SUMMARY

The Dinka is the largest ethnic group in South Sudan and the largest non-Arabic ethnic group in Sudan. They are mainly cattle pastoralists, but to some extent also rely on farming, in accordance with the different seasons of the year. The Dinka live on either side of the White Nile and across Bahr al-Ghazal and traditional Dinka culture follows the flooding and receding of the Nile waters. The over-arching Dinka group is divided into different sub-divisions, which are split further into smaller sub-groups. Even though the sub-divisions and sub-groups occasionally fight each other, mainly related to cattle-raiding, they most often unite if they come into conflict with an outside enemy.

Waat Dinka is a sub-group of the larger Gok Dinka, which is one of many divisions within the overarching Dinka ethnic group. The Gok Dinka mainly inhibits the western part of the Cueibet and Rumbek North counties of Lakes State in South Sudan. They are a mainly semi-itinerant pastoralist people, who depend on their cattle stock for their livelihood. Traditionally, while the Gok Dinka were never as prosperous as other Dinka sub-groups, they were at relative peace with other co-inhabiting tribes. For example, intermarriages between Gok Dinka and Agar Dinka, or the Jul Chol people, were being described as frequent.

The Gok division (like many others) is highly complex. Initially, the Gok Dinka was comprised of two major sections; the Landiing and the Macar. The Macar of today comprises the Waat Dinka among other sub-groups. The Gok Dinka initially lived in an area east of the Nile, named Waat. When the area was hit by a drought, and the different sub-groups subsequently started to disagree politically, they re-located to different areas of the country. The Waat Dinka, moved together with the Panyar Dinka to the northern part of present-day Lakes State in South Sudan.