Jnaníné Chijñecare
Jnaníné Sings:
I’m going to sing about Chequé Dago who was the wife of young men. Supposedly, I had relations with a young girl. When Pujnúcode was away he heard me sing and imitated me. He didn’t respect me. He tried to imitate what I sang about a former wife called Átapide.
I’ll sing now. I’m going to sing about Cheque Dago who was the wife of several young men.
Cheque Dago came to our village, and Cheque Dago took shelter where I was in the shade. (But Jnaniné wouldn’t let her in.)
He said to her: ‘Cheque Dago, let me go, I’m going with my relatives. I don’t look forward to my wife throwing my things out. She would too, because you’ve come to me,’ I said to Cheque Dago. ‘So, go wherever it is you live and I’ll sleep at my place. I’m a family man. I have children here in the village.”
But Cheque Dago ignored me and she slept with me.
Cheque Dago said, “Jnaníné, get up, let’s go to my place and we’ll sleep there.”
Cheque Dago wanted to take me to her relatives where their older sisters were. They would have put me with the male relatives because I was a young male.
I didn’t go with her to her relatives.
I dreaded having my things thrown out for going off with Cheque Dago.
Jnaníné – Tobité, Bolivia – 1965
Transcribed by: Joyce Davis Buchegger
Translated to English by: Maxine Morarie
