(Gurtong)
General News
06/10/2008 17:01:25
Nuer Community of Western Australia Showcased Their History, Culture and
Traditions
By Deng M. Koch
AUSTRALIA , October 6, (Gurtong) - The Nuer community in Perth, Western
Australia on Saturday October 4 converged in Warwick Community Hall to
showcase their unique history, cultural dances and related activities.
Attendants included many members from non-Nuer Sudanese communities and
newly elected local Member of Western Australian State Parliament,
Honourable Jarmaine. Many former and current community leaders were also
in attendance.
The immediate former Secretary General of the Youth Association and the
current Secretary of the Nuer Community, Mr. Simon Changkuoth Tut,
welcomed the audience to the function. While making his opening speech,
the Chairperson of the Nuer community in Western Australia, Mr. Paul
Nyan Gatdet appealed for unity among the different Nuer communities, as
well as among the Southern Sudanese people at large. He strongly
emphasized the need for the Sudanese people to preserve their cultures
in the increasingly challenging environment; that passing on cultures
and traditions to younger generations of Sudanese was the way forward.
Nyan made a special appeal to the newly elected Member of State
Parliament, to bring the issue of housing crisis to the attention of her
fellow Law Makers; saying that the worst affected were the newly arrived
migrant and refugee communities, to which the MP took note.
One of the community’s intellectuals, Mr. David Gatkek Tap, gave
elaborate background information about the Nuer community’s history. He
started by singing a slogan which is used to trigger feelings of unity
among the Nuers and indeed with others, “Kel, kel kondial kel – one, one
we are all one”. Gatkek noted that a person without culture was a person
without identity and hence urged the parents and guardians to pass on
culture and traditions to their young ones.
The Nuer people who calls themselves Naath (People) or Ney tin Naath –
the real people (singular: Rami Ran – a real person) which all basically
underlines the concept of non cannibal people, are comprised of fourteen
major tribes. Seven of these are found in Western Upper Nile region –
Bentiu area which all the Nuer communities believes is their homeland of
origin and which they call Thaar Jiaath Leach; they are: Bul, Dok,
Jagei, Leek, Nyuong, Haak, and the Western Jikany Nuer. The central Nuer
communities of Fangak are: Lak, Thiang and Gawaar Nuer. The Lou Nuer,
believed by many to be the largest branch of all, inhabits Akobo and
Waat and is divided into Muoor and Goon Lou Nuer. Finally in the Sobat
region are the Gaajiok, Gaaguang and Gaajak Nuer which makes up the
greater Eastern Jikany Nuer. The greater homeland of Nuer people,
therefore, stretches from Mayom Town near Abyei in Bhar El Ghazal to
Gambela in Western Ethiopia .
The Nuer people are classified under the River – Lakes Nilotes of the
broader Nilotic communities of Africa, along side the Dinka, Shilluk,
Acholi, Anyuak, Luo and Lango, among others. Like Dinka, the Nuer is an
egalitarian society with no centralised form of political authority,
meaning each section runs its affairs without owing allegiance to anyone
in the broader nation of Nuerland. Again like Dinkas, the Nuers are
Agro-Pastoralists who practice subsistent farming as well as primarily
keeping cattle as an important measure of wealth, prestige and dowry.
The Nuers, like many in the World and in particular like their Dinka
counter-parts, believe in supernatural powers and they never question
the notion of an existence of an overall Creator of the universe (Kuoth
Nhial – God of Heaven/sky). Among the Nuers a Prophet (Gok Kuoth) is
seen as a person possessed and directed by one of the sky gods. Gok or
Guan Kuoth in Nuer laterally means an ant of God in English; the Dinka
call it ACUNG (ACUK) Nhialic. Prophets or religious leaders enjoys great
respect and needless to say, weights massive influence among the people
in Nuerland.
Some of the best known Prophets of Nuerland included the legendary Ngung
Deng Bong of Lou Nuer who reportedly had some roots in Eastern Jikany
(Sobat – Nasir). This great Prophet who foretold many things died in
1906 and his son, Guek Ngundeng Deng, who was later killed by
Anglo-Egyptian Forces in 1928 during the Nuer war of resistance against
the British, inherited the Prophetic powers of his father. Biey Ngundeng
or Wecdeng (Pyramid) can still be found in Lou Nuer area. Other known
prophets were: Diu Dengleaka from Gaawaar, Maani wan – Kulang Ket from
Jagei and later his daughter Nyaruac Kulang, and many, many more.
The event was marked by colourful dances performed by dancers from
Central and Western Nuer block and those from Lou and Eastern Jikany
block, respectively. Just shortly before the dances commenced, one of
the elders who was asked to speak asked the audience to give special
salutation by means of applause, to the President of GOSS, General Salva
Kiir Mayardit for his steadfastness in struggling for the freedom of his
people, as well as to the memory of his fallen colleagues: Dr. John
Garang, Kerubino Kuanyin Bol, William Nyuon Bany Machar and Arok Thon
Arok, all for their initiative of forming and running the Sudan People
Liberation Army for the cause of liberating marginalised Sudanese. The
leader of South Sudanese Community in Western Australia gave his vote of
thanks to the organisers and the Nuer community in general. While the
newly elected Member of Western Australian Parliament promised she will
highlight issues affecting the society including those from newly
arrived groups whose cultures and traditions the Australian nation were
appreciated.
A number of certificates of achievements were awarded to Nuer community
members with outstanding services to community.
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