CROPS

When the rains begin around May to June, the people start to come home from the toic to their permanent cattle camps, villages and farming areas. Planting, weeding, and harvesting sorghum, ground nuts, sesame and many other crops are the major activities during the rains. The whole family is occupied in these activities. Just before the harvest, children are kept busy ‘bird scaring’ from special platforms put up amongst the eight to ten foot high ripe sorghum plants. Otherwise flocks of thousands of little seed eating birds can fly in and decimate the families food supplies. The end of the harvest is a time of celebrations. The cows are giving lots of milk and the people are becoming fat; the harvest is in and there is not so much work to do. This is the time when people build or repair their houses and the byres for their livestock, arrange marriages and brew beer from the new grain. The Dinka and Nuer are great singers, making up songs as they go along, often singing to their favourite bulls and cows, and at this time of year there are plenty of reasons to sing and dance.

A village view at dusk with sorghum stalk fence

Villages are often a long line of huts for people and byres for the livestock (dwils and luacs) built along the spines of the sand islands that rise up above the flood waters. This remote village is in a treeless, wet area in which the ‘islands’ are obvious; some places are dryer and more wooded, and the villages are more closely grouped. The thatched roofs of the dwils and luacs are often very fine, with different styles of decoration in different places.

A typical Nuer homestead

This is a typical Nuer homestead at the end of the wet season. Sorghum is drying, grain is being ground by the old lady under the tree, and a three stone cooking hearth can be seen in the foreground. Women generally rise before day break to start the day’s tasks which include: fetching water, sweeping the compound, preparing breakfast, watching over the children, looking after sheep, goats and young stock, collecting wild foods, cultivating, and many other tasks which vary with the seasons.

A homestead with growing sorghum and bird scaring platforms

After the ground has been prepared and the seeds planted, the whole family is involved with caring for the growing crops until they are harvested. Sorghum, maize, ground nuts, cow peas, sesame and many other minor crops are grown. Weeding is most important while the crops are getting established, then just before the harvest, children are kept busy ‘bird scaring’ from special platforms put up amongst the eight to ten foot high ripe sorghum plants. Otherwise flocks of thousands of little seed eating birds can fly in and decimate the families food supplies.

Two Nuer men in front of ripening sorghum

Sorghum is the most commonly grown cereal crop, and is the staple grain food. It is dried in the sun, pounded, and made into a porridge. Both these men are well over six feet tall; the sorghum can grow to ten feet.

Harvested sorghum drying on frames

After the sorghum has been harvested it is dried, either on platforms like this or on the ground, before being put in storage jars (‘tweis’).

Sorghum drying and dog

After the sorghum has been harvested it is dried either on the ground like this or on platforms, before being put in storage jars (‘tweis’). The different coloured heads are different strains. Local strain diversity is maintained because it ensures that, whatever the rainfall pattern, there will be a reasonable harvest. Some strains grow quickly when there is little rain; some strains grow slowly, and are tolerant of sodden soils; others have different characteristics again. Some seeds from each of the different types are kept for sowing the following year.

Dogs are kept to help with hunting and security, as well as for companionship.

Different strains of sorghum drying

The different strains of sorghum have different coloured heads. Local strain diversity is maintained because it ensures that, whatever the rainfall pattern, there will be a reasonable harvest. Some strains grow quickly when there is little rain; some strains grow slowly, and are tolerant of sodden soils; others have different characteristics again. Some seeds from each of the different types are kept for sowing the following year.

A woman making two tweis

A twei is a container for storing the sorghum grain after threshing; it is made from clay and grass. Women make most of the household containers and utensils; men make ropes for cattle and weapons for hunting and for fighting. Behind this woman to the right is a dieny, (carrying basket) and to the left is a gourd pot.

She, like most older people in South Sudan, is smoking a pipe of tobacco. Pipes are the normal way in which tobacco is smoked in South Sudan. Each family grows a few tobacco plants in the garden.

Two young girls grinding grain

Children take on responsibilities at an early age. Girls are less likely to attend school than boys. They are kept busy at home. Young boys have fewer responsibilities than their sisters.

A Nuer boy and his baby brother outside their house

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