The Dinka tribe of South Sudan are giants of the universe
This tribe has produced prominent leaders at the political, social and sporting levels
The Dinka tribe is considered one of the largest tribes in South Sudan
Its individuals are the tallest in the world, and the most famous individual in the world is Manute Bol, who played in the American Basketball League and is 2.31 meters tall.
This tribe constitutes about 18% of the country’s population, numbering about 4 and a half million people. They are believed, along with the Tutsis in Rwanda, to be the tallest people in Africa and the world.
The Dinka tribe, whose members are known to be among the tallest people in the world, is considered the largest branch of the Nilotic groups in Sudan before secession. It also includes the Shilluk, Nuer, and Anuak tribes, and some tribes from the Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal regions. The "South Blue Nile", who are characterized by being the tallest and darkest Africans, speak the "Dinka" language, and have a diverse and exclusive set of vocabulary to describe their conditions, and special signs to communicate with their livestock, naming them and calling them.
The Dinka people constitute the majority in the state of South Sudan, and they are distinguished by their tall stature and dark skin. There is a legend that talks about the color of their deep black skin, as there is a very tall brunette girl, “Alut - Bint Al-Ghumam”, who descended from the sky with tropical rain storms. She was pregnant, giving birth to the Dinka's grandfather, the boy Deng Dit, and this legend is passed on from generation to generation.
Since then, the tribe has established independent but interconnected internal systems for itself, in order to compensate for the absence of central authority in the tribe, by placing a leader or sultan at the head of each group, called “Benj.”
Interesting customs for marriage
Marriage and divorce among the Dinka tribe are based on special religious beliefs, strange rituals and customs. When a young man loves a girl, he does everything he can to marry her, and in a tradition known as “Al-Rawak”, he kidnaps her to a place far away from the tribe, and they remain together until the end of the day. On the birth of the first child, then he brings her to complete the marriage ceremony.
The dowry is considered one of the most important and first stages of marriage among them. It is a social constitution whose size is determined according to specific and recognized standards. It is not paid in cash but in the form of cows, the basic wealth of which the Dinka are famous for having the best breeds and types. One of the most important criteria for the size of the dowry is the girl’s height. , her weight, and the degree of tan of her skin, as well as the social status of the bride’s family. The dowry often ranges between 70 and 200 cows, and may reach 500 heads of cows, according to the bride’s specifications and her position among the recognized standards within the tribe, and it is not necessary for the dowry to be paid in one lump sum. It can be paid in installments in agreed upon installments, but in all cases the dowry is never forfeited, even after the death of the spouses, it remains an existing entitlement, with the man being allowed to marry as many women as he wants, and each of them will have dozens of children and grandchildren, which has caused an increase in the number of cows and sheep. Existing in the state of South Sudan exceeds the population itself, and makes it of great economic and social importance, both for the citizens and for the state’s economy. One of the interesting Dinka traditions is that if the husband dies, his brother inherits his wife or wives.
Religions and myths
Christian and Islamic religions spread among the Dinka, especially when Sudan was unified before secession. According to researchers, the Dinka believe in the existence of one god called “Nial” or “Nialik” and that his spirit is represented by the members of the tribe. They also believe that their great-grandfather, “Ding Det, son of Alut, who came from heaven, had traits and characteristics closer to the prophets, and they also likened the way he came and was born to the birth of Jesus Christ.
According to the historian, Ahmed Abdullah Adam, author of the book “The Tribes of Sudan, a Model of Intermingling and Coexistence,” the Nilotic tribes are divided into two branches, the “Nilotic” and the “Nilotic Hamitic,” and the “Dinka” are considered from the first category, the “Nilotic,” the largest tribe in Sudan before Separation, and they are likely to be the second largest tribe in Africa, after the “Maasai” tribe in Kenya, as they represented 11 percent of the total population of Sudan, and 50.4 percent of the current population of South Sudan.
Adam divides the “Dinka” into two large groups: “Dinka” (Akwi), named after their great-grandfather (Ok Awi), and the name symbolizes the strong, white falcon that is quick to swoop and has precise aim, and is of the (Akwi) breed, which is found in large numbers in the state of Bahr el Ghazal. Three subspecies of the “Dinka” branch out: the “Rik Dinka,” whose center is the “Tung,” and the “Gogrial Dinka,” who are a mixture of the “Rik Dinka” and the “Tog.” The third branch is the “Malual Dinka,” the largest of their groups, and they constitute 60 percent of the "Dinka" of South Sudan, and their center is "Aweil" county. As for the second group, they are "Dinka Lit", named after their grandfather "Lit". Most of them are found in Upper Nile State, and they are divided into three groups: "Dinka Ava" in Mellit. “Tut and Shish” in Yirol, along with “Dinka Bor” in the Bor region.
The girl of the clouds returning to the sky
The legend of the origins of the appearance of the sacred "Dinka" ancestor, "Ding Det", which means in their language the Great Lord, according to the author of the book The Tribes of Sudan, says: "A long time ago, on a rainy day with heavy clouds, a girl of slender figure, tall, and handsome in appearance came down. Her name is "Alut." In their language, it means “the daughter of the clouds” or “the rain.” Alut was pregnant with a protruding belly. She gave birth immediately after the fall, and during the rain, a beautiful baby with full teeth was born. It dazzled everyone, so the Dinka gathered from everywhere to listen to the advice of “Alut” and the child who came with her. From heaven, and promised them that he would tell them about himself, but after they slaughtered white bulls and prepared feasts and celebrations.”
"Alot" told them that the child's name was "Ding Det" and that he would take care of their protection and be the link between her and them. Then she disappeared, and at a moment when the rain, lightning and thunder became heavy, she returned to the sky and left them with the boy "Ding Det", who was known as their grandfather, to guide the people. To good morals and social and spiritual values, and urges them not to steal, to be generous and to have great respect for women, especially older women, to stay away from adultery and other people’s wives, not to betray, to care for and shelter a stranger, and to take cows as a dowry for marriage, while another legend that is also linked to the distant origins of the “Dinka” attributes them to Grandfather "Garang" from whom the origins of the tribe descended.
Genetic giants problems with height
The researcher in the history of Sudan, Abbas Al-Sheikh Al-Hajj, attributes the most important reasons for the tall stature of the members of the “Dinka” tribe to the fact that it is a combination between the nature of the tropical climate and jungle life, and the hereditary genetic isolation between them, which is reinforced and protected by customs and traditions related to marriage, especially the wide circle of consanguineous marriage, and their customs allow inheritance Relative wives are brothers and stepmothers, with the exception of the mother, in addition to the major role played by the tradition of marrying tall women and thus giving birth to tall children, which helps maintain the advantage of great height.
Al-Hajj adds, “One of the customs that helped the Dinka maintain a tall, strong physique is that they drink fresh milk directly from cows, in addition to their aerial dances based on high jumping, in addition to the sport of hanging in trees and their connection to them, are among the customs that helped them obtain a physique.” Tall and strong.” The history researcher explains that the “Dinka” grew up and were accustomed to a way of living and living among forests with open spaces. Therefore, when they leave their natural environment and their homes designed to suit their height, they are exposed to many inconveniences and problems, especially when moving to cities and regions. Urban residents, as they are forced to live in houses or apartments whose doors do not exceed 180 cm in height, as well as dealing with small cars. All of these obstacles, and others, are generally faced by tall people, which requires special arrangements for adaptation.
War years
Over the course of its long history, the Dinka tribe has produced prominent leaders at the political, social and sporting levels in the state of South Sudan, especially the late John Garang, founder and head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and Salva Kiir Mayardit, the current president of the state of the south. Their exceptional height helped them to emerge many... One of the international athletes, especially in the field of basketball, and one of the most famous of all is the American Professional League basketball player Manute Bol.
Member of the Sudanese Olympic Committee and former secretary of the Sudanese Basketball Federation, Mohamed Diaa El-Din, says that the period of war in South Sudan contributed greatly to limiting sports activity there, which wasted great opportunities in sports investment in tall Dinka people, as well as members of the tribe. “Nuer” who also have height advantages.
Diaa El-Din explained that many of the Dinka and Nuer people who were helped by Al-Taruf and were present in the main cities in South Sudan, such as Juba and Wau, played basketball, and some of them moved to play in both Khartoum and Port Sudan, such as Manute, Wadud Malwal, Nicola Makwaj, Wonder Booth Dio, Michael Mallouk, and others, were playing in clubs affiliated with the Sudanese Basketball Federation and then moved to play abroad through the Federation itself.
Manute is the most famous
According to the Sudanese Online website, Sudanese basketball player Manute Bol is considered the tallest basketball player in the American Professional League, with a height of 2.32 metres. He shares the same height with Romanian player Georgi Muresan.
The player, Manute, began his career when he was 18 years old. He is one of the sons of the well-known sultans of the tribe. He inherited his height from his family. Manute told, according to the website, some of what he encountered at the beginning of his sporting career, especially when his teeth got stuck in the net, and the result was that he lost some of them. .
Manot, born on October 16, 1962, in the Gogrial region of South Sudan, immigrated to America in 1984, and played for the Bridgeport University team for one season, and his coach at the time said that he had the longest arms in the world, confirming His ability to score at any moment and from long distances is what made him achieve unparalleled success, despite his recent experience with the game.
Manute became one of the most famous stars in the American League in a short period, and a number that cannot be surpassed, until he died on June 19, 2010, at the age of 47 years.
Between pastures and rivers
The "Dinka" are still the largest ethnic group in South Sudan. They live in a wide geographical area, extending from the north of the Bahr al-Ghazal and Upper Nile districts to South Kordofan (around the course of the Nile), where their line of contact with the "Baqqara" tribes in present-day Sudan lies, and the majority of them practice crafts. Pastoralism and agriculture.
This tribe played a valued historical role within the national liberation movements in Sudan. It contributed to all the uprisings against the colonialists, and participated in all guerrilla actions, from the beginning of the 20th century until Sudan gained its independence. Among the “Dinka” were Ali Abdul Latif, the leader of the famous 1924 revolution, and Abdul Fadil. Almaz, the legendary stand against colonialism.
Source: websites