From <@tcuavm.is.tcu.edu:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU> Wed Jan 28 10:19:57 1998 Return-Path: <@tcuavm.is.tcu.edu:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU> Received: from server1.capaccess.org (server1.CapAccess.org [207.91.115.5]) by cap1.CapAccess.org (8.6.12/8.6.10) with ESMTP id KAA20990; Wed, 28 Jan 1998 10:19:57 -0500 Received: from tcuavm.is.tcu.edu (TCUAVM.IS.TCU.EDU [138.237.128.148]) by server1.capaccess.org (AIX4.2/UCB 8.7/8.7) with SMTP id KAA31394; Wed, 28 Jan 1998 10:12:38 -0500 (EST) Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by tcuavm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 3326; Wed, 28 Jan 98 09:12:16 CDT Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 7765; Wed, 28 Jan 1998 09:11:56 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LISTSERV release 1.8b) with NJE id 7757 for SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU; Wed, 28 Jan 1998 09:10:26 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 7756; Wed, 28 Jan 1998 09:10:22 -0500 Approved-By: EIDSON@TCUBVM Received: from TCUBVM (NJE origin SMTP@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 1800; Mon, 26 Jan 1998 07:43:17 -0500 Received: from ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU by tcubvm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Mon, 26 Jan 98 07:42:37 CDT Received: from rockland.courierpub.com (rockland.courierpub.com) by ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU (PMDF V5.0-5 #20456) id <01ISTPK2865S006NJ3@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU> for Scouts-L@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU; Mon, 26 Jan 1998 07:41:49 -0500 (CDT) Received: from [204.117.39.167] ([204.117.39.167]) by rockland.courierpub.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id IAA03934 for ; Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:44:39 -0500 X-Sender: dgrima@rockland.courierpub.com MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Message-ID: Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:41:24 -0400 Reply-To: David Grima Sender: Scouts-L Youth Group List From: David Grima Subject: Song from ancient history X-To: Scouts-L@tcu.edu To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Status: RO X-Status: Dear Singing Scouts, It is truly amazing. I have not hear this song since I was a Wolf Cub in Britain in 1966, yet the other night on my way home from a district round table training in Bath meeting it came to me. Then all of a sudden it shows up here on this list. There are great forces at work here! > In the deepest Africa, they tell a story. Every year after the >rains. A great grey ghost elephant rose out of the mists coming off the >Zambeze River at dawn to wander the land. If he came across a village, he >would go around it or through it on his silent grey feet. > If he went around, the village would have good crops and it children would >grow straight and healthy. But if he went through a village, its cops would >die from drought. It's people would go hungry and the children would not >grow. > The village of a Wat-Cha had been visited by the grey ghost elephant three >years in a row, and its king, Gina-ganga, was very worried. His rival, the >witch doctor Hey-la- shay, was also very concerned. Together, they decided >to do something about the situation. > Now Ging-ganga was a very brave warrior, no more than two meters tall with >the mane of a lion around his neck and a huge shield and a spear that he >shook at his enemies as he yelled to make them afraid before battle. > Hey-la-shay believed in his magic powers, and he and his followers carried >little bags of bones and magic powders, which they would shake at their >enemies. The bags made a sound like this shallawally, shalawally, >shallawally, shallawally ( say it softly and shake an imaginary bag in the >right hand) > One morning very early, when dawn was breaking, Gina-ganga and his warrior= s >hid in one half of his village, while Hey-la-shay and his followers hid in >the other half ( indicate the two sides of the campfire circle.) >While they waited for the great grey elephant, Ging-ganga's men sang softly >about their leader. (Motion for half of the group to sing with you the >second time. ) > Ging gang gooli, gooli, gooli, gooli watcha > Ging gang gooli, Ging gang goo ( repeat.) > From the other part of te village came an answer from the medicine men=97 = a >little louder than the warrior's call. (Lead the other half of the circle t= o >sing the repeat here.) > Heyla, heyla shayla, hela sheyla, heyla ho-o-o! (Repeat) > Together, the warriors and the medicine shook the spears theirs and the >medicine bags towards the river (motion the whole group to chat softly and >shake bags and spears with their right hand.) > > Shallawally, shallawally, shallawally, shallawally! > And , from the river, mighty and powerful, came the grey ghost elephants >reply (say it softly, waving the arm in front of you like an elephant's >trunk.) > Oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah! > The elephant was coming closer and closer! Then the warriors rose and sang >louder to the beat of their drums (signal warriors to stand, beat thighs, >sing along, accenting the beat on "Gooli" ging. gang, gooli....etc---two >times.) > And the medicine men rose and sang louder (get medicine men up.) > Heyla, (etc....two times.) > Then both groups yelled even louder. > Shallawally, shallawally (etc...) > And the great grey ghost elephant turned aside and went around the village >saying > oompah, oompah, oompah, oompah! > Joyfully, the villagers, warriors, and medicine men joined together to >celebrate their victory. Now they would have good crops and their children >would grow strong and healthy. In the village square they did a dance of >Ging Gang Gooli! >---------------------------------------------------------------------------= - >------------------------------ > Organize the group in two: have one group do the Oompahs. The other form = a >circle: everyone turns to face the same way and places hands on the >shoulders of the person in front. Starting the first beat on the left foot, >they sing the song as they march around the circle. > > After the first run through of "ging, gang, gooli, all turn, place hands >on shoulders of the person who was behind and march in that direction whil= e >singing tit the second time. > > On the "heyla" line, everyone turns, joins hands, moves into the center o= f >the circle and back out again, repeating the second time > > On the "Shallawally" line, dancers swing right arm in front of them like >an elephant's trunk > > At the end of the dance, switch groups and sing again so that the dancers >get to do the Oompahs and the Oompahs have a chance to dance. > > Dorothy Unterschultz is a scouter and trainer in Edmonton Region, Alta. David Grima Rockland Maine