Among the mosaic of peoples that inhabit South Sudan, an encounter with the primordial society of Mundari shepherds is one of the country’s most fascinating and touching experiences, in contact with traditions that have remained almost intact, despite the fact that their ancestral lands are not far from the capital, Juba.
A people of Nilotic origin, their economy revolves around cattle breeding, with which they live practically in symbiosis, moving seasonally along the plains of the White Nile, south of the Sudd swamps, in the Central Equatoria region.
About seventy kilometres north of Juba are their main permanent camps, made of huts of woven branches and straw, from which they cyclically depart with their herds, following the course of the rains and floods, in search of available pastures and arable land, an alternative subsistence economy to pastoralism, along with fishing.
Strongly identity-driven, they are aesthetically recognisable by the tribal ‘V’-shaped scarifications, a symbol of belonging that is engraved with a blade on the forehead, at the moment of initiation into adult life.
It seems incredible that in spite of the progress of modern times knocking at their doors, or at any rate not foreign to them, they voluntarily keep their archaic customs, spiritualities and customs alive and intact. Among these is the animist rituality, based on animal sacrifices and propitiatory dances, although in syncretism a part of the Mundari have now adhered to the Christian religion.
It is not uncommon to come across one of their characteristic ceremonies, just as it is not uncommon to observe their daily practices that date back to the mists of time, such as feeding themselves by sucking directly from the udder of the bovine or by salting its jugular, to extract the blood that will supplement their diet of proteins, indispensable at times when food and milk are scarce. It is also common practice to shower with the animal’s urine and then sprinkle the body with ash, obtained from burning manure, a natural paste that is highly disinfectant and an excellent mosquito repellent. Despite the spread of mosquito nets, during the transhumance of young herders, this custom remains the most effective protection against insects and parasites, and is also common among the Dinka and Nuer herders, the two main ethnic groups in South Sudan.
Visiting one of the Mundari camps on the outskirts of Terakeka, their capital, is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and exciting experiences in South Sudan. It is a plunge into a past that is still incredibly relevant, amid surreal scenarios of shepherds sprinkled with ash and cattle herds of hundreds of head, whose indefinable weaves of long crescent-shaped horns are lost in the soot emitted by the large manure pyres, in a thick blanket of smoke that shields the sun and darkens the sky, tinging the atmosphere with silvery and orange tones. An almost dreamlike vision that lovers of photography will particularly appreciate.
