Antique Fine Dinka Ring – South Sudan

End 19th early 20th century. Ivory grams 7,5; cm. 4,1 high x cm 2,7 width (2.95″ x 1.61″);  inner diameter cm. 1,9 (0.75 inches). US size 9.00.

Several apotropaic eyes to ward off evil.

The Dinka people are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan, but also having a sizable diaspora population. They mostly live along the Nile.

The Dinka mainly live on traditional agriculture and pastoralism, relying on cattle husbandry as a cultural pride, not for commercial profit or for meat, but cultural demonstrations, rituals, marriage dowries and milk feedings for all ages.

The Dinka people have no centralised political authority, instead comprising many independent but interlinked clans. Some of those clans traditionally provide ritual chiefs, known as the “masters of the fishing spear” or beny bith, who provide leadership for the entire people and appear to be at least in part hereditary.

820.ce