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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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| العنوان |
الكاتب |
Date |
| Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 05:40 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 05:43 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 05:49 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 05:52 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 05:56 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 05:59 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 06:02 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 06:18 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 06:21 AM |
| Re: Some Tribes From South Sudan. | Deng | 03-12-03, 06:29 AM |
| هكذا يكون الحديث | shawkat | 03-12-03, 06:36 AM |
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Deng
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