The DINKA way of Worship

The Dinka believe that life and health, strength and vitality are the gifts of Nhialic and the jok. They seek these gifts by prayer and sacrifice. [p. 20]

1. Sacrifice
The Dinka offer sacrifices for a variety of reasons, for example:
For the coming of rain in the spring-time;
For protection of the people in the cattle camps of the dry season;
For recovery from illness;
For relief from famine;
For good hunting. [p. 21]

Normally they offer bulls and oxen, sometimes sheep and chickens, sometimes beer and milk. They offer them to one or more of the divinities, and to the spirits of their ancestors. [p. 21]

2. Prayer
The Dinka accompany their sacrifices with spoken prayers. They use short phrases which they repeat again and again.
Those who say the prayers often hold a fishing-spear in their hands. They emphasize the separate pharases with thrusts of the spear at the animals which are to be sacrificed. All through the prayer the spectators take up the words of the speaker and repeat them, like a chorus, in short phrases. The following example illustrates how this is done:

Speaker: Repeat this son of my sister. You of my father!
Chorus: You of my father!
Speaker: I call upon you because my child is ill.
Chorus: I call upon you because my child is ill.
Speaker: And I do not want words of sickness.
Chorus: And I do not want words of sickness.
Speaker: And I do not want words of fever.
Chorus: And I do not want words of fever. [p. 21]

The repetition of the words and phrases has a powerful effect upon those who are present. The leaders often show signs of deep feeling and ecstasy. As the ceremony continues, the speakers express their prayers more and more strongly, and the others who are present become more and more drawn in to what is happening.
The Dinka invoke their clan-divinities and their own ancestors by name. They also call upon Nhialic and sometimes one or other of the free-divinities. Here is an example (the words in italics are the divinities of particular clans): [p. 21]

‘You Earth, you are called by my words, and you Nhialic you are called by my words, because you look after all people. You are greater than anyone and all people are your children. And if evil has befallen them, then you are called to come and join with them in it also. And you are not now called for good, you are called for evil (i.e. a specific case of disease), come, help. O you Flesh, divinity of Pagong, if you are called then you will indeed hear me, and you, Awar grass, you will hear. And you, Flesh of my father, and Fig-tree of my father, and Head carrying-ring of my father, you will hear’. [p. 22]

On important occasions the act of prayer and sacrifice may continue for a number of hours. The act will probably include the following stages, but not always in this order.
(a) Description of the trouble. The speakers describe the things which are causing anxiety. For example, here a man who has no brothers or sisters is seriously ill (his name is Akol Agany):

‘Why is it, O Nhialic, that when one son is left alive alone out of all the children his mother bore, you do not help him, that he may be in health? You, Nhialic, if you have left Akol Agany behind to beget children, and he now becomes ill, we have refused (to accept) this illness in him.
For Akol Agany has no sister born with him, and no brother born with him, and if Nhialic does not help him to bear his children, then will become the children of the mother. And you, Nhialic, you are the great person, father of all people, and if a man has called upon you will strengthen his arm, that no evil may befall him’.

(b) Confession. Those who are present confess past acts of evil in case they are the cause of the sickness or other evil. For example:

‘And you (divinity) of my father, if you are called, then you will help me and join yourself with my words. And I did not speak (in the past) that my children should become ill; that quarrel is an old matter’.

(c) Praise. They offer praise to the divinities, in the hope that this will make them listen. These acts of praise are like the hymns of honour they sing to visitors and like the ox-songs of the young men. The language of these praises is very difficult for people who are not Dinka to understand. [p. 22]
(d) Expulsion of the misfortune. The Dinka identify the misfortune with the animal which is being sacrificed. This frees its victim from the misfortune and sends the misfortune out of Dinka territory. For example, this is a prayer said on one particular occasion before an ox was sacrificed:

‘And you, ox, it is not for nothing that we have tethered you in the midday sun, but because of sickness, to exchange your life for the man, and for the man to stay on earth and for your life to go with the illness. You, nhialic, hear my speech, and you, clan-divinity, hear my speech, and you, illness, I have separated you from the man. I have spoken thus: “You leave the man alone, you have been given the ox called malith”.’ [p. 23]

Often the Dinka add other prayers which describe the good life which they are seeking. Here is an example:

‘You, Nhialic, we shall kill your ox (bull), . . . that you should be pleased with us. You will let us walk in health, and we have made a feast (a ceremony) so that there should be no fever, and that no other illness should seize people, that they may all be well. And if my clansman travels, then let him complete his journey without sickness, and let no evil befall him or anybody. And you, Nhialic, do not bring evil upon us, and I shall be pleased. You, women, clap you hands, and sing and wuu away the fever, that nothing may be wrong with us. You, tribe of my father, walk in health, nothing shall harm us, and Nhialic will be pleased with us, and we will pray to Nhialic that there may be no bad thing, and sing . . .’ [p. 23]

The previous sections describe how Dinka pray together at times of crisis and on important occasions. They pray most frequently in this way. They do not often pray as individuals. But at moments of difficulty or danger, a Dinka may make a short petition to his clan-divinity or to Nhialic.