DJI070211AC

So, me Acebo,

Yoo me acebo

I was born here in Djibonker.

nah gibosah Jibëeher

I am going to talk about what I have heard about the pond called "sindiin".

m iŋgutini buló ka maraxa hóguni iyeg ë budiin ka sindiin

It's not that I speak of my own experience.

guroŋ kati imaati gumaat

Me, when I was born in 1945, it was there.

me budiin ka sindiin n ibosta en 1945 nah giñaaxënti bumër

Our mothers went there to fetch water.

nuunoŋkënit na gandiinax

from here Alamp,

alax hum naŋka alamp

passing Jibëeher,

ëfur jibëeher

passing Alaŋ,

ëfur alaŋ

up to Aboori

anen aboori

and Bureer.

anen bureer

There they fetch water.

nah gandiinaax sindiin

What I have heard is that there is a pond like that where our people are in Jegui.

hóguni iyég ayen amu num budiin an bumër buguni ëgu bi jamaaŋkënito igini aŋgu jegi

When something is the matter there,

gëgu amubim honj

they drop a calebash in it and it will come out in the pond that we call "sindiin" here in Djibonker.

aworootbim gufeŋk ëdëët afurot naŋkaa a budiinkënito buguni ihuyuxo sindiin jibëëher

When the women go fetching water

indikaam gëndëëki budiin

and they see that calebash they will tell the men that

gëwuuti gufeŋk guŋgooŋ gaŋunti alób indiigen ayeneeneŋ

"in our village there, something is happening".

aa mino bukookënito bimbeeŋ honj ihobim

We found a calabash in the pond.

gufeŋk giñaaximin bimbeeŋ a budiin

They send people over there

ambuñ na jamaaŋ bahan bim

and they go and find out what is the matter - why the calabash has appeared.

anaŋg ëndëëk ëyéget sigini amu anaŋgu gufeŋk guŋgooŋ afurotna

That's how I heard it, a big calabash, I don't know if anything was inside or not

aa nineeŋ giyéégex guyégne gufeŋg ëdé aŋgu yitiri kati amu na honj kati muroŋ honj

but I think it was empty.

ban iyineni ëguhoroh gufeŋk gumaamam

They didn't put anything to eat inside.

kaantraŋ na gufila

An empty calabash.

gufeŋk gumaamam

That's what I heard,

simër giyéégex

as for myself, I remember that back in the day my mum was carrying me on the back when she went to fetch water there.

me faŋghum m ilentahi nuŋkum guliix n ëndëëkëni budiin umër g abombhum

She carried me on the back all the way there.

g abombum bahan bim

What they say

ni alób

what happened that they stopped fetching water at that pond.

hóguni amalane aŋgu budiin ka sindiin abalah a budiin

One year an epidemic of worms started in Djibonker.

amu gudig guruk guguni biñal anenet bimbi jibëëher

****

amba bëmukun jamaaŋ

many are disabled since then.

fam iloh incaarne

Like they are, the way the late Jajaaŋ puts his foot when he walked is nothing else but the worms.

ne aŋgugune ulaan jajaaŋ ni ëdëëkëne ayah a hëdiikenem guroŋ hóruk biñal

My father's crowd

bëëxum imereŋ

Because of the worms, they told them that drinking from the ponds

biñal imaline aŋgu bee ayeneeneŋ n aruxone a idiin

is what causes the worms to multiply in their bodies.

hómër imaline anaŋgu biñal injiba biñal a arineŋkenen

At that time they went dig a well in Aboori.

fam gëdëëkine awucireneŋ koloŋ amooŋ aboori

Later they went to dig another one there at the royal shrine, the one we call "gunam".

anooxumoot andëëk buwuc ha ërúk naŋka a gunam këni iyenimin a gunam

The people of Djibonker don't like that at the holy day of the rain shrine

ubëëhér maŋaraŋ gëdëëti dënég ka karik ëwi

the women come to fetch water.

indikaam gëndëëti budiin

And what would they do on a day of a ceremony?

aŋgu ne ganguti buye ban imereŋ gumukuna garaadi

They told them: "It's not good here, if you dig here its water will not be good."

ayenenen naŋkaa jóndóŋ guwucen baaruxkonom dajón

The whites had their way and dug

ululum añoŋ sembehenem anaŋg awúc

They reached where there's water.

andëëk anteeprini barux

One day, at nighttime, they sent the women to go and fetch salty walter.

ëgu dam jacet ambuñ indikaam ëndëëk ëndúfot bamen

They came and poured it into the well,

andëët ayeekul na a xoloŋ

as I heard.

nigini iyég

They came and poured it into the well.

ëndëët ayeekul na a xoloŋ

That water is there until the next day.

barux bamba aguna bahan jicumkonom

The whites came and they told them: "There is water, there is water!"

ululum adëëti ayenem barux imbana barux imbana

As we told you the water is not good.

bimbi iyenominne barux dëjón

They told them to fetch them some.

ayeneneŋ andúdëtom

They draw him some, and he drinks and it is salty and they tell him: "That's what we told you, here it's not good for digging a well."

an ëndúdëtom adëëki burux agu bamen ayenem hoho giyenominni naŋkaa jóndóŋ buwuc ha koloŋ

Its water is not good.

barukonom dajón

That's how they fooled the whites, and they went back and dug at Aboori.

nineeŋ num gahekine ululum anaŋgu aŋeyine awuc a aboori

****

****

That well is there until today!

amu koloŋ amooŋ inoona sa bahan gúúb

Even if we went there now, there at the royal shrine I show you, I tell you it's there.

mati indëke ñimeni naŋka a gunam igëënoonuŋ iyenoonuŋ innu

They built even the brink and all.

ëlód bahan margelle tu

It's still there.

inoona bahan gúúb

It is ten metres.

ëgëti metaraŋ haalax

Its depth

baŋankanam

it is ten metres, it is deeper than the one of Aboori.

ëgëti metaraŋ haalax alumi baŋan ka amu aboori

It isdeeper than the one of Aboori.

alumi a aboori baŋan

That's why we have wells: the worms.

hómér imaline mino bucoc ha koloŋ biñal

At that time they stopped fetching water from the pond of sindiin.

fam aŋgu gambesintine budin ka a sindin

fetch water at sindiin and they went to fetch water at the well,

budiina ha sindiin an ëndëëk ëndufox a xoloŋ

because of the worm epidemic,

maraxa hëji ka biñal

which almost finished Djibonker off.

bigini aba bamukuni na jibëëher