Oral Text 4: The Parting of the Omo waters

Age kohoin bha twê.
We came from below the ground.

Na kohoinê kuducha kuducha kuducha.
As we came we dropped dead, dead, dead.

Na zuo bega ke kataka logo ertabhwê na garrai.
Those people who understood the word [tradition/wisdom] all died.

Na ginu yogê zukti bekingingi ne, na agge ngani karteo.
This is what they say happened a long time ago - we didn't see it.

Na zua ganyo erta erta erta.
All my people have died, died, died.

Na agge, huli kelnga hali keresso, na bha kordotisen, erru na alea.
As for us, when we die, and are buried, our children will stay on.

Agge kohenyo kareni, nga kodorno bhwê keli ke Gowa.
We came from downstream [south] and arrived at a place called Gowa.

Na huli kohonyoyê kelo ma tano na zuo aminsenê hiri dhebi.
When we arrived we were on the other side of the river. The people ‘fed’ a man with clay.

Na zuo say na ‘Tingting! Tingting! Tingting! Tingting!’, zuo say nga nga.
Then the people said ‘Tingting! Tingting!’ Tingting!’ [onomatopoeic sound for stamping]. That’s what they said.

Na kiwana hiri dhonê na komokê budulai. Zuo hey sen gay na iwana hiri dhonê na komokê budulai.
They chose a man to carry out a special ceremony with coffee and a clay potion [budulai].

Na mey ong harle “kele'eneng?”
And eventually they said, “What should we do?”

Na zuo dogê go, na imi milanê bunna.
They held a meeting and drank coffee.

Na iwane na aje hiri na mato.
They took it and gave it to the man to drink.

Na hula ma ship na, zuo say na ke ‘Tingting! Tingting! Tingting! Tingting!’
And when the water parted the people said ‘Tingting! Tingting!’ Tingting!’

Na zuo say na ke “daktu bio” na huli daganê bioyê sabo kadagana uli a korroi sabbo na dog ma na kinê tetetetetetete, bio eredon.

The people said “Lets drive the cattle”. First they drove a black bull. As it stepped into the river the waters parted, [making the sound] tetetetetetetete, and then the rest of the cattle crossed.

Na ma nertenê. Zuo eredoné.
The waters divided and people crossed.

Kadengi, kadengi.
They began crossing, crossing.

Dogê hun, dogê jujujuju.
When they entered the water they made the splash, splash sounds of the water.

Na oku dok na hiri abu se ke: ‘Dorl, Dorl na’. Na huli doê jujuju na, inaga oku dhok.
They all crossed and an elder said, ‘This place is called Dorl’. The people had crossed— splash, splash— forever.

Naga zua ngaha kogey errisay kurio wurio.
The women made the crossing last.

Na huli zuo huin na dogê dorr tana nga, ma gira hoine buuw, na itinyaneo.
Once all the people had reached the mud on this side of the river, the water came together again.

Huli errisê na ushinya nai kipta goiy doiy ta buusesê koje kureo.
When everyone had crossed, a big tree appeared.

A hiri kele'ke Magaiyai.
The man was from the Magaiyai family.

Anganga keseka Dorl a barari, a barari, a barari nga.
That’s why they say Dorl is a special, potent, and powerful place.