They have vague ideas as to future bliss for worthy, and punishment for evil, doers; the execution of the latter is entrusted to a spirit called Ma-ah, who corresponds to Shaitan, but is the servant rather than the enemy of God; some of the Golo songs in common use are of the nature of moral exhortations, directing the people to hear the voice of God.
Like the Dinkas, they do not pray to God, but attempt to appease him with sacrifices of chickens. These sacrifices are rather one-sided, as the procedure is to kill 20 chickens, cook and eat 19, and throw out the twentieth for Umvili.
Golos and Dinkas both associate the ideas of reverence and divinity with the sky, and of malignity and punishment with the bowels of the earth; pointing upwards to their gods and downwards to their devils. This association is, I believe, universal, and has probably its origin in Sun worship. The natural human instinct for religion is probably as deeply rooted in the Bahr El Ghazal as elsewhere, and manifests itself perhaps in the readiness with which these tribes embrace Islam, when they learn about it in Sudanese regiments or as servants to Moslem masters.
They would seem to offer a hopeful and legitimate field for judicious missionary work,[114] as they are far from being the savages, destitute of ideas and beliefs, that they appear on a superficial view.
12. A Short Dinka and Bongo Vocabulary.[115]
| English. | Dinka. | Bongo. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad | Aragj. | ||
| Beads | Gwet | Kira. | |
| Boat | Aryan | Kobbu. | |
| Bracelets | Melang | Tilu. | |
| Bread | Râb | Mun. | |
| Bring | Bei | Gimma. | |
| Brother | Wakmat | Guma. | |
| Buffalo | Anyar | Kobi. | |
| Bull | Tono Wong. | ||
| Butter | Miuk-chak | Dibusha. | |
| Cloth | Alad | Mabiu. | |
| Clothes | ⎧ ⎨ ⎩ | Bwam. | |
| Bium. | |||
| Bum. | |||
| Come | Baa | Aiba. | |
| Cow | Wong. | ||
| Crocodile | Anyang | Hyango. | |
| Day | Akol. | ||
| Donkey | Akajaa. | ||
| Dura (bread) | Râb | Mun. | |
| Elephant | Akôn | Kiddi. | |
| Evening | Aten. | ||
| Egg | Tong. | ||
| Far | Amet. | ||
| Father | Wadet | Bukàbbada. | |
| Fire | Mach | Fudda. | |
| Giraffe | Mir. | ||
| Girl | Nia. | ||
| Give me | Bidègin | Wadi gimma. | |
| Goat | Kaiou. | ||
| Go, go on | Lok | Indeba. | |
| Grass | Ual Totj. | ||
| Gun | Akol | Kuddah. | |
| Hippo | Rau. | ||
| Horse | Dunkur. | ||
| Iron | Lung. | ||
| Is there? | Ata-ta. | ||
| Little | Akur. | ||
| Man | Mutj. | ||
| Many | Adjokje. | ||
| Meat (flesh) | Rînk | Mihi. | |
| Milk | Kyap or Tia. | ||
| Morning | Miak. | ||
| Moon | Paï. | ||
| Much | Ajwid. | ||
| Near | Atiok. | ||
| Night | Akān. | ||
| Nile | Warr. | ||
| Oil | Miuk yum. | Yabumulla. | |
| Path | Kwĕrr. | ||
| Pool | Auŏl. | ||
| Porter | Munkinashiel (a). | Budu tukba. | |
| Raid | Kito tora. | ||
| River | Kjir. | ||
| Salt | Awai. | Taddu. | |
| Sheep | Tup or Amāl. | Minya. | |
| Sheikh (headman) | Baindit. | ||
| Star | Kwel. | ||
| Spear | Tong. | ||
| Start | Gerùd. | Tubba terch. | |
| Stone | Kur. | Landa. | |
| Stop | Kâja. | ||
| Station (post) | Lobai. | Indebba kor. | |
| Take | Muk. | Tobba. | |
| Tobacco | Tâb. | Tâb. | |
| To-day | Akoli. | ||
| To-morrow | Miăk. | ||
| Track | Dulik. | Kunga. | |
| Tree | Amat. | ||
| Village | Pâuda. | ||
| I want | Bei. | Gimma. | |
| Water | Piu. | Muni. | |
| Wind | Jur. | ||
| Wilderness | Ror. | ||
| Well | Jīt. | ||
| Woman | Tīk. | ||
| Wood | Tim. | Kagga. | |
| Where? | Aiyu. | Nabba. | |
| Yesterday | Koluai. |
Dar Fertit.
For brief description of Dar Fertit, now partly in the Bahr El Ghazal and partly in French territory, vide [p. 256.] Very little is known about it definitely.
WOMAN OF DAR FERTIT.