Upper Nile State

State:

Upper Nile also known as A'aly an-Nyl and Aâlâ En Nîl

Province:

Upper Nile

Approximate Population: 

964,353  

State Capital: 
Malakal

Other Important Towns: 

Renk, Kodok (Fashoda), Nasser, Oriny, Maiwut, Gerger, Melut

Counties :

Nasir County
Ulang County
Baliet County
Maiwut County

Longechuk County
Maban County

Renk County
Manyo County
Meluth County
Pinyikang County
Fashoda County
Makal County

Akoka County

Religion

The people of Upper Nile state are either spiritualists/traditionalists,Christians or Muslims.Upper Nile has the highest population of South Sudanese Muslims in the country,due to it's location in Northern South Sudan.

Those who practice Islam also the majority of those who were known to protest for the need of a secession.As they believe that the North not only ignores the needs of the Southerners but also ignores the fact that there are Muslims in South Sudan.  

Tribes which reside in the area

Anyuak people

Anywaa Jambo,Yambo and Nuro commonly known as Anyuak to outsiders

An Anuak woman

Occupations:

Herdsmen
Farmers

 

Land

Live in a grassy region that is flat and virtually treeless. During the rainy season, this area floods, so that much of it becomes swampland with various channels of deep water running through it. They are part of the Luo group of people which reside throughout East Africa,Anyuak people are also found nearby is Ethiopia.

Jum Jum people

Religion:

 
Muslim
Animism

Population:
 

50.000 people

Land:
 

The Jum Jum people reside in Northern Upper Nile State but the majority are found in Sudan.

The Jum Jum live on the Eastern border of Upper Nile

Occupations:
 

Men:Farmers and Shepherds
Women: help with the harvest of fruit,vegetables etc (agriculture)

Maban people
 

Also known as 'Mabaano',‘Burun’or ‘Chai’

Population:
 

100,000 people

People and Land
 

The Maban are originally from the Luo group and believed to have separated from the Shilluk in Soba near Khartoum,due to the collapse of the last Christian Kingdom of Makkura.They later migrated to the Baro River area.

Mabaano people live in Upper Nile state in Maban County, the Manbano and Buldid clans are also found in Maiwut county.

Customs and Beliefs

Traditionally,every October the Maban perform 'the sacrifice feast' which is used to confess all their sins and to ask their supreme being (who is their God) to grant them good health and to ask for tolerance towards their actions.

Traditional dance

Other tribes that reside in the area are:

Shilluk
Dinka
Nuer
Uduk

Fashoda Incident

Kodok (Fashoda) is the location of the infamous 'The Fashoda Incident' (1898) were there was the climax of territorial disputes between the United Kingdom and France. It brought the United Kingdom and France to the verge of war , but ended in a diplomatic victory for the UK.

Images and References:Gurtong,Joshua Project,Wikipedia

Nuer People

Also known as Nei Ti Naath (translates to ‘people’) or just 'Naath'.Nuer are the second largest tribe after the Dinka people in South Sudan

Nuer land

Relations-Nuer in Ethiopia

Nuer and their neighbours the Dinka people were once part of the same tribe but separated in the 18th century after a disagreement.A myth that is believed by many was that Jieng (Dinka) and Naath (Nuer) were brothers who fell out,when Jieng deceived  his family by stealing his brothers calf .The calf was a present from their father to Naath,Jieng was originally promised a cow as a present from their father.

Sub clans:

Bentiu Bul Gok  
Kuac  
Jikany    
Jagei    
Leek   
Dok The Naath (population of 2 million) found in Bentiu, central (Pangak and Akobo) and in eastern (Nasir) Upper Nile. With the river Nile as the principal geographic dividing line 

'Rool Naath' (the Nuer land)

 Nei ti Naath Ciang (homeland Nuer)
'Nei ti Naath Door' (wilderness Nuer) form the first level federal division.

Residents of areas around:

River Zeraf

Lou

Jikany 

River Baro 

Pibor rivers

Naming of children 

"Nya" (née ya) meaning "daughter of", is the standard prefix used for female names.
"Gat" meaning "son of", is a common prefix for male names.

 Names to mark historical events

"Domaac" meaning "bullet"
"Mac" meaning "fire or gun" given to a child born during times of war or from another man in the name of the deceased father who legally married the mother
"Nhial" means "rain" for males (which now a common name)

Facial markings (Gaar)

The facial markings at part of their initiation into adulthood,each pattern of Nuer scarification varies within sub groups/clans.

The most common initiation pattern among males consists of six parallel horizontal lines which are cut across the forehead with a razor, often with a dip in the lines above the nose. Dotted patterns are also common among the Bul Nuer and among females.

A Nuer male

Nuer diaspora

United States including states such as Iowa,South Dakota,Minnnesota,Tennessee,Georgia

Canada mainly in Toronto,Edmonton and Calgary

Australia where an estimated third of the South Sudanese population (20,000 people in 2008) are said to be from the Nuer ethnic group

United Kingdom amongst other places overseas

Notable Nuer people

Riek Machar Teny (Politician)-Vice President of South Sudan
Bul Nyawan (Politician)- fought against the Khartoum government in Bentiu but was killed in 1985 by the current president of Sudan.
Commander Ruai and Leah Diu Deng were responsible for the attack that forced Cheveron to suspend activities in the oil field around 1982.

References:Wikipedia,Gurtong,Flickr

Unity State

Flag:

State: 

Unity/Al-Wahda/Western Upper Nile

Province: 

Upper Nile

Capital city:

Bentiu

Counties:

 

Mayom
Rubkona
Parieng
Leer
Guit
Koch
Abeimnom
Mayendit
Payinjiar

Tribes:

Nuer (majority)

Dinka (minority) 

Oil reserves

The 1970's brought the discovery of oil reserves in Unity state,which drew attention from international oil companies.This unfortunately led to an engagement of oil exploration which caused displacement within the indigenous population within the region.

Unity oil field in Unity State,is situated within the Muglad rift basin and contains 150,000,00 barrels of oil.Unity state is also home to the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline which also runs throughout both Sudan and South Sudan

Jonglei State

State:

Jonglei

Flag:

Province:

Upper Nile

Jonglei State counties:

 

Twic East County
Duk County
Bor County
Akobo County,
Nyirol County
Uror County
Pibor County
Pochalla County
Ayod County
Pigi County
Fangak County

Capital city: 

Bor

TRIBES WHICH RESIDE WITHIN JONGLEI STATE INCLUDE:

Murle people

Estimated population:

300,000-400,000 people

Murle people performing a dance

Relations with neighbours

Hostile in the past due to cattle raids performed by the Murle people

Diaspora

Murle diaspora is very small compared to other tribes,as the majority of those who have left are found in East Africa and in various locations overseas.
 

Suri (Kachipo) 

Estimated population:

30,000 people

A Suri girl. The Suri people are known for cicatrisation practice,where both sexes have the option to bore and stretch their ear-lobes

Suri people are found in :

Boma Plateau of South-Eastern Upper Nile province in Jonglei state
 

Also in Meoun Payam of Pibor County 

The Suri believe that they originally lived on the banks of the Nile, in the country now inhabited by the Bor Dinka.

The Suri society is made up of six clans : 

Jufa (most dominant)

Meyun

Beela

Kembo

Durugan

Baale

Land and Climate:

Hilly with deep valleys
Mild with heavy rainfall

Ancestral relations: 

None.but are linguistically, culturally related and in visually similar in appearance to the Tirma of Ethiopia..

Other tribes within Jonglei State include: 

Dinka (Jieng)
Nuer (Naath)
Anyuak 

Jonglei State's political history

Jonglei State had been the centre of politics backdated to the fail project of the Jonglei Canal and the Mutiny of the Anyanya 2 in 1975 and again in 1983.

References:Wikipedia,Gurtong,MichaelFreemanPhoto