‘Melting pots’ phrase does play a volume not only in the United States of America (USA), but also in South Sudan amongst over seventy(over 70) ethnic groups dwelling in ‘riparian’ South Sudan today in ten (10) demographic and geopolitical states. Almost each one of those over seventy(70) ethnic groups inhabiting in the South Sudan, throw ‘marriage alliance’ ceremony to either bridge differences they possessed such as ethnic feud or just for intermingle socially to co-exist as related people through blood line or through marriage kinships. For example, in Pibor County, pre-dominantly Murle people always causes problems in cattle rustling, child abductions and kidnapping women and massacring residences of Jonglei State now in “post-Civil War” and before 1956 -1972 the Anya-nya I political organization and 1983-2005 North-South Sudan civil war. Murle ethnic groups in Pibor County, Jonglei State, South Sudan frequently come and take women and children, however there is no time they have come to introduce marriage for togetherness and solidarity so that residences in Jonglei State can relate with them whatsoever. Who does not want relating with them? This one scenario to which I want to set an example of why ethnic groups sought marriage outside of their own ethnic group kinships to bridge differences they inherited from one generation to another fighting each other without finding common grounds for conflict resolutions through marriage alliance. This conceptual ideas is not something new, but hadtranscendently started from ancestral ancient time almost everywhere in the world. It is being passed through civilizations starting from ‘stone age’ egalitarian society civilizations, kingdoms, empire, and to the today city-state civilizations for nation buildings. Marriage bonding is common and rampaged in today globalized world societies, where one ethnic group forged and purged alliance with other ethnic groups for preventions ofinternal differences that they encountered and incurred.
For Twic East County, in Jonglei State, South Sudan, people from those five (5) Payam districts: Lith Payam, Kongor Payam, Nyuak Payam, Ajuong Payam and Pakeer Payam do hold marriage alliance among each other. A man from Kongor Payam can marry a girl from Nyuak payam and it is pertaining differences in heritages they carried from one generation to the other. Marriage alliances as one man from Kongor Payam exemplified is meant to bridge differences they have since they are totally distinct with different kinship heritages, although they are politically united in a single (1) County. Of course, they are not related to one another whatsoever unless they are married. Nyuak payam districts composed of three sectarian clans: Awulian, Ayual, and Dacuek and none of them have the same heritages for bloodline along the ancestral lineage, although they politically and socially united in single Payam district capitol in Wangulei town. They already have social conflict and feuds to which they need to find common grounds through marriage mainly and dialogue as well for sectarian conflict they inherited. After they are intermingled through ‘marriage alliance’, there is a tendency that neither one of those sectarian clans withinPayam capitol Wangulei town in Nyuak Payam can draw a ‘red line’ and on the ‘blink of an eye’ to attack one another voluntarily. This does not mean that those sectarian clans do not fight one another. It is just that those transcend conceptual ideas and mythological resolutions that they carried on from one generation to another. Of course, this idea is pretty-much similar to phrasal predicament that ‘democratic countries do not fight one another’ and if you go on to read ‘Democratic theory’, there is finding that countries found with democratic ideas and principles do not wage wars against one another. It is hypothetical idea, however it works and a lot of people buy this transcend conceptual ideas of ‘marriage alliance’ locally today in Dinka society and as well as in other ethnic society in the South Sudan.
My paternal clan, Kongor does have historical clashes with my maternal sectarian clan: Ayual. They have a long history of fighting one another since then before 1956-1972 Anya-nya I period. It was said that Kongor sectarian clan from Kongor Payam district almost wiped out Ayual clan from Nyuak Payam. Ayual sectarian clan had made a formal decision to migrate to other part of riparian part of river Nile due to those ongoing clashes and the landslide defeat from Kongor sectarian clan. As Ayual sectarian clan got closer to riparian river Nile for migration crossing after deadly defeat from Kongor clan within Twic East County, one man said that they better perished rather than migrating to other basin of river Nile. This courageouswords convinced the defeat majority of Ayual community since he sowed courage and bravery hope in the hearts and minds of Ayual sectarian clan. Later they summoned one another and returned back to their Wangulei town for inhabitation and for long lasting peace with Kongor sectarian clan. There were not any individual properties like cattle that they had carried on, only children, elderly people and women. Everything they possessed were left out after that deadly defeat from Kongor sectarian clan. It was bloody feud and a lot of people from one ethnic clan perished and killed in those historical fights they had.
My great grandfather Bior-Kweigak Ajang was married to three (3) wives: Adau Lual, Kot Mayen and Akuac. But before I get to discuss his lineage structure to us, he was a son of Ajang Aguer Deng-Adong whose heritage stemmed from Ngok people and his mother was Abul Kok who was from Awulian sectarian clan in Nyuak Payam districts. Bior-Kweigak Ajang did not spend a lifespan with her mother Abul Kok and she mischievously died when he was young infant, where he later was taken to breastfeed with half-brother Kuol Ajang whose mother was Alek Thoor. This was a tragedy in his life when he was infant toddlerand did not know anything in youngest age like who he was. He had other half brothers rather than Kuol whom he breastfed with him and those half brothers were Agoth Ajang, Yuot Ajang and Pawuoi Ajang and probably Achalei Ajang might have been his half brother. His mother Abul Kok died whilst she was slept and most people said that Bior-Kweigak probably had suffocated his mother to death and this is what historiographical narrative said about destructive death of Abul Kok while in the nighttime bed. This is ironic tale of mother death and it is corresponding to what had happened to his great grandfather Deng-Adong Aguer’s mother, who escaped a father Aguer assassination in Ngok with his mother Akiyohch and landed in the today known Pageer village of Kongor Payam district. After resettling in the ‘new world’ and a strange place, his mother contemplated to re-marry to another man she found and Deng-Adong who was infant toddler whose father Aguer assassinated in Ngok probably might have heard this adulterous act to which his mother planned to have another baby from another man they found in the ‘new world’. As they both went to night-time bed, Deng-Adong suffocated his mother to death and most people wonder about how infant toddler mischievously killed his mother whilst she pre-meditated to have another baby with another man they found in the ‘new world’ and be born after him, Deng-Adong. He grew up without both father and mother and later got married. He became successful in the ‘new world’ where he later found today Kongor people and dedicated after him since he was steadfast and had a wild thinking in the youngest age like today great grandfather Bior-kweigak and he is of course his great grandson.
Bior-Kweigak who had a destructive life of mother death in the youngest age, was married to three (3) wives: Adau Lual, Kot Mayen and thirdly Akuach. And these three (3) wives’ households grew in overtime immensely to produce three big extended clan that become a big Boma today with unifying surname of Pan-Bior boma and it was this ancestral figure, Bior-Kweigak who foreshadowed and sowed it. I belonged to Kot Mayen’s household section out of three household sections of Bior-Kweigak to which Kot Mayen---she gave birth to both Achirin Bior-Kweigak and Bul Bior-Kweigak, the brother. For Achirin Bior-Kweigak, she was married to Joak Ajur whose ancestral descent and heritage stemmed off from Duk County in Hol Payam district and deliberately decided to stay with her brother Bul Bior-Kweigak in Kongor payam district Pan-Bior boma sectarian clan within today Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan and whose ancestral heritage stemmed off from Ngok people in today stronghold of oil-rich area of Abyei territory----now awaiting for its referenda with Blue Nile territory and Nuba Mountain area as stipulated in 2005 CPA six protocol mandates for secession. For today most Ngok people of Abyei territory are dispersed into several states in South Sudan: Jonglei State, Unity State, Upper Nile State, and Warrap State; however they (Ngok people) still keep their heritages as once time inhabitants and of course, legitimate indigenous people of Abyei territory.
Joak Ajur after marrying Achirin Bior-Kweigak Ajang from Kongor payam district in Pan-Bior boma clan deliberately accepted to stay within Achirin Bior-Kweigak Ajang whose heritage stemmed off from Ngok people of Abyei territory through Deng-Adong and mother Akiyohch anciently resettled in today Kongor payam village of Pageer after his father Aguer assassination by his own people in today Ngok. Joak Ajur and Achirin Bior-Kweigak bore children: five (5) girls and one (1) son---Deng Joak whose name derived from ancestral great grandfather Deng-Adong through Achirin Bior-Kweigak birther-lineage and abandoned Joak Ajur lineage heritage since he accepted to keep marriage alliance heritage of his wife Achirin Bior-Kweigak whose today Pan-Bior boma sectarian clan was dedicated to and named after her father, Bior-Kweigak---the son of Ajang Aguer Deng and Abul Kok from Awulian section of Nyuak payam district in Wangulei town.
Deng Joak Ajur whose biological father Joak Ajur and heritage stemmed from Duk County, Hol payam district and whose mother Achirin Bior-Kweigak heritage and lineage kinship stemmed off from Ngok people married to Apadang Duot Akol from Kongor Payam district in the sectarian Boma of Paduon. Both Deng Joak Ajur and Apadang Duot Akol bore today my father Wuor Deng Joak and with other siblings. Deng Joak Ajur and Apadang Duot Akol still kept the same heritage of Deng Joak Ajur and still are called today Pan-Bior sectarian clan within Kongor Payam districts regardless of where their ancestors and heritage descents came from. Apadang Duot Akol and Deng Joak Ajur are today from Kongor within Pan-Bior sectarian clan through both birth and marriage alliance of their own and of their families.
Today father Wuor Deng Joak is technically from Kongor Payam in the sectarian clan, Pan-Bior and he kept the heritage he inherited from forefathers and great grandmothers. He married to three (3) wives: my mother Nyalwak Mabil Awer from Nyuak payam district in the sectarian clan of Ayual, roor-dior Pan-pajieth section, step-mother Adhieu Bul Nyuop from Kongor payam district in the sectarian clan of Palek within Apiot-lec boma and then thirdly married to step-mother Achol Anaon Dau from Kongor payam district in the sectarian of Pareng within Paduon Boma. With both wives: mother Nyalwak Mabil Awer and step-mother Adhieu Bul Nyuop, father Wuor Deng Joak after bearing them sons: me, David Deng Wuor and James Deng Wuor, the half-brother, however he did not keepthem in marriages. He later let them go through sectarian clans’ dialogue and confirmation for re-marriage after bearing them both sons: me and half brother, James Deng Wuor. Of course, Wuor Deng Joak, my father deliberately decided to keep his third wife of two wives divorced: Achol Anaon Dau and yet they bore children: Dengthii Wuor, Duot Wuor, Joak Wuor(deceased at youngest age), Apadang Wuor(Only daughter amongst us) and Bior Wuor-- the youngest son of Wuor Deng Joak.
I did not keep and followed a foot-step of father Wuor Deng Joak, I deliberately chose to marry outside of Kongor payam district by marrying from Duk County in the renown clan of former paramount chief Jongak Deng Malwal who was assassinated with our former paramount chief Ajang Duot by Old Khartoum government, from Nyarweng clan in the sectarian clan of Palwal people----Duk County, Jonglei State, South Sudan. I and wife: Debora Akur Deng bore a daughter, Achirin Deng Wuor, who are today residing in Kenya with half-brother Dengthii Wuor and rest of family of Wuor Deng Joak dwelling in the Kongor payam district capital Pawel town within Twic East County, Jonglei State, South Sudan. My half-brother, James Deng Wuor, on one hand, with potential wife, Nyapal Goch from Nuer ethnic group, had a son, Bul Deng Wuor, probably will follow a footstep of father , Wuor Deng Joak, who knows? Rest of other three (3) half-brothers excluding Joak Wuor since he is deceased in the youngest age and a half-sister, Apadang Wuor will decide what to do regarding marriage alliance and bonding they chose.
Yet we know that Bior-Kweigak had three (3) wives that made up the today big three households within Pan-Bior in competitive and as well as in comparison to half-brothers’ household sectarian clans: Pan-Pawuoi, Pan-Kuol, Pan-Agoth, Pan-Yuot and Pan-Achalei. His first wife, Adau Lual today become a huge household section within Pan-Bior boma in Kongor Payam district to which two sons of Adau Lual: Duot Bior-Kweigak and Aguer Bior-Kweigak married to multiple wives and grew as bigger as of both Achirin Bior-Kweigak and Bul Bior-Kweigak household section----two children of the second wife: Kot Mayen of Bior-Kweigak. Former assisinated paramount chief of Kongor Payam and of greater Pan-Bior boma was a son of Duot Bior-Kweigak, who was a pre-successor of Kongor Payam district and of Twic East Countyformer paramount Chief Ajang Duot. In the today post civil war, the Kongor payam district leader still chosen in the Adau Lual’s household section and this payam leader is Duot Ajang Duot----the son of Twic East County paramount chief and a chief of Kongor payam district. Akuach—the third wife of Bior-Kweigak also grew as larger as to both Adau Lual and Kot Mayen’s households. Deng-aliau---the former chief of Kongor payam district was a son of Akuac, who is the third wife of Bior-kweigak.
Marriage alliance is still crucial in any riparian of South Sudan and among South Sudan’s ethnic groups to which it showcased in the Bior-kweigak’s household sections. He exempliarily married outside of Kongor Payam district and almost all three (3) wives of Bior-kweigak were taken out outside of Kongor payam district. For instance, Kot Mayen and Adau Lual are both from Dacuek sectarian clan of Nyuak Payam in Wangulei town, however Akuach----the third wife of Bior-kweigak was also outside from Kongor payam district. This alliance through marriage ceremony is done sometime to bridge past and present differences to which ethnic groups encountered. It is both primitive and civilized ideas, but it still plays magnificent works in the ethnic groups’ lives.
And of course, alliance in marrage produces a ‘melting pot’ society to which everyone in the community inter-related in anyway either through marriage or through blood lineage kinships.
This is NOT bad intermingled “marriage.”💭🇺🇸
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