grass. His brothers tried to take revenge against Biar but they failed many times. After six months, Magar, Madut and clan members went to Atuk clan for the compensation of Maker. Atuk clan refused to pay fifty cattle as compensation. The Riet clan returned to their Akoi village. A meeting was held to discuss what would be done but it ended without a concrete decision. Another month passed and nothing was done about Maker�s problem. There were no cattle given as compensation and no avenged his soul. In Boralian tribe, there are two ways of solving a murder case-compensation or revenge. The women of Riet clan had realized that the men had failed about Maker�s case. All the women in Akoi village didn�t cook one evening. When the men asked them, �We didn�t cook because we were in the meeting discussing how to handle Maker�s case.� Abuk told her Madut. This provoked Madut Kuol the chief of Akoi village into calling a clan meeting and passing an ultimatum of ten days to Atuk clan to pay fifty cattle or face a fatal war. Atuk clan replied that Riet clan had been doing evils to other clans on the land of Boralian people. �We are the same people, how can Riet clan say they are brave. We shall show them strength and courage.� Madut and the clan were now facing a difficult decision but Madut�s son said they were ready for war. They sent a messenger with this message �Riet clan hates the lie, it is better to be bitten by snake than to tell a lie. Let your wives shave their hair and start mourning early so you will see how deeply they will mourn you, take part in your funeral rite. so Atuk clan mentioned days the clan would fight, and which place the war would be fought. And give the massager to return this message to Riet clan �by thunder striking Atukclan dodge the spear and an arrow. If we don�t chase you the anuses will full down from each Atuk clan man. If you chase Aluk clan, that will only message that the Atuk clan chief will take to dead mother� It was agreed that the battle would be fought at the cattle camp ground between the two clans. Four days were given for each clan to prepare itself for the battle. After four days, the two clans met on the cattle camp ground. They were carrying sharp spears and shields. The war organizer came from Abung clan. Alen Mathiang and briefed each clan. He said, each clan must line up facing another. Each man must know the man he is fighting from another clan. After the two clans lined facing each other, the war organizers broke the shaft and he moved between the two clans and they �started fighting.� Riet clan speared, Riet clan killed forty-five men from Atuk clan. Atuk clan ran away. Forty five man were killed, forty five men were the number of the pieces of an elephant grass that was buried with Maker by his father Magar. Atuk clan buried his people. After twelve months mourning, all thirty five of Baralian tribe gathered and declared war against Riet clan or they compensate the forty five men they killed from Atuk clan. Riet clan had been accused by doing many bad things. Madut Kuol went to negotiate with the chiefs of the thirty five until they agreed the compensation. The compensation was made each man compensated with fifty one cattle. Riet clan became poorer and poorer. CHAPTER TWENTY ONE After the compensation, the tails of horses and buffaloes that were fastened at the horns of bulls were taken to Luak. Gongs and thong-lassoed and palmettoed were taken to Luak also. Old men and children were taken home to eat sorghum food. The whole of Akoi village was in miserable life. They had no cattle. Every man went to their relatives, daughters and aunts� homes to bring cows that could be milked to their children and the elderly. Wel Mac invited Madut to his home village. He slaughtered a goat for his old friend. They had eaten their goat. Wel�s wife brought sorghum wine. They drank their wine. They discussed many burning issues including the poverty that was prevailing in Riet clan. �You know friend, the old women tell the stories of love to their children. How they were engaged by handsome men. How much they loved them. The old men tell the stories-the victory stories of the wars they had been fighting in their youth-indeed men always converse of war and women always converse of love that is why there is a Boralian proverb �men are great warriors and women are great lovers� Wel explained. �That is true if you have never been to one of the greatest battles, nothing good you can tell the children when you become old.� Madut said. �You know I have not given up my dream you had rejected some years ago?� Wel said �Which dream?� Madut asked. �Taking war to neighbouring tribe.� Wel said �An ouch of foolish decision or action is as powerful as an earth quake. It explodes like a volcano, smoking out the lives of people and humiliated the society of the tongue that pronounced it and ouch of wise decision could save million lives and exulted the society the tongue that pronounced.� Madut explained. �Exactly friend, this decision will save your clan from cycle of poverty, we shall bring cattle to replace with the cattle you paid in compensation to the useless poor Atuk clan.� Wel said. �I have never been defeated and the side I am in is always victorious, I shall go back and tell my people about the war.� Madut said. Madut Kuol put on his feather of glory and left, he informed his people about the war. He explained that, big poverty they had would be alleviated by the cattle they would raid from neighbouring tribe of Apinyding. He had sent a messenger back to Wel Mac that the war would be taken after fifteen days. Madut brought a bull and gave it to Ringdit to clean up the path to the war. It was on first of the ninth moon of the year. The service-ant had bumped the drum to every morning. The youth warriors jumped in with different kinds of decoration on their bodies. They were singing doxologies. Their feet were shuffling and their legs were clanking. The gongs on were neng and tinkled. The cloud of dust darkened the shrine. The elders punctuated drum tone with long live eulogies and war slogans!! �We worship our Ringdit with blood.� The elders said. One of the elders invoked and the multitude of men, women and children murmured thundering �Naluka hie�. Suddenly, the magician was wobbled by the holy power of Ringdit, the compassionate heart and said, �This is the beginning of the war, you will fight well and bring a lot of cattle and the smoke of my cattle will spiral up and be by many clans.� The magician branded the wand to the bull, the giant bull urinated. Urinating of the bull was a sign of divine acceptance by Ringdit. Urine was the purification water for many social indecencies, sins and problems. The magician mixed the urine with sand and smeared the mixture on the fore head and toes of the youth warriors. Then the bull was buffeted and was butchered by the Ringdit shrine butchers and the elderly women crawled in with pots of water as liberation, the magician spate saliva in the water and he sprayed the crowd with the water. He also sprayed the cud of the bull over youth warriors. The sun set and they dance continues. The youth warrior were hooting and hooting horns in happiness, there was drumming and drumming of drum that night. When the day was about to break, Ringdit called in Madut. �My son, what you thought is a noble thought. Go and bring the cattle.� Ringdit said. �Long live my father.� What about the children, are they coming back safely?� Madut asked. �There is no war ever fought without some people dying in the battle field.� Ringdit told him. �Unless I must do some thing �Ringdit said. �Do it my father.� Madut said. �One must go and die in the battle, and I need him.� Ringdit said. �I Madut kuol, I have seven sons, I will be the one to die in the battle field. I mist die so that my youth warriors come back safely and with cattle.� Madut made a sacrifice. �Call in for Wuol Kuek.� Ringdit said. Wuol was summoned. �Long live my father I am here.� Wuolsaid. �Wuol, tomorrow when the youth warriors are leaving for the war, you take the white bull and slaughter and all the youth warriors must hurdle the bull and they must pass between your legs.� Ringdit said. �Madut must not hurdle the bull; he must not jump over the bull and must not pass between your legs.� Ringdit added, �You must note this seriously�. Madut told the elders not to tell the prophesy of his death to his sons or wives. When the youth warrior jumped over the white bull in the morning, Mabior the son of Madut asked his father why he was not jumping the bull. �I will tell you Mabior the secret when we come back from the war.� The youth warrior had walked for three days and they reached Ampinyding. The war was fought. There were two clans who went to raid cattle, they were Wel Mac and Madut Kuol�s clans. Eight men from Wel�s clan were killed and Wel himself came back. There was no one killed in Madu�s clan. Only Madut was killed. Many cattle were brought. CHAPTER TWENTY TWO The thousands of raided cattle stirred the as they were approaching Akoi. The women saw the dust and they came in jubilation to welcome their youth warriors. The youth warriors had thatched themselves with gar and leaves. They were gamboling, singing victory songs. The mothers, wives and sisters of the youth warriors ran out singing and joyfully crying sweet ululation. They mixed up with the youth warriors. They were cheering, worshiping, kissing, hailing, praising, honoring, adoring and glorifying the youth warriors with undying love for their bravery and mighty on earth Abuk Deng noticed immediately that Madut Kuol her husband was not among the people coming from the war. �Where is Madut?� Abuk inquired. �He is coming� some one answered. Abuk suddenly fell down in shock. When men came back from war, they didn�t say so and so is killed, they just said, they were coming. Abuk was taken to her home by the women. �Madut had died in honourable way. If he died peacefully, and buried at the left side of his hut, it would have been a disgrace to him, his family, and entire community.� his brother Nyok Kat said. �I wish I knew when Madut was taking his feather of glory I could have gone and die with him.� Abuk stated. �What I hate most Madut died I didn�t was him and buried him in a dignified way. He was eaten by wild creatures.� Ameer his other wife said. �Great and brave die that way.� One of the community elders said. �Madut have many children a man who is mourned so much is the childless man.� Another elder said. Four bulls were slaughtered each bull represented each of the four wives. All his family members� hair was shaved except unmarried daughters. His four wives put on black skins. After six months, four bulls were slaughtered for the final funeral rite. The black skins were removed from the wives. Nhai Bior the cousin of Madut stood up and said, �Marriage is second birth of man. That is why every child must marry whether he is dead or alive. If the first born son passes away, his second brother must marry a wife for him first and then he marries his own wife later. If your son brother died, you must take on his wife to produce children for him, his wife must not be divorced. If your father is too old and he has his young wife, you must take over his wife to produce children for him. If you have two wives and one is childless, the son of the other wife must marry a wife for her. All things are done in order the names of the people don�t perish.� The wives of Madut were given a choice to choose among the sons of Madut and brothers of Madut, the eldest son of Abuk said that, �No son of Madut shall sleep with his father�s wife. I can�t take my father�s wife when my uncles are there.� The first chance was given to Abuk Deng to choose her new husband. �I will never choose.� Abuk Deng said. Madut Kuol has not died. He had gone to prepare my home down. I will meet him soon down or in the evening at Kiir shrine cattle camps where the holy and brave dead come and drink milk. I don�t want any man to go to my hut as my husband. On 11-7-7051 R.C.P I met Madut Kuol at the dance ground �outside the bed, it had been taking the man (Madut) whom I love six hundred and seventy five days to kiss me�. On 11-7-7069 R.C.P he married me, �inside the bed, the man (Madut) whom I loved had been giving me a very non breathing, non stop kiss for two thousand four hundred and thirty day� until the day he put on his �feather of glory� and went to war. Should I learn about the prophesy of Ringdit about Madut�s death, I would have been going to war and die with him. If it is children, I have them. If it is happiness, it has ended. Nothing I want from men again.� Abuk explained and sat down. Other three wives chose their new husbands. CHARPTER TWENTY THREE After the death of Madut Kuol, Abuk Deng had taken two responsibilities of mother and father. The new husbands chosen by the three wives of Madut were just children producers only. The major decision of Madut�s home were made by Abukdit. The suffix after Abuk�s name was added due to her old age. The suffix dit was always added to differentiate the children of the same father who had the same name. If a cow is given to Madut from bride cattle of Riet clan because of his chiefness of the clan, Abuk was the one to give to other wives. Other wives had to wait. Abuk taught the children and grandchildren of Madut many things like dangerousness of the tailed human, spelluord, adultery of related people. If the cattle was slaughtered the head belonged to the man. The head was not given out, it could bring back luck that man could get cattle. If the bull was slaughtered, there are some pieces of meat were given to some clan members and lineages. This was to maintain relationship. One would give bones to enemies. Abuk told her daughters that let you not be deceived by men with strong tongues and cunning eyes. Some families had long stories of poverty, so they should bring hungers to his orphanage family. One night, an engagement man of her co-wife�s daughter came. When the man was leaving in the morning, Abuk stopped her step-daughter and her would be husband. �Who�s an engaged man is this?� Abuk asked. �Mine mother.� The daughter answered. �You daughters, don�t bring insults to the family of Madut Kuol, what he has not done is known by God. Why do you let your self to be engaged by an ugliest man? Why don�t you let your self be engaged by those of Chan Lual?� Abuk said. The man smiled and walked away when he heard the name Chan Luak. Her step- daughter escorted the man. The step-daughters started laughing . �Why do you laugh? Let the truth be told.� Abukdit said. �That was chan Luak mother.� One of the daughters said. �The famous Chan Luak, he is not the one.� Abuk said. When her step-daughter returned, she said the same that was Chan Luak. �Why is he much famous?� Abuk asked. �Because he sing nice songs.� Her step-daughter said. Chan Luak was so angry with her mother-in law�s words. He struggled until he married the step-daughter of Abuk. After the daughter gave birth to two children. Chan Luak came and visited his mother-in-law. His mother-in-law gave him a mat he sat on. His mother-in-law asked him about her daughter. Chan said that she was fine but had stolen sorghum from her neighbour�s farm. Abuk was greatly disturbed by this vice her daughter did. She called other wives of Madut , went to their daughter, they found that their daughter didn�t steal any sorghum. Abuk started wailing loudly, the people and in-laws came and asked why the mother-in-law of Chan was crying. She told them that Chan went to and told her that her daughter had stolen sorghum from her neighbour�s farm. �This children, we brought them up with my husband Madut Kuol, they didn�t know hunge.� Abuk said. One of the elders persuaded Abuk to stop crying he said there was a way such a problem would be solved. �You break of one taboos against your in-laws you give a cow as a sign of respect. You should give your mother-in-law a cow.� The elder said. Before I married her daughter, she abused me that I was the ugliest man.� Chan said. �Don�t talk as if you�re not a man. The elders said. �You have committed an indecent thing.� The elders said. CHARPTER TWENTY FOUR Abuk de Deng had grown much older and older. She had lost her memories about every thing. Her sons had all married. Her daughters had all been married either. Her cattle had increased, she had twelve herds of cattle. She was not recognizing any one including his own sons. If one of his sons came to her and greeted her, she would ask him �Which child are you?� Abuk could ask �I am Kuol Madut?� The son of might say so. �Kuol Madut, which Madut?� Abuk asked. �I am your son.� The son says so. �I am old though I am not blind I don�t see well.� Abuk said. Abuk was like a baby. She could not eat food or drink milk any more. She was not able to walk or crawl. Her children-sons and daughters met and decided to end her life in dusting ceremony. A great deal of food was prepared as well as wine. Her children invited the thirty five clans of Boralian tribe. After the people had gathered, her eldest son introduced the subject matter. �Our Abudit is great woman on earth. We love her so much. Today although she is not dead, we are going to her blessing with her. We are going to make her join our father Madut Dow. Blessing and peace be upon our beloved mother.� Her step-son said as he started beating the drum. The song of dance was put and all people started dancing. The dancers stirred up the happy dust on the floor. Abukdit was brought out from her hut by the sons and followed by her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in songs of praise and she was taken to the centre of dance. She shocked to death by the happy dust stirred up by the dancers. Her grave was dug up quickly she was washed with savory milk and she was cleaned up with fresh milk, she was buried and people danced on her grave until it became leveled. It was until it appeared as nobody was buried there. Forty cattle were slaughtered on the grave. No one shaved the hair and nobody mourned. It was a mourning celebration which the people of Riet clan had been enjoyed in eating food and drinking wine.
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