Best Travel Guide To Bari Tribe In South Sudan

Best Travel Guide To Bari Tribe In  South Sudan

Learn about the Bari people living near Juba in South Sudan. They speak the Eastern Sudanic language of Bari, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family. They live in small villages scattered across the hot, dry, flat countryside in the Nile Valley. Their staple crop is millet, and they also keep cattle.

About Bari Tribe:

The Bari of South Sudan are sedentary agro-pastoral peoples. They cultivate the savannah along the Nile and up to 40 miles east and west of the Nile. Their economy is based on subsistence mixed farming. Their livestock (both large and small) are raised primarily to supplement their food supply, although most are raised as a socio-economic and financial investment.

In particular, livestock are exchanged as gifts at marriages and other social events, and sacrificed during celebrations and funerals. And they are sold for cash whenever the need arises. The Bari used to own large herds of cattle but fell victim to devastating slave raids that caused tsetse fly infestation, leaving them with far fewer cattle than before.

The Bari are under constant pressure, as today modern urbanization has annexed lush lands and pervaded the lifestyle with different cultures. Warfare (tribal warfare and foreign resistance) is no stranger to Bari's history. In general, the Bari coexisted well with neighboring ethnic groups but needed to acquire weapons to defend their lands from slave traders and marauding warriors.

In the past, it was fashionable among the Bari people to undergo initiation ceremonies. Both boys and girls underwent the procedure to remove the lower front teeth. In addition, the girls had arrow-shaped and simple flower-shaped scars on their abdomen, flanks, back, and temples. In the heart of the land of Bari, along the banks of the Nile, are the historic villages of Mongala, Lado, Gondokoro (Kondokoro), and Rejaf (Rajif).

Bari Tribe Origin:

Based on Bari folklore, their history dates back to the 15th century when Bari came from the north. Some places in southern Dinka land still retain their Bari names, indicating that those areas were formerly home to the Bari until the arrival of the Dinka and their flight to the south. Bari probably arrived at its current location in the 1650s or early 18th century. According to oral history, when they arrived in their present homeland from the north, they found a group of Parisians there and drove them away.

Bari Tribe Social structure:

The Bari have a caste system consisting of two groups: the 'Louis' (free people) and the 'Dupi' (serfs). Louis was the chieftain and father of the land, and the lower caste Dupi were people captured from other tribes during the war and employed in occupations such as iron smelting, iron mining, and fishing. Dupi was a hereditary serf class who had to serve Louis. Louis represented the superior cattle owners of Bari society.

Bari Tribe Courtship and Marriage:

In the past, it was not uncommon for the Bari to use heterogamous marriage to forge ties between two families. Sometimes these arrangements were made when the children were young, but the bride price was not always paid until the engaged children were of marriageable age. Today, Bari marriages often require a period of courtship followed by family consent.

After a certain period of courtship, the male suitor, usually accompanied by a few relatives and friends, goes to the girl's parents' house to declare his intention to marry (Nyala in Bari). Before the wedding (budu, usually several months later), the family gathers at the bride's parents' house to negotiate the bride's price, which the groom is obliged to offer.

The bride and groom's parents are not directly involved in these negotiations but may be involved indirectly and behind the scenes. The Bari have long been agro-pastoralists, so brides are traditionally paid in the form of live animals. A typical bride price might consist of 20 cows and 40 sheep and goats. A cash bride price may also be acceptable in times when the use of animals is difficult, such as drought or natural disasters.

A conduct that is considered disrespectful may increase the price of the bride during negotiations (although civil courts may also be involved). These may include premarital sex, elopement, attacks on in-law parents, etc. If the negotiations are successful, the two families congratulate the marriage, and a feast, accompanied by drinking and dancing, begins.

After the feast, the groom goes home alone, but about two weeks later the bride arrives and takes care of the house. In the case of Bari, who converted to Christianity, an additional step occurs where the marriage is also blessed by the church. Ideally, this will happen before the husband and wife start living together.

However, due to the financial burden of having both a traditional Bari wedding and a Christian wedding, there is a tendency to have the traditional wedding first and then postpone the Christian wedding for a year or more while the couple saves money for it.

Bari Tribe religion:

Many Baris combine aspects of their traditional religion with Christianity, and today the majority of Baris adhere to Christianity. They believe in the existence of one omnipotent God and powerful spirits (good and evil). Some people still worship only traditional gods, one of whom has no name and has two distinct sides. Half of this god lives in heaven and brings rain, and the other half lives on earth and promotes the development of agriculture.

There are also many cultural heroes, such as Sabaseva, known as "old-fashioned." Village elders were highly valued for their knowledge of these gods. Nun, a supernatural force, resides in a large and strong tree. Members of the tribe would stuff the bark with tobacco leaves, and sometimes the blood or fat of animals would be applied to the bark.

The Bari pray while pouring oil on the tree, believing that at night the nuns would come and treat them with offerings. Nuns go by different names, each associated with a different personality. Nunloki is the most merciful and tolerant, and when he comes he will end the life of anyone who thought they had lived long enough. Nunrukak is known as the "food spirit" and prayers to him will bring about a prosperous growing season. If the prayers are unsuccessful, sacrifices are made.

The Baris offer small animal sacrifices to the spirits of the dead, believing that in doing so, when they die, they can move on to the next life on the horizon, much like their first life. The Baris believe that the world is made up of layers and that the dimension they live in now lies in between. They believe creatures living in water, air, land, and villages surround them.

Singing, chanting, and swaying in hammocks are rituals when the Bari visit other tribe members. Men swing in hammocks placed near the ceiling, and women swing in hammocks that hang low to the ground. They also exchange gifts with members of the same sex. Gifts had to be of equal value to each other, so men traded arrows and arrowheads, and women traded clothes, mostly woven skirts.

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