RED—SPOTTED OX a Pokot Life As collected, translated and edited by Pat Robbins IWGIA Document 124 Copenhagen 2010 RED-SPOTTED OX A Pokot Life Author: Pat Robbins Copyright: The author and IWGIA — 2010 — All Rights Reserved Editorial Production: Marianne Wiben Jensen Cover and layout: Jorge Monrás Proofreading: Diana Vinding Prepress and Print: Eks-Skolens Trykkeri, Copenhagen, Denmark ISBN: 978-87-91563-70-6 ISSN: 0105-4503 HURIDOCS CIP DATA Title: Red-Spotted Ox — A Pokot Life Editor: Robbins, Pat Corporate editor: IWGIA Place of publication: Copenhagen, Denmark Publisher: IWGIA Distributors: Europe: IWGIA, Classensgade 11E, DK Copenhagen 2100—www.iwgia.org North America: Transaction Publishers, 390 Campus Drive, Somerset, New Jersey 08873—www.transactionpub.com Date of Publication: 2010 Pages: 396 p. — ill. — map Reference to series: IWGIA Document Series, no. 124 Note: Autobiography of a Pokot pastoralist ISBN: 978-87-91563-70-6 ISSN: 0105-4503 Language: English Bibliography: Yes Index terms: Indigenous peoples/Pastoralists/Pokot/traditions/changes Geographical area: East Africa (Kenya and Uganda) Geographical code: 5200 INTERNATIONAL WORK GROUP FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS Classensgade 11 E, DK 2100 - Copenhagen, Denmark Tel: (45) 35 27 05 00 - Fax: (45) 35 27 05 07 E-mail: [email protected] - Web: www.iwgia.org In memory of my beloved mother, Martha, who believed in me. For Larry, my cherished companion in Africa and in life. CONTENTS FOREWORD by Robert K. Hitchcock ................................................................... xiv PREFACE by Pat Robbins ....................................................................................... xxii Domonguria — About the Pokot — A Brief Pokot History — From Tapes to Book PROLOGUE by Domonguria .....................................................................................2 CHILDHOOD When the Sun Died .....................................................................................................6 Prayer of Healing — The Sun Has Died — Sex Scandal — Eating Like Sakwar — First Weapons — A Stoning Thunder God ..............................................................................................................12 Moving — Ilat and the Flood — My Uncle’s Escape The Year the Earth Shook .........................................................................................19 Childhood mischief — More Trouble — Herding with Kilowan — Flash flood — The Curse on Kangaramoi’s Wife Making a Homestead ................................................................................................28 Building Our Homes — Ostrich Attack — Farming, Honey and Tobacco Life in Lossom ............................................................................................................34 My Lip Plug — Craftsmen — The White Cannibal Turkana and the Year of the Locusts .......................................................................41 Learning Respect for a Dwarf — Bow and Arrows — Locusts — The Disappearance of Kokwa YOUTH Sorcery and the Family Herds .................................................................................50 Cattle Exchange — The Cattle Scandal — The Curse of the Cow — A Spell Breaks Father’s Leg Wandering Years .........................................................................................................61 Government Trouble — Pulling our Donkey Teeth — Stealing Sex — Lokeris Wins His Bride — My Spear Dance, Songs and Stories .........................................................................................66 Dressing for the Dance — Animal Songs — Song of a Wife’s Tears — Songs of the Widows — Songs of Warriors Clans .............................................................................................................................75 Origin of the Lion Clan — The Buffalo Clan — The Sun Clan — The Baboon Clan — Clan Customs Call Me Red-Spotted Ox ...........................................................................................79 Let the Children Play — Ox of Ropes — Working for the Government — The Evil Eye — First Lion — Blindness Love, Lions and Elephants .......................................................................................87 Homestead of Youths — Elephants — Stalked by a Lion Bad Luck and Work....................................................................................................92 Test for the Knife — Karamojong Trouble — Pasture on Fire — Seized for Work COMING OF AGE Independence ............................................................................................................102 My Sweetheart Apeyo — Pasture Police Becoming a Man .......................................................................................................109 My Sapana Celebration — The First Pokot Sapana — The Stolen Child New Developments ................................................................................................. 117 Thunderstorms — The Draft — Unusual Wells — Abducting a Wife — My First Raid Chelima: Becoming a Woman ................................................................................129 Getting Father’s Consent — The Karemba Ritual — The Laleyo Dance — Circumcision — The Lupol Ceremony — Feast: Removal of the Grasses — The Mysterious Chemerin — Lapan — My Sister’s Sorrow CATTLE AND ROMANCE Deception and Love .................................................................................................142 Cattle Arguments — Meeting Cheparai — Tororut’s Denial — My Case against Munyan A Son ..........................................................................................................................153 Chepochesondu’s Good News — Curse on Munyan — The Birth of My Son — Circumcision — Fighting for Custody Chepusepa .................................................................................................................164 The Baringo Incident — A Suitable Bride — Negotiating the Bride Price — My Wedding LIVING THE POKOT LIFE After the Wedding ....................................................................................................182 Sex — The Beehive and the Leopard — White Man’s Dance — New Songs — Hunting — The Evil Eye Trading .......................................................................................................................190 A Ban on Ostriches — Becoming a Trader — The Death of Lorika — Pregnancy and Birth — The Case of the Spear — Purifying our Son Witchcraft, Magic and Divining ............................................................................203 Witch Hunts — Curses, Cunning and Revenge — Powerful Families — Casting Spells — Animal Magic — Divining Celebrations ............................................................................................................213 Songs of the Bards — Parapara for Pregnancy Family Changes ........................................................................................................223 Misfortune — My Bride Chepto — Chepusepa and the Spirits of Kadam — A Practical Decision — Leopard and Lion — How I lost my finger ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD AND ENEMIES Ilat, the Thunder God ..............................................................................................236 Ilat’s Chosen Neighbor — Punishment for Profanity Sub-Chief ..................................................................................................................240 A Stranger’s Calf — “It’s Nothing—the Gun” — Spell on a Car — A Blessing Completed Comets and Disasters ..............................................................................................245 The Comet of 1965 — In Turkana — Raiding and Revenge — Losing our Cattle — Attack on Lopedur — Helping — Purification Fighting for the Herds .............................................................................................257 Our Karamojong Cattle — Turkana Raids — Peace — Elephant Hunt — Simba DESTRUCTION AND HOPE IN A CHANGING WORLD Returning Home .......................................................................................................270 Tororut’s Will — My Sister’s Death — A Curse Idi Amin .....................................................................................................................276 Evil — My Children — Uganda — Chiefs — A Famous Turkana Bandit — Witchdoctor 1976 .............................................................................................................................286 Raids and Murders — Mourning My Parents — Karamojong Attack Plans for the Future .................................................................................................295 EPILOGUE by Pat Robbins .....................................................................................300 NOTES ........................................................................................................................306 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………330 Commentary — List of References PHOTO ESSAY……………………………………………………………………. 339 DIAGRAMS, MAPS, CHARTS Map of Story Area ..................................................................................................xxxiii Family Tree ..........................................................................................................xxxiv Chronology ...........................................................................................................xxxv A Pokot Homestead .................................................................................................... 29 Cattle