Dinka mythology
Encyclopedia
The Dinka
, or Jieng/Muonyjang, are a Nilotic
ethnic group in South Sudan
.
In Dinka mythology, the supreme, creator god is Nhialic (also known as Jaak, Juong or Dyokin by other Nilotic groups such as the Nuer and Shilluk). He is believed to be present in all of creation, and to control the destiny of every human, plant and animal on Earth. Nhialic is the god of the sky and rain, and the ruler of all the spirits.
Dengdit or Deng, is the sky god of rain and fertility, empowered by Nhialic. Deng's mother is Abuk
, the patron goddess of gardening and all women, represented by a snake. Garang is believed or assumed by some Dinka to be a god suppressed by Deng whose spirits can cause most Dinka women, and some men, to scream.
The term "Jok" refers to a group of ancestral spirits.
Dinka people respect African puff adders because of divinities believed to be found in the snakes. The most commonly respected snakes are Atemyath, Biar keroor, and Maluang. These snakes are given local made molten cheese to appease them, after which they are released into the forest. Killing these snakes is believed to be a bad omen for the community or the individual, with the assumption that spirits may strike the killer.
Dinka
The Dinka is an ethnic group inhabiting the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. They are mainly agro-pastoral people, relying on cattle herding at riverside camps in the dry season and growing millet and other varieties of grains ...
, or Jieng/Muonyjang, are a Nilotic
Nilotic
Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
ethnic group in South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
.
In Dinka mythology, the supreme, creator god is Nhialic (also known as Jaak, Juong or Dyokin by other Nilotic groups such as the Nuer and Shilluk). He is believed to be present in all of creation, and to control the destiny of every human, plant and animal on Earth. Nhialic is the god of the sky and rain, and the ruler of all the spirits.
Dengdit or Deng, is the sky god of rain and fertility, empowered by Nhialic. Deng's mother is Abuk
Abuk
Abuk is the first woman in the myths of the Dinka and Nuer people of Sudan. The Nuer call her Buk. She is the only well-known female deity of the Dinka. She is also the patron goddess of women as well as gardens. Her emblem is a small snake. She is the mother of the god of rain and fertility...
, the patron goddess of gardening and all women, represented by a snake. Garang is believed or assumed by some Dinka to be a god suppressed by Deng whose spirits can cause most Dinka women, and some men, to scream.
The term "Jok" refers to a group of ancestral spirits.
Dinka people respect African puff adders because of divinities believed to be found in the snakes. The most commonly respected snakes are Atemyath, Biar keroor, and Maluang. These snakes are given local made molten cheese to appease them, after which they are released into the forest. Killing these snakes is believed to be a bad omen for the community or the individual, with the assumption that spirits may strike the killer.