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 Some Tribes From South Sudan.
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The Anuak of Sudan
The Anuak are a river people whose villages are scattered along the banks and rivers of southeastern Sudan and western Ethiopia. The Anuak of Sudan live in a grassy region that is flat and virtually treeless. During the rainy season, this area floods, so that much of it becomes swampland with various channels of deep water running through it.
The Anuak speak a Nilotic language known as Anyua. Unlike other Nilotic people in the region whose economy is centered on raising cattle, the Anuak are herdsmen and farmers. They are believed to have a common origin with the their northern neighbors, the Shilluk. Also, they share a similar language with their neighbors to the south, the Acholi.
About 150 years ago, the Anuak occupied a large territory stretching north into Sudan. After numerous invasions, however, the Anuak were forced further south into their present location along the Baro and Pibor Rivers.
What are their lives like?
The Anuak herd sheep and goats and keep small gardens near their homes. They grow most of their own food. When the soil of a village becomes depleted, the Anuak move to a nearby fertile site to cultivate new ground. There is no cooperation or teamwork between villages in cultivating the land. Consequently, each village remains self-sufficient and isolated from other Anuak villages.
The Anuak are divided into clans. A strong sense of unity exists among clan members since most live in the same village. Intermarriage between clans is common.
Anuak villages are thinly populated. These small, independent villages may be strung out up to twenty miles apart, oftentimes with swamps and rivers between them. Some villages are surrounded by dense reeds and are almost impossible to reach and quite difficult to attack. The sparse distribution of villages, along with the little cooperation that exists between them, makes each village a self-governing political and legal unit. This highly decentralized political system leaves each Anuak village with a strong sense of separate identity.
Every Anuak settlement has a headman who is in charge of village ceremonies and possesses the village drums and ancient Anuak relics. He is given allegiance and respect by the villagers who cultivate his land and bring him gifts of meat and fish. If the headman loses the villagers' support by being a weak leader, he will be expelled from the village, taking nothing with him but his wives.
When an Anuak dies, he is buried either in a shaft in the center of his homestead, or underground, just a few feet from his hut. His face is covered with animal skins and the grave is enclosed by a fence. Each year when the millet harvest begins and beer is being brewed, a mortuary feast is held in memory of all who have died that year.
What are their beliefs?
Nearly 95% of the Anuak are animists (believing that non-human objects have spirits) who follow their traditional ethnic religion. They believe in an all-powerful spirit named Juok who is regarded as the creator of all things. The Anuak sacrifice animals to Juok for help when someone is sick or when someone wants revenge. The Anuak also pray directly to Juok, instead of using mediator spirits or priests to intercede for them.
The Anuak also practice divination and magic. They call upon the cijor (a type of sorcerer) to put curses on others. Such sorcerers are often used by elderly people who are unable to avenge themselves.
Deng.
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:06 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Atwot of Sudan
The Atwot live in the Upper Nile River Valley of Sudan in the Lakes Province. Their central meeting place is in the town of Yirol. They are linguistically related to the Nuer, and culturally related to and influenced by the Nuer and Dinka groups who surround them on all sides.
History tells us that 300 to 500 years ago the Atwot and Nuer were one group, living on the west bank of the Bahr-el-Jebel River. Because of internal strife, the group split, and the Atwot migrated south. They moved their herds along the Payii River into their present location, fifty or sixty miles west of the White Nile. At that time, their land was already inhabited by a people who specialized in hunting, trapping, fishing, and iron-working. These people, believed to be the Dinka, gradually spread to the east and west of the Atwot, into their current location. This history may account for the similarities in many areas of culture between the Nuer, the Dinka, and the Atwot tribes.
What are their lives like?
Most Atwot are shepherds and farmers. The northern Atwot region is covered with open grasslands which provide crucial grazing land for herds during the dry season. Further south are dense tropical forests where the Atwot cultivate crops during much of the rainy season. The people grow millet, beans, groundnuts, and cassava. Cattle are moved seasonally between dry-season camps and wet-season camps, and the Atwot themselves have wet-season and dry-season villages.
Although most Atwot live in rural areas, they travel to Yirol and other towns for various necessities. Yirol, the administrative center for the region, has many shops where salt, grain, cloth, cookware, and other items are sold. In open-air markets near the towns, the Atwot sell dried fish, grain, squash, and beans. At least two elementary schools, as well as police and army stations, are located in Yirol. Visiting the towns gives the Atwot a change of scenery and routine from their rural village dwellings.
The Atwot live in homesteads that are connected by narrow paths. Individual huts are extremely solid; they are built ten to twelve feet above the ground, each resting on a pile of timber. Underneath each hut, around the timber, is an area for cooking and storing household utensils. Usually one or more smaller huts are built on the ground. These are used to shelter sheep and goats at night. Cattle are rarely brought to homestead settlements. A newly-married man usually builds his own hut on the same settlement as his father. Each wife has her own hut, which her husband builds for her. She maintains her own garden and uses the produce to feed her family.
When an Atwot boy reaches puberty, his head is shaved and he is initiated by going through a period of training called acot. All boys of the same age are subjected to this training. During this time, they learn to pay strict respect to the older males. After the acot, the young men are allowed to wear a beaded girdle, and they become members of the marriage class.
What are their beliefs?
Ninety-five percent of the Atwot are pagan. They believe that the divinity Decau is the supreme being, the creator of all. The people pray directly to Decau, offering him sacrifices in times of trouble.
The Atwot practice divination and magic. They also believe that certain people are possessed by heavenly powers and may guide the lives of others and bring inanimate objects to life. They believe a person can only be possessed by such powers if he or she is a calm, cool-hearted, mature adult.
Deng.
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:08 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Burun of Sudan
The Burun live in the Fung region of the Blue Nile Province in eastern Sudan. They are a Nilotic tribe, which means that they are a people living in or around the Upper Nile Valley. Some Burun live on the rocky hills of the area, while others live further south in the forests and marshes of Dar Fung. Thus the Burun are divided into two groups: the northern Burun and the southern Burun (which includes the Meban and Jumjum peoples).
The Burun are closely related to the Dinka and the Nuer who live to their west and south. They also are geographically and linguistically related to the Meban and Jumjum tribes, and some scholars have included the three as a single group.
The Burun speak a Nilotic language. Although their skin is not as dark as some Nilotes, they share some other standard physical characteristics, which separate the Nilotes as a distinct group. They are quite tall, with slender legs, broad noses, thin lips, and frizzy hair.
What are their lives like?
Most Burun are shepherds and farmers. They raise cattle, goats, and sheep, which are tended by the men and boys. Their crops include millet, sesame, and beans. Both men and women farm the land. The men also engage in some hunting and much fishing, and the women gather wild fruit and grain from the bush beyond their villages.
Burun villages are located on the hillsides, and each hill community is independent from the rest. Every village has its own headman who handles village affairs. The headman inherits his office and is considered "the Father of the Land." His crops are cultivated for him by the villagers who constantly bring him gifts of fish and meat. He keeps in his possession any important symbolic articles, such as the heirloom spears. He receives extreme respect and allegiance from the villagers. However, when his power becomes weak, causing him to lose that respect, the villagers will force him from office. The village "rain-maker" sometimes serves as the headman. He conducts certain rituals in order to bring much needed rain.
Most Burun settlements are large. The people live in round huts with thatched grass roofs. Most men have up to four wives. Each wife has her own hut, but the first wife is "chief" over the other wives. Children live with their mothers. Until young girls marry, they remain with their mothers, but boys move out when they are able to build their own homes.
Parents often arrange marriages, sometimes when their children are quite young. Before a marriage, the groom must perform a long period of bride-service (work done for the bride's family). The groom also must pay a small bride-price. After the marriage, the couple moves to the girl's village for three years to continue helping the girl's family.
Some Burun children are able to attend school. In certain schools, English is taught at the higher levels, while Arabic is taught at the lower levels. There are few medical facilities in the area. The people often look to their chiefs for the healing of simple illnesses.
What are their beliefs?
Influenced by Muslims since the 1500's, the Burun adhere to the five essential duties of Islam: (1) Affirming that "there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet;" (2) praying five times a day while facing Mecca; (3) giving alms generously; (4) fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year; and (5) trying to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime.
The Burun still continue to follow some aspects of their traditional religion. For example, each village usually has its own god. If he becomes angry, the god may send a bad year with little rain or some other misfortune.
Deng.
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:09 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Didinga of Sudan
The Didinga occupy the Didinga Hills region in the southeastern corner of Sudan. They live in the valleys, on the plateaus and slopes, and on the adjacent plains of the region. Their neighbors include the Topotha, the Boya, and the Dongotona peoples; groups with whom the Didinga have had frequent conflicts due to economic pressures.
The Didinga, Boya, and Murle share a language that distinguishes them from all other groups in the Sudan. Their language, often called the Murle-Didinga language, is also spoken by a group living in southwest Ethiopia. The Didinga claim to have lived in southwest Ethiopia two hundred years ago. During their migration to the Didinga Hills, the Didinga, Murle, and Boya were one group. They lived in harmony in Sudan until a hunting-party dispute caused the Murle to leave. Later, a famine caused the Boya to withdraw. Today, though the groups have separated, their language remains the same.
What Are Their Lives Like?
For many years, the Didinga enjoyed a quiet, rural life. They took great pride in raising cattle and owned large herds that were supervised by the young single Didinga men. However, in 1963, a political disturbance which lasted until 1973 caused many Didinga to leave their cattle behind and to migrate to Uganda. While in Uganda, for the first time in their lives, Didinga were exposed to large-scale farming. Also, their children were introduced to education. These experiences created in the people the desires to make money and to gain knowledge, things which had been unimportant in the Hills.
When they returned to Sudan in 1973, the people were filled with a new vision for a more advanced life. They hoped to incorporate into their own culture many of the ideas and concepts they had learned in Uganda. They were met, however, with a drastic decrease in the numbers in their herds: clansmen who had remained in the Hills had failed to restock the cattle during the disturbance. Today, many Didinga are still working to enlarge their herds. They purchase cattle either through the exchange of grain or beer, or with money.
At present, farming and the desire for an education are as important to the Didinga as the herding of cattle is. The traditional values associated with raising cattle remain embedded in all Didinga. Many still take great pleasure in owning large herds. Their new-found hope for change that was brought back from their temporary migration also remains instilled in their daily lives.
The Didinga use their cattle not only as a means of wealth, but also for their milk that is consumed daily and made into butter. Didinga also consume fresh blood drawn from the necks of cattle with miniature arrows. The Didinga do not fish at all, because the eating of fish is taboo in their culture.
The Didinga live in scattered homesteads, with each clan grouped together. Homes are round with cone-shaped roofs. During certain seasons and during grazing periods, the Didinga also live in rustic camps.
An important aspect of Didinga society is the organization of "age-grades" for boys. Every three to five years, boys who are around eight years old are placed together to form a new "age-grade." These boys work and play together until they are married.
What Are Their Beliefs?
The Didinga are almost completely pagan. Their traditional beliefs and religious practices include having a tribal rainmaker who is entrusted with performing certain rituals to bring rain. Didinga also worship and sacrifice to spirits and gods and place great importance upon the worship of dead ancestors.
Deng.
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:11 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Gule of Sudan
The 17,200 Gule are a sub-group of the Shilluk, who are the northernmost Nilotic-speaking people in Africa. The original homeland of the Nilotic peoples is believed to be somewhere east of the Great Lakes in Africa. The Shilluk homeland was near Rumbek, but as their population and herds increased, they migrated northward. By the late 1400's, they had reached their new location along the banks of the White Nile River. Today, they still live there in open grasslands not affected by the river's annual floods.
Throughout the 1800's, the Shilluk and other tribes in southern Sudan were raided for slaves and ivory. Slave stations were established in many territories, but the Shilluk were well organized and able to deter many of the raiders. During the early 1900's under the Anglo-Egyptian rule of Sudan, the Shilluk way of life was drastically affected. The introduction of medical services, irrigation, road-making, and the European style of government led to many changes in their culture and organization.
What Are Their Lives Like
The Shilluk, including the Gule, are primarily herdsmen. They raise small herds of cattle, along with some sheep, goats, pigs, and hens. Since they are so important to the Gule, cattle are given the utmost care. For example, they are tied near fires at night in order to keep insects from biting them.
To supplement their diet of dairy products, the Gule women grow crops in gardens outside the settlements. Among the crops cultivated are millet, maize, sesame, beans, and tobacco. Other responsibilities for the women include preparing the food and making the cooking utensils. Gule men hunt hippopotamus, antelope, buffalo, and giraffe. They are also considered to be expert fishermen by their neighbors. Through spear fishing, the Gule men take advantage of the bountiful species of fish found in the White Nile.
Gule communities have been likened to beads on a string. They are spread out along the banks of the White Nile with a space of about 200 yards separating each community. Small settlements representing a lineage contain thatched-roofed huts made of mud. The settlement is headed by a chief, who handles disputes and keeps order in the community.
At the center of Shilluk country is the capital, Pachoda, where the reth (Shilluk king) resides. The reth is believed to have spiritual powers, and he is often referred to as a divine king. Each reth is believed to be a reincarnation of Nyikang, the first king. Today, the reth has ritual rather than regulative or executive powers.
The Gule possess a unique style of dress and tribal markings that set them apart from neighboring groups. Very little clothing is worn by either males or females. The men wear ivory or wooden bracelets on the wrists or upper arms. In addition, six of the lower teeth are removed at a young age (except in the royal family). This practice is also characteristic of most other Nilotic peoples, thus separating them from other ethnic groups. Gule men and women have have three to five rows of dots or scars on their foreheads, indicating their distinct tribal markings.
What Are Their Belief?
The Gule are primarily Sunni Muslims, but most of the other Shilluk groups follow traditional animistic beliefs (belief that non-human objects have spirits). The Shilluk believe in the power of the "evil eye" (curse caused by an intense gaze). Envy or anger may cause a person with this power to bring misfortune to others. Prayer, sacrifices, and magic are used to safeguard the people from this power. Although many African tribes feel that the birth of twins is a curse, the Shilluk consider it a blessing. Twins are considered to be "children of god."
Deng.
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:12 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Central Koma of Sudan
The Central Koma, also known as the Komo, live in the Blue Nile Province of eastern Sudan. They are a Nilotic people. The term Nilotic once referred to people living along the banks of the Upper Nile Valley River. Today, the term is used in a broader sense, and includes people who live in surrounding areas and have the same physical, linguistic, and cultural characteristics as those living in the Upper Nile Valley.
Intermarriage and close contact with some non-Nilotes have influenced the Central Koma culturally and linguistically. Thus, while most Nilotes speak a language from the Sudanic linguistic stock, the Central Koma speak a language that belongs to the Koman language group.
The Central Koma, like other Nilotes, are tall, with long legs and thin physiques. They have little body hair, broad noses, thin lips, and long #########. As a whole, most Nilotes look uniquely different from surrounding peoples.
What are their lives like?
The Central Koma (hereafter called Komo) are shepherds and farmers. They raise cattle, sheep, and goats. Their crops include sorghum, maize, sesame, okra, peppers, cotton, and tobacco. They engage in some hunting and fishing, and also do some trading with the Nuer and other nearby peoples. The men hunt, fish, and do most of the herding and milking, while the women help the men with farm labor. The women also collect honey from the hives in the bush.
The Komo live in compact villages, in round huts with thatched roofs. Each wife has her own hut where she and her children remain until the children are old enough to begin their own families.
Komo marriages take place by the exchange of sisters from one village to the next. Marriage between close relatives is forbidden. The groom is not required to perform a bride-service (working for the bride's family before a marriage can take place), and a bride-price is uncommon. Polygamy (having more than one spouse) exists, but only a few of the wealthiest Komo have more than one wife.
Each village (or small group of villages) has a headman who inherits his office and exercises limited authority. He is considered "the Father of the Land." Although families clear and cultivate the fields, individual families do not own the land. Instead, the land collectively belongs to the entire village, under the leadership of the headman. The headman also keeps in his possession the symbolic insignia of the Komo, such as strings of beads, spears, and village drums.
"Rain-makers" (men who conduct rituals in order to bring much needed rain) also inherit their positions and may sometimes serve as village headmen. In addition, each village has a religious expert who specializes in magic and is subject to inspiration from spirits.
There are a few schools in the Blue Nile Province, and some Komo have the opportunity to receive an education. In certain schools, English is taught at the higher levels, while Arabic is taught at the lower levels. There are few medical facilities in the area. The people often look to their chiefs for the healing of simple illnesses.
What are their beliefs?
Most Komo follow their traditional ethnic religion. This religion teaches the worship of a supreme god who is considered the creator of all things, and the worship of the spirits of dead ancestors. Divination (the use of supernatural powers), magic, and rain-making are also a part of the traditional religion.
Deng.
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:14 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Murle of Sudan
Most of the 85,000 Murle live in the Pibor district of southern Sudan, where they are known as the "lowland Murle." They are primarily shepherds. Some of the Murle also live near the Boma Plateau, which lies to the southeast of Pibor. These "highland Murle" make their living as farmers. There are still others who have been drawn westward toward the plentiful watering and grazing grounds provided by the Nile.
In spite of their geographic spread, the Murle remain unified. They speak a common language and maintain close ties. They are a part of the larger people group known as the Surma, who originated in Ethiopia. The Surma gradually moved north, mixing with various peoples along the way. In time, they settled in the place where they live today.
Throughout the years, the Murle have been involved in hundreds of raids and wars. They have since gained a strong sense of identity and pride, regarding all outsiders as enemies.
What are their lives like?
The primary difference between the highland Murle and lowland Murle is their means of livelihood. The lowland Murle, which make up the majority, herd cattle and other animals, since shepherding is considered the ideal way of life to the Murle. The highland Murle, however, have either lost their cattle or forsaken shepherding and now live as farmers.
Cattle cannot survive on the Boma Plateau because of the tsetse flies living in the forests of the area. However, the region is quite fertile and suitable for agriculture because of its volcanic soil. The plains where the lowland Murle live, on the other hand, are not suitable for agriculture, but ideal for herding. Although 90 miles of uninhabited land exists between the lowland and highland Murle, they visit each other frequently, and intermarriage is common and accepted. They feel they need to depend on their fellow Murle during times of war, drought, and economic crisis.
The home is the center of the Murle way of life. Their settlements are made of a series of huts arranged into a circle. The huts are linked together by thorn hedges, which keep the cattle inside and protect them from harm. The highland Murle also have gardens near their huts.
The huts are usually built by the women. They are beehive-shaped and are made of thatched bundles of grass. The center of social activity for a settlement is "the club," a large shady tree where the elders sit, smoke, and discuss village matters. There is also a dancing floor beside this tree.
Children receive practical education from their parents at a very early age. A boy is taught to respect his elders, to be polite, not to insult, and to be always be honest. By the time a girl is in her early teens, she is good-natured, a hard worker, and a good cook.
What are their beliefs?
The Murle are animists (believe that non-living objects have spirits), following the ethnic religious practices of their ancestors. They believe the earth is flat and that their home in Sudan is at the center. The word for "sky" and the word for "God" are one and the same: Tammu. They believe that Tammu created the universe and that rain is a gift from him. They also believe that Tammu is everywhere, all-knowing, the supreme judge and ruler, and greater than all things.
Unfortunately, the Murle also believe that some spirits dwell in animals, and that the spirits of their ancestors are still present. The Murle regularly solicit the help of healers and diviners, who they believe are able to ward off evil spirits and curses. They believe visits to these diviners can keep the "good spirits" on their side, as well as keep evil spirits away from them.
Deng
(عدل بواسطة Deng on 03-12-2003, 06:05 AM)
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Nuer of Sudan
Numbering approximately one million, the Nuer are the second largest people group (second to the Dinka) in south Sudan. Traditionally, they are cattle herders whose complete way of life revolves around their livestock. Cattle are used for payment of fines and debts and as bride prices in marriage. Children mold clay figures of cows out of clay, ash, wood or any other available material. Young boys have a favorite ox who they give a name and treat as if it was a puppy.
Unfortunately, Sudan’s civil war, which has lasted for over a decade, has devastated this traditional way of life and displaced many Nuer to the safety of the neighboring country of Ethiopia or to places in northern Sudan, such as the capital city of Khartoum. Many Nuer serve with the Sudanese rebel army, although some are at odds with the rebel leader, a member of the Dinka tribe. In the past, war and tribal fighting has broken out between Nuer and their Dinka neighbors.
Lifestyle and Society
Although they are for the most part cattle herders, some Nuer also engage in agriculture. They determine their calendar based on current activity and weather conditions. The fishing season begins in December and lasts until the season of rain (spring) begins. Next comes the time of crop growing (summer), followed by the season of winds (autumn). The Nuer are careful watchers of the stars and have their own names for various stars and constellations. The evening star, for example, is called “Lipai chiing.” To the Nuer, it looks like a girl in a village waiting for the moon to rise, and the name means “waiting in the village for the moon.”
Nuer society is patrilineal; all rights, privileges, obligations and relationships are regulated through kinsmen. Marriage is one of the most important Nuer traditions, and is arranged by the families of the bride and groom. The Nuer believe in monogamy, but divorce is not unheard of, and is usually caused by a lack of children. If a woman does not produce children, a man can demand the return of the cattle he paid for the marriage and can send the woman back to her own village.
Deng.
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Pari of Sudan
The Pari live in southeastern Sudan in an area east of the Nile River. They occupy Lafon Hill, a small rocky elevation that rises abruptly out of the surrounding plain and is completely covered with terraced, Pari villages. Although they are a Nilotic group, the Pari are isolated from other Nilotes and are more closely connected with groups such as the Bari. Nilote is a term once used to refer to those people occupying the upper Nile Valley. It now also includes those peoples in surrounding areas who have the same physical, linguistic, and cultural characteristics as those living in the upper Nile Valley.
The Pari have had close contact with the Dinka and Nuer groups who invaded and raided them in years past. The Pari also have been influenced by the Anuak, who occupy a large area north of them. The two groups share many cultural similarities. Some see the Pari as a branch of the Anuak and claim that the two were once one group.
What are their lives like?
The Pari economy centers on the raising of cattle. The land around the terraced villages is used as grazing grounds for cattle and smaller herds. Some of the land is also used for cultivation; however, because there is no water on the hill itself, water must be brought from nearby pools. The entire Pari population lives on the hill and is divided into sections and villages. The warriors and hunters live near the foot of the hill, while the elderly live further up the hill.
Generally, the Pari are led into battles and are governed by a chief whose office is hereditary. The chief settles disputes from the various villages, and a headman from each village handles day-to-day affairs. The headman is also in charge of all village ceremonies and keeps in his possession the village drums and ancient Pari relics. The tribesmen show him respect by cultivating his land and bringing him gifts of meat and fish. If the headman loses the villagers' support by being a weak leader, he is expelled from the village, taking nothing with him but his wives.
The Pari are divided into clans. Since most clan members live in the same village, a strong sense of unity exists among the members. Marriages between clans are common, and children are usually betrothed when they are quite young. Each year, until the bride-to-be is old enough to marry, the groom must give sheep or goats to his future in-laws as a "bride-price."
What are their beliefs?
Nearly 95% of the Pari areanimists who follow their traditional ethnic religion. An animist believes that non-human objects have spirits. The Pari also believe in an all-powerful spirit named Juok, who is regarded as the creator of all things. When someone is sick or when someone wants revenge, an animal is sacrificed to Juok for help. Unlike many African tribes in Sudan which have mediator spirits or priests to intercede on behalf of the people, the Pari pray directly to Juok.
The Pari practice divination and magic. The cijor is a type of sorcerer who exercises magical powers against those he envies. He puts curses on those who have done wrong to someone else. Elderly people who are unable to avenge themselves often resort to using these curses.
The Pari tribesmen also have what are known as "rain makers." The ritual of rain making involves the sacrifice of a bull and goat. The animals' blood is poured on a grinding stone and placed in the chief's hut. The rain makers dip their hands in water and shake them over the ashes of the bull and goat. Clouds of steam then begin to arise. The villagers remain in their huts, quiet until the sun rises, hoping for rain.
Deng.
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Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. (Re: Deng)
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The Dinka of the Southern Sudan
Traditional lifestyle
Traditionally cattle herders living on the vast savanna of the southern Sudan in Africa, the Dinka were split into twenty or more tribal groups which were further divided into sub-tribes, each occupying a tract of land large enough to provide adequate water and pasture for their herds. Still today, the Dinka lifestyle centres on their cattle: the people's roles within the groups, their belief systems and the rituals they practice, all reflect this. Cattle give milk (butter and ghee), urine is used in washing, to dye hair and in tanning hides. Dung fuels fires from which ash is used to keep the cattle clean and free from blood-sucking ticks, to decorate the Dinka themselves (body art), and as a paste to clean teeth. While cattle are not killed for meat, if one dies or is sacrificed, the meat is eaten and the hide cured. Skins are used for mats and drum skins, and belts, ropes and halters are also made from it. Horns and bones are used for a range of practical and aesthetic items.
During the wet season, the Dinka live in homesteads consisting of small groups of grassroofed, mud-walled houses set among scattered palms and thorn bushes. During the dry season, everyone except the aged, the ill and nursing mothers take the herds to the camps by the river. They don't return to the homesteads until the rains come. The rains make the riverside camps uninhabitable, turning the grasslands into swamps. Their homeland is very important to the Dinka: their whole existence focuses on their rivers and pasture, in the spirits they believe inhabit the grassland, and in their cattle.
There is no overarching hierarchical authority structure among the Dinka, although the Sudanese government has attempted to formalise the position of influential (and often quite wealthy) elders. While each sub-tribe now elects a chief, who has official status in the Sudanese Provincial Government in the Southern region, he is merely influential (rather than wielding authority) in everyday life. Each chief does, however, listen to local disputes and attempt to settle them fairly. These "courts" are very informal, open air affairs, involving much talk from all interested parties, and are very public. They allow disputants to have their say and feel that they have been heard fairly. Chiefs, and other tribal elders, are treated with respect and some deference by the Dinka.
Kinship structures are extremely important to the Dinka: family members provide an essential support network. In the riverside camps, each family group lives in its own cluster of grass and sapling huts, placed around a communal cooking hearth. The family's cattle is tethered around its own site. Blood links extend out to clan members (all the descendants of a single ancestor) and there is the sense that blood relatives will unquestioningly support each other - the closer the blood link, the more automatic and total the support. The Dinka need to know their ancestry because clan members living in the same region are forbidden to marry. Ancestry (direct lineage) also plays an important role in the initiation of boys to warriors. Marriage is associated with the acquisition of cattle - the bridegroom's family give cattle to the wife's family. This is the principal way by which wealth is acquired (wealth is traditionally measured in terms of cattle). Clans are traced patrilinearly (in the male line), thus it is extremely important that each man marries and produces male offspring to maintain the lineage link from past, through the present, to the future. If a man does not produce a son, he will not become an ancestor, therefore he will face oblivion with death. The Dinka have devised ways of dealing with, and thus preventing, this awful scenario. If a boy dies, a brother or near relative will take a wife in the dead boy's name and all children born will be 'his' children. If a man dies before his wife has children, a brother or close relative will take the widow as wife and children born to this union will have the dead man's name.
The birth of a girl baby is also celebrated as she brings her family wealth upon her marriage. The cattle her father receives from her husband's family is used to cement alliances and reaffirm kinship rights and obligations. Nevertheless, a girl baby will not preserve the lineage - her children will be brought up in her husband's clan. A boy baby is given his own name and then the name of his father, grandfather, etc. A man can trace his ancestry through to twenty generations or so, by name.
Rites of Passage - Initiation
Initiation marks a young man's passage from boyhood to adulthood. An initiate is called a parapool - "one who has stopped milking". Initiation means he no longer does a boy's work of milking, tethering the cattle, and carting dung. Initiation is marked by mutilation - tribal marks of several parallel lines or V-shaped marks - are scarified onto the youth's forehead. The pattern of scars may change over time but the parapuol is always easily recognisable as belonging to a particular tribe. This scarification takes place at any age from ten to sixteen. Initiates are warriors, guardians of the camp against predators - lions, hyenas - and against enemy raiders. Some stay with the cattle all year round. All of them stay with the cattle during the dry months but most return to the villages to help cultivate the crops during the wet season. Even in this duty, the parapuol have the role of warrior protectors. The cattle, protected by the parapuol who remain with them, are kept in camps on the plains at the base of the foothills for the entire wet season.
Initiation occurs around harvest time. The night before the ceremony the boys come together to sing the songs of their clans. Their ######### have already been shaved in preparation for the initiation ritual itself. At dawn, they are collected by their parents and taken to where the ceremony will take place. After receiving a blessing, the boys take their places in a row, sitting cross-legged, the rising sun behind their backs. As the initiator comes to each boy in turn, he calls out the names of his ancestors. The initiator clasps the crown of the boy's head firmly and spins it past the blade of an extremely sharp knife. After the first cut, the initiator makes the second and third, etc., whatever the clan pattern of scars might be. The cuts are deep, in fact skulls have been found that have the scars visible on the bony forehead. The initiate, psyched up by a night of clan song-singing, looks straight ahead and continues to recite the names of his ancestors.
This is the moment he has been waiting for; when he joins the ranks of the warriors and puts aside the lowly status of boyhood and the demeaning chores it represents, and takes on the status of warrior, with all the privileges and honour this brings. His initiation scars declare him to be a warrior and a man, and therefore brave and proud. To flinch or scream during the initiation ritual would be to deny his own courage and therefore to disgrace his family and his ancestors. A kink in his initiation scars would brand him a coward, visible for all to see.
When all initiates have been ritually scarred, their fathers wipe the blood from their sons' eyes and mouths, then wrap a broad leaf around their foreheads. Initiation scars mean that a man is able to marry - the parapuol may now begin to court eligible girls. The boys are presented with a spear, a club and a shield - necessary accoutrements of a warrior. There is great rejoicing within the group, with singing and dancing going on for several days. After his initiation, a parapuol is given an oxen, his "song oxen". It is his most precious possession and he will lavish care on it, even to the extent of delicately training its horns into unusual, often asymmetrical, shapes.
In recent years there has been some breakdown in the traditional patterns of life for the Dinka. For example, many parapuol now see the value of going to the city to earn the money to buy cattle so that they can marry sooner. This has disrupted the traditional redistribution of wealth among the clans and has led to jealousies and hostilities. Modern clothes and modern tools have been introduced. Nevertheless, the Dinka appear to value highly their traditional ways. Boys still choose to go through the initiation ritual and girls still say they prefer the look of a warrior who bears the scars of the parapuol.
Deng.
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هكذا يكون الحديث (Re: Deng)
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الأخ العزيز الراقي دوما دينق
تحياتي
شكرا جزيلاً أخي دينق علي تلبيتك الدعوة للكتابة عن القبائل بجنوب السودان.
فقد أوفيت وتحدثت بشكل رائع عن العديد من القبائل بجنوبنا الحبيب وأري أنك قد ركزت علي مناطق أعالي النيل وبعض مناطق الإستوائية أو بالمعني الأصح الجزء الشمالي منها والمتاخم للأعالي النيل وكذلك أوفيت بعض القبائل المتداخلة بين أعالي النيل والنيل الأزرق حقها
أعجبني تماماً الأسلوب الذي تناولت به الطرح فقد أعطي جرعة قوية لمن يرغب في معرفة من هم الجنوبيون ، وكيف تكون حياتهم وما هي تقسيماتهم وبالطبع هذا فيه فائدة كبيرة وتعريف جيد لكل سوداني.
لي ملاحظة واحدة فقط وحيت تعم الفائدة فإذا أستطعت ترجمة هذه الكتابات إلي اللغة العربية أعتقد أن المردود بالتأكيد سوف يكون أكبر وأعم.
أتمني أن أري منك الجديد دائما
وفقك الله اخي دينق وأتمني أن تواصل
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Deng
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست