Dinka

The Dinka are a Sudanese people whose culture centers on their cattle. The Dinka believe that each family group should occupy an area that will provide pasture and water for their cattle herds. All of life's rituals and ceremonies are connected to this reality. In effect, the cattle are responsible for an understanding of the Dinka way of life in terms of births, marriages, death, and the meaning of the universe. Thus, they use every aspect of the cattle. For example, every aspect of the cow's body and skin is used for something in the culture. The urine is used as a cleaning soap when one is washing. It is also used to dye the hair, to tan hides, and so forth. The dung is used for fires, and the ash from the fires is used to keep the animals clean of ticks and other bugs.

Personal adornment of the body is a part of the physical creativity of the Dinka. They use cattle in this process as well. For example, the Dinka [Page 201]decorate themselves with blood from their cattle. The blood could also be used as a tooth cleaner. The cattle hide becomes mats in the homes of the Dinka as well as drum skins, ropes, and belts. The horns and bones of the cattle are used for musical instruments as well as utensils. Few people have invented as many uses of a single material as the Dinka. In much the manner of George Washington Carver, the great African American scientist, who invented three hundred products from the peanut, the Dinka have shown that their ingenuity and genius at creativity equal that of any people in the world. This entry looks at their social structure and lifestyle and their religious practice related to marriage and initiation.