Comment: Granted that Nitlotic languages (Nuer, Dinak, Acholi and others) recognise the words and therefore have different interpretations of Gurtong, your interpretation of “Gurtong” is significantly in error. Gurtong, as explained on our website, is an Anyuak Ritual for Peace. When two parties are in dispute in which death has occurred, a Gurtong Ritual would be performed to end the feud. Paying an animal or money to end the feud is not enough among the Anyuak until the Gurtong Ritual is performed. This involves the gathering of the feuding sides/communities in one place. The two leaders or elders of the feuding sides will hold the shaft of a spear and together grind (gur) the sharp edges of the spear (tong) against a block of stone until both sides are blunted. The significance of the ritual is that a blunt spear does not kill. Done like that in public and with prayers, a goat or bull would be slaughtered and the meat is shared by members of the feuding families or communities. That would then be the end of the dispute. The name was chosen by the famous Kwacakworo, alias Dr Perner, the Swiss anthropologist who spent years living among the Anyuak. It is the same Perner who believes, just like I do, that the unity of South Sudanese defends very much on the understanding of and respect for what is positive in their traditional cultures and languages, with the maxim that “All cultural values are equal, no matter how big or small an ethnic community”. Kwacakworo and Napoleon Adok Gai (whom you mention here below) were founding members of the Gurtong Trust over 10 years ago and they are still trustees. gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/15709/Default.aspx
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:34:43 +0000
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