The recording at the center of this item is a procedural narrative, on funerals in Shilluk culture. In "JohnOgaacBol_AnnouncementofFuneralRite", the same performer expands on the same topic. Funeral rites are important to the Shilluk people. It is the rite that gives peace to the living and the dead. It is believed that if an elderly person dies, he/she can’t be allowed to appear before God, if his/her funeral rite is not done. He/she is considered unclean in the village of God. So children are expected to do the rite for their dead parents. It usually includes all the members of the clan; all the married daughters, the in-laws and friends. They participate by offering a bull or a goat and beer. A cow must be killed for each dead person. Many cows are killed for chiefs. In big clans, preparations take many years. And when everything is ready, the head of the clan goes to take permission from the king; the king gives permission for the funeral rite to take place. It is known that if you did not do the rite for your father, your son will put your own father ahead of you. That is why your cow must not be allowed to die outside the village; it is tied down by rope when it is killed. Goats and sheep are killed in big numbers. They are eaten by the many guests who come to witness the occasion. Every house in the village offer beer to the people.
This item consists of a recorded Shilluk narrative (wav file), accompanied with annotation (in Praat TextGrid) and associated information: metadata, permissions and speaker questionnaire. The associated information is also summarized, in a spreadsheet. The TextGrid annotation includes Shilluk orthography, translation, and comments.
