Marriage among the Dinka, since time immemorial, goes through a laborious and expensive traditional process, with cattle constituting the main bride price. In the past three decades, the average bride price ranged from 10 to 30 herds of cattle.
Yet, this exercise forms part of the culture of the Dinka people, a predominant tribe in South Sudan. Dinka, also called Jieng, people who live in the savanna country surrounding the central swamps of the Nile basin primarily in South Sudan.
They speak a Nilotic language classified within the Eastern Sudanic branch of the Nilo-Saharan languages and are closely related to the Nuer. Numbering some 4,500,000 in the early 21st century, the Dinka form many independent groups of 1,000 to 30,000 persons.
Those groups are organized on a regional, linguistic, and cultural basis into clusters, of which the best-known are the Agar, Aliab, Bor, Rek, Twic (Tuic, Twi), and Malual.
The Dinka are primarily transhumant pastoralists, moving their herds of cattle to riverine pastures during the dry season (December to April) and back to permanent settlements in savanna forest during the rains, when their food crops, principally millet, are grown. Each group is internally segmented into smaller political units with a high degree of autonomy.
Because of the vast geographic area, they occupy, the Dinka exhibit a great diversity of dialect, although they value intra-group unity in the face of enemies. The Dinkas’ pastoral lifestyle is also reflected in their religious beliefs and practices. Most revere one God, Nhialic, who speaks through spirits that take temporary possession of individuals in order to speak through them.
The sacrificing of oxen by the “masters of the fishing spear” is a central component of Dinka’s religious practice. Age is an important factor in Dinka culture, with young men being inducted into adulthood through an initiation ordeal which includes marking the forehead with a sharp object.
Also during this ceremony, they acquire a second cow-color name. The Dinka believe they derive religious power from nature and the world around them, rather than from a religious tome.
Negotiation for the bride price is believed to be the toughest and interesting part of the marriage ceremony as discussions could go on for many months or even a year. It is significant to note that the groom and the bride are not part of the process of negotiation but their families always strive to get a better deal.
Often, the prospective bride’s family would want a heavy bride price from the man’s family while the latter would not want to pay more. These negotiations officially begin when the groom’s family meets the father of the bride and her other male relatives.
A proposal is put forward by the bride’s family, and this can go as much as $20,000 or more, according to a report on Dinka marriage by Moses Wasamu, a 2012 World Journalism Institute/Africa fellow.
