DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0136
120
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
father. Reaching the bride’s enclosure, if an ox is to be sacrificed for the rako, the bride-
groom slaughters it. The bride’s brother leads his sister by the hand to a hut expressly
constructed, and anoints her on the abdomen and the pudenda with the blood of the
sacrificed victim.1 Then the bride’s brother cuts the ends of her hair and keeps this hair
as a sign of the bride’s blood-relationship after her marriage; this ceremony is called qarre
murd. The rako and the qarre murd may not be celebrated unless the entire bride-price
has been paid. Otherwise, they simply perform the qarre murd after the birth of the first
son. However, a wedding without the rako is not considered complete according to the
law of custom.
After the rdiko, the bridegroom, aided by his godfathers, catches the girl with feigned
violence and placing her on his horse, flies across the plain with his fellows until he reaches
running water (a river or torrent). He crosses this stream; on reaching the opposite bank,
he recrosses it, and returns at a gallop to his father-in-law’s house. Ideas of magic connected
with running water are very common among the Galla and also among the Agau. After
returning to the compound of his father-in-law, the husband leaves the girl, who enters the
hut with her friends, after placing a piece of wood before the door, almost an obstacle to
hinder entrance. Then the friends of the bride begin to rail against the husband, and to
sing to the bride all the advantages of remaining in her father’s house, and all the mis-
fortunes which marriage brings.
118, 119
Here are two examples of these songs:
bisingaze Gzedd mure
yd soddd ”sz hzeto "ndugne
warrakies "intu lannemo
harkdkze qabate "ndugne
5 sdf godd qawe galatti
qaleo gqttd
yd dz'ero soddd
meri qbllaggi
qz~erdr'fin g$ttd
10 yd dzero soddd
meri fdn maddz
homi fannise
haddsa ndte
wdllu fannise
15 gamdnd dappu
gamdtt "utale
yd dzero soddd
cirrdccd ''nsqe
irrd "gge "ncee
20 haftitti'ngante
haddse yabde
andfo and
yd dzero gurbd
naddu fdn namd
25 egd "mmas gz~esse
mzekd ^ndaqzesse
handdqa "rmikie
naddu nitikze
qarbdtittikze
30 dir si dutdda
kunu buddda
hinnu si ndta
1 de Salviac, op. cit., p. 216, says that this unction is made by the bridegroom himself, but according to Loransi-
yos, the Galla do not permit the bridegroom such liberties with the bride before the wedding.
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
father. Reaching the bride’s enclosure, if an ox is to be sacrificed for the rako, the bride-
groom slaughters it. The bride’s brother leads his sister by the hand to a hut expressly
constructed, and anoints her on the abdomen and the pudenda with the blood of the
sacrificed victim.1 Then the bride’s brother cuts the ends of her hair and keeps this hair
as a sign of the bride’s blood-relationship after her marriage; this ceremony is called qarre
murd. The rako and the qarre murd may not be celebrated unless the entire bride-price
has been paid. Otherwise, they simply perform the qarre murd after the birth of the first
son. However, a wedding without the rako is not considered complete according to the
law of custom.
After the rdiko, the bridegroom, aided by his godfathers, catches the girl with feigned
violence and placing her on his horse, flies across the plain with his fellows until he reaches
running water (a river or torrent). He crosses this stream; on reaching the opposite bank,
he recrosses it, and returns at a gallop to his father-in-law’s house. Ideas of magic connected
with running water are very common among the Galla and also among the Agau. After
returning to the compound of his father-in-law, the husband leaves the girl, who enters the
hut with her friends, after placing a piece of wood before the door, almost an obstacle to
hinder entrance. Then the friends of the bride begin to rail against the husband, and to
sing to the bride all the advantages of remaining in her father’s house, and all the mis-
fortunes which marriage brings.
118, 119
Here are two examples of these songs:
bisingaze Gzedd mure
yd soddd ”sz hzeto "ndugne
warrakies "intu lannemo
harkdkze qabate "ndugne
5 sdf godd qawe galatti
qaleo gqttd
yd dz'ero soddd
meri qbllaggi
qz~erdr'fin g$ttd
10 yd dzero soddd
meri fdn maddz
homi fannise
haddsa ndte
wdllu fannise
15 gamdnd dappu
gamdtt "utale
yd dzero soddd
cirrdccd ''nsqe
irrd "gge "ncee
20 haftitti'ngante
haddse yabde
andfo and
yd dzero gurbd
naddu fdn namd
25 egd "mmas gz~esse
mzekd ^ndaqzesse
handdqa "rmikie
naddu nitikze
qarbdtittikze
30 dir si dutdda
kunu buddda
hinnu si ndta
1 de Salviac, op. cit., p. 216, says that this unction is made by the bridegroom himself, but according to Loransi-
yos, the Galla do not permit the bridegroom such liberties with the bride before the wedding.