Biljana Jurukovski

Jiye people

South Sudan

The Jiye land lies in the expansive plains at the foot of Boma Plateau. The climate in this region toggles between suffocating aridity, and heavy rain downpour, which usually contains itself between April and October. It is both the best and worst of what nature has to offer. An untamed union that both the Jiye dance with daily. The Jiye tribe originated from Kotido Najie in the Karamoja region of Uganda. The tribe is extremely open in sharing their history, and I soon learned that they left their original settlement in search of a stable water flow and sprawling green pastures. After passing through several areas, they proceeded to move on due to being attacked by the Toposa.

It is believed that their leader, Natuliasia, advised them to divide into four groups to avoid being attacked as a large group. Strategy was not a skill developed out of interest, but rather necessity. The four groups the tribe divided themselves into eventuated into the clans that still stand today. All the clans, whilst being derived from the same mother community, each have their own idols. The Ngikurono clan honours wood ash and live in Lorumute. The Ngisirae group glorifies the cheetah and resides in Kesegor Hill. The Ngimokodol tribe worships the millipede within the Lopeat region. And the Ngitarakaboon group reveres the hyena, whilst also living in the Lopeat vicinity.

location

South Sudan

Date

2022

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The Jiye culture is one that is orally transmitted, with practices of song, dance, and the sharing of folklore evident within the community. The camaraderie cultivated within each clan enlivens me, and I found myself transfixed long after I left this tribe.

The four groups the tribe divided themselves into eventuated into the clans that still stand today. All the clans, whilst being derived from the same mother community, each have their own idols. The Ngikurono clan honours wood ash and live in Lorumute. The Ngisirae group glorifies the cheetah and reside in Kesegor Hill. The Ngimokodol tribe worships the milipede within the Lopeat region. And the Ngitarakaboon group reveres the hyena, whilst also living in the Lopeat vicinity.

The Jiye culture is one that is orally transmitted, with practices of song, dance, and the sharing of folklore evident within the community. The camaraderie cultivated within each clan enlivens me, and I found myself transfixed long after I left this tribe.