Mundari people
Encyclopedia
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
of 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...
and one of the Nilotic peoples.
The group is composed of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
-herders and agriculturalists and are part of Karo people
Karo people (East Africa)
Karo is a group of Nilotic tribes that straddles the Nile in the Republic of South Sudan and is predominately found in Central Equatoria State, and as far South as Uganda and South-West as Democratic Republic of the Congo. Karo comprises Nyangwara, Bari, Pojulu, Kuku , Mundari and Kakwa. They...
which also includes Bari
Bari people
The Bari ethnic groups in South Sudan occupy the Savanna lands of the White Nile Valley. They speak a language which is also called Bari. The name "Bari of the Nile Valley" would be fitting because the river Nile runs through the heart of the Bari land...
, Pojulu
Pojulu people
----The Pojulu ethnic groups in the South Sudan occupy the savanna lands of the Nile Valley west of Bari. They are part of Karo people which also includes Bari, Mundari, Kakwa, Kuku and Nyangwara. The neighbouring tribes are Bari to the east, Nyangwara, Moro to the north Kakwa to the south, west...
, Kakwa, Kuku
Kuku people
The Kuku are a tribe from South Sudan. They are part of Karo people. The Kuku speak Kutuk na Kuku. They inhabit the agricultural lands of Kajo Keji County in Central Equatoria State.They are chiefly a farming people relying on mixed farming...
and Nyangwara
Nyangwara
The Nyangwara are an ethnic group numbering between 25,000 and 30,000 people living in the South Sudan in the state of Central Equatoria.. They are part of Karo people which also includes Bari, Mundari, Kakwa, Kuku and Pojulu tribes. They speak Kutuk na Nyangwara....
. Kutuk na Mundari
Mandari language
Mundari is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken by the Mundari people of South Sudan....
is also the name of their language, which is in similar to Kutuk na Kuku, Kutuk na Kakwa, Kutuk na Pojulu, Kutuk na Bari, and Kutuk na Nyangwara.
Tribal land
The traditional Mundari tribal lands are located roughly 75 kilometers north of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and are centered around the town of Terekeka in the state of Central EquatoriaCentral Equatoria
-Government:Executive*Governor - Maj. Gen. Clement Wani Konga*Deputy Governor and Minister of Education, Science and Technology - Mr. Manase Lomole Waya *Minister of Education - Lokulenge Lole Lokule...
. They are bordered to the north by the Bor
Bor, Sudan
-Location:The town of Bor is located in Bor South County, Jonglei State, in central South Sudan, approximately , by road, north of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country. The town is located on the east bank of the White Nile...
Dinka
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 ...
at Pariak and to the south by the Bari of Juba at the Ku'da River. Their lands are bounded on the east by the White Nile
White Nile
The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...
and extend west to Lake Madi in Western Equatoria state, an area roughly 100 by 75 kilometers in size.
The land, like much of South Sudan, is predominantly flat and marked by occasional isolated large hills. The low-lying land contains many rivers and lakes and is prone to flooding during the rainy season. The soil is predominantly clay-based, causing drainage and water retention problems, and provides a very fertile basis in support of cattle grazing.
The main settlements in Mundariland are Terekeka
Terekeka
Terekeka is a community in Central Equatoria state, South Sudan. It is the headquarters of Terekeka County.Terekeka town lies on the western bank of the Nile, 53 miles north of Juba town....
, Mongalla
Mongalla, South Sudan
Mongalla or Mangalla is a community in Central Equatoria state in South Sudan, on the east side of the Bahr al Jebel or White Nile river. It lies about by road northeast of Juba. The towns of Terekeka and Bor lie downstream, north of Mongalla....
, Gemaiza, Muni, Tombek, Tindalo, Tali, Rego, Rijong,South Sudan[Rijong
Rokon, Koweri and Ku'da.
Culture
The Mundari, like other nilotic tribes, are very cattle-oriented: cattle serves as food, a form of currency and a mark of status. Marriages are arrangedArranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
by the prospective groom offering cattle to the bride's family and husbands may take as many wives
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
as they can support. The Mundari engage in perennial cattle raiding wars with the Bor Dinka during the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
.
The Mundari also cultivate sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
and catch fish using nets and spears.
In common with other nilotic tribes in Sudan, the Mundari practice ritual scarification as a rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
into adulthood for young men. The typical Mundari scar pattern consists of two sets of three parallel lines, each on either side of the forehead, extending in a downward slope and unconnected in the middle.