By Casper Hedberg – After 25 years of civil war, the Dinka people are now back to normal life in South Sudan. A way of life that hasn’t changed much since ancient time. South Sudan offers the last vast grassland in Africa were herders still find plenty of space to move about; for hundreds and hundreds of kilometers both east and west of the Nile banks.
The Dinka tribe is the largest tribe in South Sudan with around 2,5 million people. The Dinka clans are living on the edges of the Sudd, the big swamp and wetland formed by the Nile river. It’s a life settled around cattle. They drink their milk, they worship them, they call them by names and they wash their faces and bodies with cattle urine. Cattle’s are killed only at very special occasions, like weddings, or if the animal is sick. In the dry season they herd their cattle into the grassland, in the rain season they start to herd them back from the floodplains to higher grounds.
There is plenty of fish in the Sudd and one traditional way of living for the Dinka people is the life as fishermen. Dinka fishermen use dugout canoes and mostly fish with nets but also with spears. But most of the Dinkas are living with their cattle’s as half nomads. The herders and their families live with their cattle together with other Dinka families and forms huge cattle camps that often consists of a couple of 100 people and even more cattle’s. Every morning the animals are released and go away to pasture. In the late afternoon the cattle’s returns back to the camps by them selves. They miss their home and want to be milked. There are always dung fires against flies in the camp so a fine layer of white ash is everywhere and the wind blows curtains of ash all around the place.
Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. A boy is filling up a dungfire with some more dung.Evening in a cattle camp in the Mingkaman area at the Wat river. The cattle returns back to the camp in the evening.Evening in a cattle camp in the Mingkaman area at the Wat river. Ngong and Bech Maker help each other to rub in ash inte their hair and sculp. The ash colors the hair red.Spear fishing in a cattle camp in the Minkaman area of Wat river. Simon Ror is on his way to put out a net in the water.Fishermen in the Nile close to Mingkaman. The fisherman Mawut catches a huge fish.Fishermen in the Nile close to Mingkaman. A fisher settlement it the reeds. Here the fishermens lives just a few meters from the Nile.Fishermen on the Nile close to Mingkaman. Majok and Torom is baiting a net that they put out the evening before. Unfortunately they had no fishing luck today. The net was empty.Women collecting washing water early in the morning in the Nile close to Mingkaman.Fishermen in the Nile close to Mingkaman.Fishermen in the Nile close to Mingkaman.The cattles move around daytime absoluteley free.The animals belonging to the Dinkas are slaughtered only on special occasions, or if they are sick.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman. The girl Nyanguar Alam washes clothes.Afternoon in a cattle camp under construction. After a very rainy night and day the ground is soaked.Cattles takes the opportunity to drink som water in the river as they are on the move from one camp to another.Cattles takes the opportunity to drink som water in the river as they are on the move from one camp to another.Morning activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The cattles are released and take off to pasture.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The couple Maluk and Ayor pose surrounded by theri cattles.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. Girls are helping each other shaving their hair into a special formation.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. Girls are helping each other shaving their hair into a special formation.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The horns are smeard with mud to get a special shape.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The cattles have just returned back and are waiting to be milked.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The cattles have just returned back and are waiting to be milked.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The girl Nyabech Mading prepares the dung fires that are lit when the cattles return back in the evening.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. Cattles on the way back to the camps after a day out pasturage.A fishermen on his way back from a morning fishing trip with his small catch.A fishermen on his way back from a morning fishing trip with his small catch.Morning activities in a cattle camp outside of Yirol.Morning activities in a cattle camp outside of Yirol. A man catch urine from a cow peeing and washes his face with the urine.Morning activities in a cattle camp outside of Yirol. The cattles are just released and on their way out to pasture.Morning activities in a cattle camp outside of Yirol. A little boy release a cattle.Morning activities in a cattle camp outside of Yirol.The shepheard Makuach Maker anoints himself with ashes in a cattle camp just outside Yirol. In the morning before they release the cattles.Herdsmen and cattles on the move from one camp to a new one.Cattles on the move from one camp to a new one. The cattles "help" to carry the villagers belongings.Morning activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. Everywhere in the camp there's cowpat and it's hard not to step on it.Evening in a cattle camp in the Mingkaman area at the Wat river. The cattle returns back to the camp in the evening.Spear fishing in a cattle camp in the Minkaman area of Wat river. Chuar with the catch of the day on the spear.The fishermens often lives in small settlement it the reeds and the dougout canoes are the most important tool for transportation in the many canals of the Nile river.The catch of the day for a fisherman living by the Nile close to Mingkaman.A fisherman in the Nile close to Mingkaman.A fisherman in the Nile close to Mingkaman.A fisherman in the Nile close to Mingkaman.Morning in Mingkaman.The animals belonging to the Dinkas are slaughtered only on special occasions, or if they are sick.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman. A skull of a cattle.
The animals belonging to the Dinkas are slaughtered only on special occasions, or if they are sick.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman. Some boys take care of a baby bull.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman. Some boys take care of a baby bull.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman.Afternoon activities in a cattle camp 40 minutes away from Mingkaman.Just outside of Yirol there is a sea. The dugout canoes that are used by the Dinka fishermens.A sign that says that the city of Yirol is a weapon free zone.Afternoon in a cattle camp under construction. After a very rainy night and day the ground is soaked.Afternoon in a cattle camp under construction. After a very rainy night and day the ground is soaked. Families take shelter from the rain.Evening in a cattle camp in the Mingkaman area at the Wat river. The cattle returns back to the camp in the evening.Afternoon in a cattle camp under construction. After a very rainy night and day the ground is soaked and a small child sleeps under a blanket.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol. The girl Nyabech Mading ties up the cattles when they arrive back in the evening.Spear fishing in a cattle camp in the Minkaman area of Wat river. The two brothers Magok Aluany and Arob Akua do some spear fishing just close to their camp.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Evening activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.The shepheard Makuach Maker in a cattle camp just outside Yirol. In the morning before they release the cattles.Morning activities in a cattle camp outside of Yirol. The cattles are just released and on their way out to pasture.Young fishermen on the Nile close to Mingkaman.Morning activities in a cattle camp close to Yirol.Afternoon in a cattle camp under construction. After a very rainy night and day the ground is soaked. A girl tries to get fire on damp wood to gain heat from the fire.