Sudan: Music of the Blue Nile Province: The Ingessana and Berta Tribes

These field recordings, made by Robert Gottlieb in November and December 1980, are of the Ingessana and Berta peoples in Sudan’s Blue Nile Province. Though both groups inhabit the same geographical area, they are culturally very different. Berta, the largest tribal group in the region, are an Arabicized culture, as evidenced by their dress, social customs, and musical instruments such as the rebab, a type of fiddle. The recordings on this collection include a 12-waza (gourd trumpet) ensemble of the Madbis clan and a 16-bulhu (end-blown vertical flute) ensemble of the Fagwaji clan.

The Ingessana tribe for the most part did not adapt the Islamic faith of other area tribes and retained their traditional music practices. There are four major groups of Ingessana, each with their own dialect, but only two, the Kuluk and Tabi, are represented in this collection. Bal bamboo flutes and janger, a type of lyre, are common among all Ingessana groups, but the repertoire differs by clan.

Extensive, illustrated liner notes written by Gottlieb accompany the recording. Gottlieb also recorded the music of the Gumuz people on UNES08072 (Sudan: Music of the Blue Nile Province—The Gumuz Tribe).

Track Listing

101	Ceremonial Dance-Songs	Ingessana men and women, Meroel village	08:04
102	Solo Songs with Lyre Accompaniment (1)	Ingessana man with janger (lyre), Meroel village	01:06
103	Solo Songs with Lyre Accompaniment (2)	Doogus Idris, of Bau village	08:05
104	Kamdin: Bal-Ensemble	Bal (flute) ensemble, Bau village	01:54
105	Kogder: Bal-Ensemble	Bal (flute) ensemble, Bau village	02:39
106	Jen Anatai: Bal-Ensemble	Bal (flute) ensemble, Bau village	02:12
107	Al Shammasha: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	02:04
108	Sozea Gaita: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	01:17
109	Wadaberi: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	01:25
110	Afinandigi: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	01:23
111	Gundi Aja: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	01:11
112	Abba Musa: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	01:21
113	Adodo: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	00:58
114	Ya Musa: Waza Ensemble	Sayid Abdul Rahman and waza ensemble, Madbis clan, Ganis village	01:47
115	Watana Numeiry: Bulhu Ensemble (1)	Abdullah Razig Saad and bulhu ensemble, Fagwaji clan, Ganis village	01:22
116	Watana Numeiry: Bulhu Ensemble (2)	Abdullah Razig Saad and bulhu ensemble, Fagwaji clan, Ganis village	03:37
117	Bulhu Scale	Abdullah Razig Saad and bulhu ensemble, Fagwaji clan, Ganis village	00:31
118	Ania: Bulhu Ensemble	Abdullah Razig Saad and bulhu ensemble, Fagwaji clan, Ganis village	03:30
119	Aferi: Bulhu Ensemble	Abdullah Razig Saad and bulhu ensemble, Fagwaji clan, Ganis village	03:05