Torture by Cieng: Ethical Theory Meets Social Practice among the Dinka Agaar of South Sudan

Below is the abstract from the best work of my academic career.



AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Vol. 112, Issue 4, pp. 563–575, ISSN 0002-7294 online ISSN 1548-1433. c 2010 by the American Anthropological
Association. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1111/j.1548-1433.2010.01276.x

ABSTRACT
Here I detail violence in South Sudan by first discussing a specific Dinka Agaar practice alongside existing discourses on the social aspects of violence and universal human rights, then I show how these acts had meaning and purpose using data from personal accounts of violence. I posit that the violence described was
consistent with Dinka Agaar concepts of justice and basic human rights and that it cannot be judged against any universal human rights standard, devoid of local context or of an overarching metanarrative. These events highlight conflicting subjectivities, ethical norms, and the painful difficulties inherent to advocacy in areas of conflict. Viewed from the perspective of the larger social unit, it is easy to see how violence was required to end violence. However, witnessing punitive violence purposefully enacted on innocent individuals to achieve peace has the potential to create conflicting positions that modern anthropological discourse.

A pastor's home in Akot Sudan.

Images of Sudan

INFERTILITY (BARRENNESS) CAUSED BY MISHANDLING OF PLACENTA. A brief interview with another Dinka.

The Dinka Agar also believed that the mishandle of the placenta. This is how they prepare the placenta after the birth of the child. The placenta is put in the local bowl ( calabash ) the new one which has never been use. The bowl is filled with water. The old women are  always the traditional birth attendants. These old women have to remove the anthill and bring it to  edge of the garden  near to the court yard. They also bring the thorns of the local tree called Thou. These  thorns were put for the reason that they can protect the vultures not to eat the placenta. When the vultures eat the placenta the child will shead tears unknowingly like the vultures.

The placenta was  washed, spread on the anthill, pinned on the anthill with the thorns then smeared with the oil. The smearing is because the placenta cannot become dry and remove itself from the anthill.

They believed that if it dries then the woman also becomes dry and will never produce a child again.

After the placenta is washed clean, no remain of the blood and well put on the anthill, fenced with thorns then a white grains are scattered around and on the placenta.

This means that the woman will produce more children like the grains.

End

An interview with a local Dinka man about some magic items.

Abraham on Court Coin

*Jeff and Abraham finish laughing about something*

(Abraham) When there is something not ok I’m suppose to tell you.

(Jeff) That’s right, your suppose to tell me. Umm tell me about the magic powers, like you said the spear or the coin can do those things, but their magic powers not of God.

(Abraham) Yeah…

(Jeff) What are they from then? What powers are they from?

(Abraham) That power they use is the power from Satan.

(Jeff) Satan.

(Abraham) Yeah, Satan gave them all these powers to do. All the Chief, many of them, they use to go to other witchdoctors to give them the powers. Even (Chief Edon?) there are other people like that one who met with (Madeen?) 

(Jeff) Madeen, he’s (Trigeeth?)

(Abraham) Yeah (Bartellbeeth’s?)…   

(Jeff) yeah

(Abraham) When is night time is right time for them to start going to –

(Jeff) yeah yes its early evening.

(Abraham) -those people. While it is dark, the person when you enter this house there is a special house, they use their magic they put something like (hide them?), hide of dung. They put it in a small gall like this… and they make something. When you go into the house they (saknife?) that hide them on your left,  they then on this side put it there

(Jeff) on your throat, right.

(Abraham) yeah.  They say that when you say something or even your word is not true they’ll… the judge will listen very careful and they will obey what you say. If you say something that is not true they will obey what you say.

(Jeff) They’ll still believe it.

(Abraham) Yeah they’ll still believe you. That time, also, the chief who went to those people, nighttime, when they need a force of being a chief they go and looking for magic by themselves. They are not the right people they have a lot of magic, they went to the witchdoctors and bring these to give them, idol worshipers, to give them powers to protect themselves from their enemy.

(Jeff) And do they get the power?

(Abraham) According what they said they believe they get the power from other people.

(Jeff) I’m asking what, if you think they get the power?

(Abraham) I, myself?

(Jeff) yeah.

(Abraham) I… If I believe… I believe that power is not God powers, Satan.

(Jeff) So they get power, but its from Satan. 

(Abraham) From Satan not God.

(Jeff) I understand.

END       

My Dear Wife's Mom giving tribute to her during her birthday party. Love this!

My wife and youngest son on adoption. They are pretty adorable, even if I do say so myself!

My wife and youngest son on adoption. They are pretty adorable, even if I do say so myself!

Collected water samples from village in Loganove, treated a few micrfilaria, lots of aches and pains. Very little malaria, but I will restrain my disappointment. Fluorescent photos of some skin scrapings attached. I thought cool.