Dinka Padang borders with Shilluk in Upper Nile
By Francis Ayul Yuar
The inhabitants’ tribes of Colonial Upper Nile Province of the Sudan are demographically known as being the Dinka, the Nuer, the Shilluk(Collo), Anyuak, Murle, Kachipo, Maban and Burun/Koma. There is strong evidence to believe that this ethnics’ demography has changed during the years of intermarriages, resettlements and displacements. There have been intertwined peaceful and in some other occasions, forceful assimilations of families and clans from both sides.
The migration and settlements period of each ethnic group is believed to be different from each group as indicated in most of the consulted references and the oral history of the Dinka (Jieng) Padang. The Dinka Padang (Jieng) was the third group to arrive in the area around (12-15 Century AD). The first arrivals in the area are believed to be the Luel people, followed by the Funj (Puny) groups and subsequently the Dinka. After the defeats of Funj kingdom in which Funj (Apuny) were pushed to their present home of Blue Nile State. Dinka Padang (Jieng) settled in the east bank of the White Nile stretched from Fangak to Wunthou. They were followed by wave of Shilluk (Collo) migrations at around (18 Century AD) who also settled in their today west bank of the White Nile territory.
The Latjor (Eastern Jikang Nuer) migration convinced at around (1629 AD). This was believed to be the last migration in the sequence of Upper Nile tribal settlers that passed through the Shilluk (Collo) land in the west bank of the White Nile, but crossed to the east bank of White Nile (15 km) North of the current Melut(Maluth) town in a place called Wath-ngok. Oral sources confirmed authentically that Jikany migrants found one of the Ageer subsection/clan, known as kil in the area of current geographical Melut. They had serious violent confrontations but could not stop Latjor migrant’s determination to pass through the territory. It is believed that migrants managed to repulse Kil attackers and temporary subdued their present around Thaapiou and Ayalnhial village as they nursed their wounded. Thereafter they continued to match toward south East of Melut (Maluth) along the Yal River to their present home. There are evidences to believe that some families or individuals of Latjor migrants were left behinds and decided to settled among the Dinka Padang in Melut (Maluth) area and subsequently became Dinka. As discussed early, there is clear reasons why these groups of Nilotic tribes shared much of their cultures and traditions in areas of socio- economic, such as farming, cattle herding, and fishing and small micro business activities. As humans and animals expanded with time, each and every community exerted efforts for survival in search for resources that were mainly in the form of land, animals and water. These challenges brought in the competitions over the resources which were not enough. This has caused anxiety that resulted into constant tribal tensions and conflicts that were largely settled by the tribal leaders. Dinka Padang has been in the occupancy of the eastern side of the River Nile as early as (12-16) century before the arrival of Shilluk (Collo) nation from Bahr el Ghazal. These maps have just attested to these facts. Dr. Lam in his book Title, A, historical Background of the Collo, confirmed that during the migration of Nyikang from his native home of Bahr el Ghazal (wic-pach) which he believed to be around the current area of Rumbek town. Shilluk (Collo) nation managed to occupy western side of the River Nile after a successful defeats of the Funj (Puny) Kingdom in the year (1527-1557 AD) See this map please MAPSpdfsTribal Map of Southern Sudan- 1935.pdf
According him, the victory on Funj kingdom in the west bank of the White Nile was followed by relative stability and peace in Shilluk( Collo) land until the time of radh Ocollo wa Dak. It was in this time that radh in question tried to extends his west bank Shilluk (Collo) kingdom territory to the eastern bank of the White Nile which was already occupied by a different ethnic group known as Abeel( Dr. Lam 2010:22). The Shilluk (Collo) advanced warriors were met by these fearless fighters from this ethnic and subsequently defeated Shilluk (Collo) fighters. In the wake of this defeats, Shilluk (Collo) intention to extend to the Eastern bank of the River Nile was abandoned for good (Lam, 2010:23). The author has acknowledged the difficulty and the confusion over the real identity of this tribe in the east bank of the White Nile. We both agreed that this tribe cannot be construe to have meant the Anyuak tribes since Shilluk (Collo) nation were well acquainted with Anyuak more than anyone else. Most Nilotic historical legacies rely heavily on oral and folklores; the Dinka Padang oral traditions however confirmed that this group was indeed the section of Dinka Padang, of Abialang descendants. This was before they moved further north to their present home of Renk in Northern Upper Nile State. At that time, it is believed that only the section of Ageer was in the occupancy of the current area of Melut (Maluth) county. This section of Abialang however later moved further north to its present home of Renk in pursue of Funj (Puny) remnants. The DongJol and Nyiel sections were largely still in the area of the present Adar (Wuna-Mom) and GuelGuk before the arrivals of Latjor Migrants. Therefore, Dinka Padang (Jieng), throughout the history has inhabited the eastern bank of the River Nile as early as (12-16 Century AD) as early mentioned in the introduction of this paper, from (Wun-Thow) in the North up to Fangak in the South, along the Eastern Bank of the White Nile and extended eastwards along the Sobat River. For easy understanding of this historical evidence, the map herein authentically affirms to these oral testimonies therein. MAPSpdfsMap of Nubia from the late 12th Century to the funj Conquest in the early 15th Century.pdf; MAPSpdfsMap-The Shilluk Country- Sudan Notes and Records.pdf
Besides, a similar account is well articulated in the book of P.M. Holt: titled: “A modern History of the Sudan” (From the Funj Sultanate to the Present Day) London. 1963. Pages (5&6), wrote: Three southern tribes will appear fairly frequently in the following pages. Shilluk now occupy a comparatively small area on the western bank of the White Nile”, but formerly their range was much more extensive. As late as the mid- nineteenth century their northern limit was the island of Aba, thirty years later to be the cradle of the Mahdia. Until the early years of the Turco-Egyptian regime, they raided the Arab settlements down the White Nile, and one such raid is said to have led to the foundation of the Funj Kingdom by a band of Shilluk warriors. Until the coming of firearms and steamers, they were able to meet their northern neighbors on equal terms. The Dinka occupy a much more extensive territory than the present day Shilluk, but lack their unity: they are a group of tribes, some of which dwell on the eastern bank of the White Nile, others, the majority, in the grassy flood- plains of the Bahr El- Ghazal, where they herd their cattle” Anders Breidlid, AvelinoAndroga Said & Astrid Kristine Breidlid: in their book titled (A concise History of South Sudan), New and Revised Edition, 2014, in pages 69 & 70, wrote as follows: “Settlement of the Shilluk: The Shilluk settled along the west bank of the Nile between Lake No and latitude 12 N in the south of the Sudan, just north of the point where it becomes the White Nile. With easy access to good land along the Nile, they depend much more on cultivation and fishing than the Dinka and Nuer and had fewer cattle”. These quotations and writings left no contradictions in the minds of readers that Shilluk (Collo) nation has occupied western part of the Nile River ever since, and their counterpart Dinka Padang (Jieng) in the eastern bank of the River Nile. Any distortion of these empirical facts is nothing but fallacies cooked by few intellectuals of Shilluk with intention to rewrite the history of South Sudan a fresh. Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed Hajj Musa, in page (583) of his book (the Democratic experiment and Development of the Governance Systems in Sudan, published by Dar EL-Jiel- Beirut/Dar El-Mamoun –Khartoum 1970) wrote as follows: (Dinka Tribe: the individuals of this tribe are distributed between the two provinces of Bahr-El-Ghazal and Upper Nile. The Dinka group of Bahr El-Ghazal is the largest one and its individuals live in the central Bahr-El-Jabel. The group of Dinka of Upper Nile Province lives on the Eastern Bank of Upper White Nile. Shilluk Tribe lives on the Western bank of Upper White Nile that is Northern Upper Nile Province. Although the population of this tribe does not exceed one hundred thousand, however, they are characterized by being independent tribe and not divided into small tribes).
Padang Dinka (Jieng) and Shilluk tribes have had long standing relations, characterized by intermarriages that cannot be denied by this current political skirmishes. Such peaceful co-existence has been translated into various social and economic functions that had helped the two communities over the centuries. It is observable that the two tribes have had intermarriages at a massive scale that unlikely found elsewhere in South Sudan. They shared common cultural traditions, evidently seen in the use of nouns, such as names and traditional foods. It is our prayers that such beautiful commonality in diversity be maintained and nurtured by our leaders.
Dr Francis Ayul Yuar can be reach via:[email protected]