Although the act of human sacrifice was deemed critical to the survival of the various Dinka clans as they migrated into Southern Sudan, oral histories suggest that it was the religious leaders, the priests, who played the most crucial role during these journeys. They spearheaded migrations, legitimized control over those foreign territories into which the people migrated, and capitalized on their knowledge of statecraft to gain control over the previous residents of the land. Scholars suggest that weak political systems coupled with ecological crises allow external control by religious leadership. I believe that Dinka priests did indeed follow this model as they led their numerous clans deep into the heartlands of Southern Sudan.

Aristocratic Clans and the Role of Priests in Dinka Migrations

Since the earliest arrival of the Dinka in Southern Sudan there has developed two classes of people: the aristocratic and the commoner clans. The former, believed to represent those original Dinka who migrated from central Sudan, claim that their first priest/leader was Aiwel. He is believed to have passed on his “divine” powers to certain members of his descendants by way of the divinity or Ring (flesh).

In modern times Ghol Dinka Barnaba Wuor and Samuel Majak Piok explain how a person becomes a priest:

However, the priest himself always has a warning that he has received power from his ancestors and in Dinka culture dreams have paramount importance. They are often the first step to recognizing one's priestly prominence.