Ajooh Dhaal Ajooh: An Obituary of a Great Bor Dinka Matriarch
7 min readBy Kur Wël Kur, Australia
April 11, 2015 (SSB) —- Two missed calls on my mobile phone, a death hit. A call from less bothering relative, a call of death ! I woke up with a sore throat. My daughter, Awan with a chesty and constant cough. She baked her vest with her body temperature. My house moved in gloominess. An angel of death that took the breath of my grandmother, came visiting to inform us.
I visited my cousin, Mameer Deng Jur, at his residence. We chatted on stuffs and warmed ourselves with hot Pura milk. While at Mameer’s, my calmed and intelligent cousin called me twice, but my silent mobile phone, alerted me not. Having finished, we ebbed out of the house.
I grabbed my phone from the sofa and checked the time, I found two missed calls. Then I checked whose calls they were; Oh my cousin, Deng Puka Ngong’s number bore the missed calls. My heart leapt and three short and fast breaths followed.
I informed Mameer that Deng-manyang called. “He doesn’t always call, maybe something happened”, I told him. We drove to the University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes’ campus to print some documents. While parading from central library to uni-cafe, not to eat, but to look for notices board.
My sister, Awan called on my mobile phone. I answered her. She went: “koko ee nyin jaal!” Literally, meaning grandmother’s presence left. I told my sister that I would call her back. I informed Mameer about the bad news. I dropped no tears but the news shook me to the marrow of my bones.
We, then drove to Afghan restaurant in Prospect (a southern suburb of Adelaide) on Mameer’s shout. We ordered delicious and chilly foods. I ate while wallowing in pain of granny’s death. Memories flew into my minds.
Mameer settled the bills and we parted ways. I drove home and informed my wife. She wept heartily. I crawled into the bed at 4 p.m. to rest my psychological wounded brain.
Readers of PaanLuel Wel: South Sudanese Bloggers and of the Facebook, the following is my grandmother’s timeline.
In her life time, my grandmother watched and passed through many events. She witnessed the scourging policies of Turks. Turks pushed the age mates of my grandmother to hide the seeds in dried humans’ skulls for the next planting season. She witnessed many other political turmoils in Sudan. The commotion of Anya Anya one that produced the 1972, Addis Ababa Peace Agreement, unfolded in the 46th year of my grandmother. Granny, as a widow, guided her families in famines and wars.
The 1983, SPLM/A, a rebellion that claimed her favourite son, Jokroor Wel Kur. The death of Jokroor, led granny to hate the sound of a gun until last minutes of her life. She survived two Riek’s rebellions, the 1991 and 2013, though she remained in Panpandiar in 2013 while the others crossed River Nile, she survived.
Ajooh Dhaal Ajooh passed away on Easter Monday, (06th) of April, 2015, at 89 years old at Panpandiar in Kolnyang payam, Bor county. In the comfort of her children, grandchildren and great -grandchildren, she died of old age.
Born to Dhaal Ajooh and Atong Dot around 1926 at Adum-wuor in Makuach payam, Bor county, Ajoohdit was the first child of their family. The births, marriages and deaths records reeled around those educated minority so the rests of us wrapped our heads around events and growth stages in order to calculate birthdays, dates of marriages or dates of deaths of our loved ones.
My father is my grandmother’s second child and she gave birth to my father a month after Monychiek Deng Chol was assassinated in July, 1945. If granny had my father when she was 19 years old and father is now 69 years, then my grandmother is approximately 89 years old. She married Wel Kur Jok at Gak (Adol), in Kolnyang payam. She lived in Adum-wuor, Adeny, Gak and Panpandiar.
After I lived for 20 years away from her, I flew home from Australia in October, 2010 to see my family especially my grandmother. Regardless of her age, she danced and sang songs she composed about my name sake (Makwei= a black bull with white forehead ), which bore me my nickname, Deng-borou (thunder bolt). Her presence awakened the memories of her in my mind.
I remembered the times when my mother and step-mothers feared to cook in sweltering summers, granny would cook for us. I remembered when father, mother and step-mothers refused to give us local beer(ethanol), my grandmother would sneak us a Calabash bowl full of beer.
I remembered when we annoyed her, she would snap a sorghum’s leaves to flog us. I remembered when coffee and sugar were accessible to those in towns and adults only, granny would spoil us with coffee and sugar….
Her siblings
- Mach Dhaal Ajooh
- Guet Dhaal Ajooh
- Awel Dhaal Ajooh
- Magany Dhaal Ajooh
- Akur Dhaal Ajooh
Ajooh Dhaal Ajooh is survived by:
Children
- Lith Wel Kur (deceased)
- Kur Wel Kur
- Awan Wel Kur
- Jokroor Wel Kur (deceased)
Grandchildren
Lith Wel’s children
- Abuk Lith Wel
- Deng Lith Wel
- Ajooh Lith Wel
- Amuor Lith Wel
- Awuoi Lith Wel
- Ayak Lith Wel
Kur’s first wife [Ajah Thiong Anuol(deceased) ]’s
- Aluel Kur Wel
Kur’s second (Kech Mach Achol) wife’s
- Makwei Kur Wel
- Awan Kur Wel
- Jok Kur Wel
- Gai Kur Wel (deceased)
- Malueth Kur Wel (deceased)
- Ateny Kur Wel
- Mach Kur Wel
Kur’s third [Ajah Ayath Awuoi (deceased) ] wife’s
- Akur Kur Wel
- Alak Kur Wel
- Wel Kur Wel (deceased)
Kur’s fourth (Akut Alier Ajak) wife’s
- Ayen Kur Wel
- Makech Kur Wel
- Yar Kur Wel
- Alier Kur Wel
- Awan Kur Wel
Awan Wel Kur’s children
- Nhial Awan Wel (deceased), [famously known as Gabriel Nhial Ayuen, the composer for Dinka Episcopal church of South Sudan. He composed and wrote songs such as ” bakke bei ne ke yic ku yake roth wake. ..”]
- Awel Awan wel
- Ajah Awan Wel
- Kwany Awan Wel
- Ayol Awan Wel
- Yar Awan Wel
- Athieng Awan Wel
Jokroor’s children
- Wel Jokroor Wel
- Akau Jokroor Wel
- Akei Jokroor Wel (deceased)
- Kur Jokroor Wel
- Awan Jokroor Wel
- Nyanhong Jokroor Wel
- Ngueny Jokroor Wel
Great-grandchildren
- Nyiel Aluel Kur
- Yar Aluel Kur
- Ajah Aluel Kur
- Awuoi Aluel Kur
- Nyang Aluel Kur
- Ajooh Makwei Kur
- Awan Makwei Kur
- Atong Awan Kur
- Anyieth Awan Kur
- Nyandit Awan Kur
- Jongkuch Awan Kur
- Deng Awan Kur
- Aboot Awan Kur
- Nyanachiek Awan Kur.
- Adiit Akur Kur
- Pach Akut Kur
- Yom Akur Kur
- Ajah Akur Kur
- Akon Alak Kur
- Bior Alak Kur
- Reech Alak Kur
- Anyier Jok Kur
- Diar Jok Kur
- Mach Ateny Kur.
- Jokroor Wel Jokroor
- Chol Ajah Awan
- Deng Ajah Awan
- Ayen AJah Awan
- Nyanachiek Ajah Awan
- Nyanroor Awel Awan
- Reeng Abuk Lith
- Yar Abuk Lith
- Ajah Abuk Lith
- Anai Abuk Lith
- Ajoh Abuk Lith
- Bior Abuk Lith
- Dakbaai-dit Deng Lith
- Dakbaai-thii Deng Lith
- Kur Ajooh Lith
- Ayen Ajooh Lith
- Lith Ajooh Lith
- Dakbaai Ajooh Lith
- Abuk Ajooh Lith
- Achol Awuoi Lith
- Pec Awuoi Lith
- Dakbaai Awuoi Lith
- Liet Ayak Lith
- Dakbaai Ayak Lith
- Akei Ayak Lith
Great-great-grandchild
- Malaat Nyiel Aluel
Note: four grandchildren haven’t been mentioned because the author could not remember their names.
A letter
Dear Koko-die,
I crouch here looking into the ocean, the waves ebb out and they drift back into the vastness of the ocean.
My eyes dart in every direction of water, splashes out by the ocean’s power.
As your body lies in the 1.5 metres deep grave, I need you to know that your true grave is in our hearts, souls and minds.
Your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, dead or alive, love you with their whole lives.
They can’t trade you for any other mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother or treasure in this world.
We love you.
Rest in Peace, Deng-borou (thunder bolt).
About Post Author
My condolences Kur Wel Kur. My thoughts are with you and your family. Be strong, and i know you are and also support other family members whom were weaken by our elder passing. Ajoohdit will always be remember by Kolnyang community and other communities which are blessed by her blood in one – way or another. She will Rest in peace.
Thanks, MDJ. The passing of Deng-borou(thunder bolt) has paralysed me, all relatives and friends. I was wishing to see her again but she just left.
Thanks for your consoling and encouraging words. I will try to concentrate on her blessings. My children are her blessings.
Thanks, Mameer.
I know instability in our country, did not give many people chances to visit and re-union with their relatives, but you were blessed when you met Ajoohdit in 2010 after you had been away for 20 years. But i do believe, she had always know that her grandson (Deng – borou,- Makwei) will come back one day. If our country was stable, your wife and two daughters would have visit your grandmother. But her passing had been unfortunate. I hope you and relatives will get through it. Thanks.
Thanks, MDJ, for your nice and consoling words. Much appreciated.
Thanks Kur Wel Kur.