The monograph on the history and culture of the Anyuak is the result of
more than five years of fieldwork (1976-1983). It is a welldocumented,
detailed and passionate description of an African people's spiritual and
material world, their culture and history. Myths, oral traditions,
stories, maps, genealogies, records of tales, songs and other music, as
well as a great number of photographs invite the reader to join in the
journey through the universe of the Anyuak in order to make their own
discoveries or simply to participate in the spiritual adventure. The
Anyuak live on both sides of the border between South Sudan and
Southwestern Ethiopia. They are relatives of the better known Shilluk,
Dinka and Nuer, but have turned from cattle herders into fervent
agriculturalists. The Anyuak are a highly intellectual, strong-minded
and well-organised people who have created, in the middle of so-called
wilderness, a centre of human civilisation. If their socio-political
system is of a particular interest, their philosophy is equally
fascinating: it centres on the human person and governs his or her
relationship not only within human society but also with animals,
earthly matters and spiritual forces. Thanks to their stubborn, almost
desperate belief in the essential goodness of existence and the positive
forces of life, the Anyuak have - in spite of all pressures from
outside - up to now succeeded in preserving their cultural identity and
maintaining their pride of being "pure human beings". The first four
volumes of the monograph describe the sphere of the above (the sphere of
transparency), the sphere of the below (the sphere of material
existence, the earth) and the space between them (the sphere of human
self-awareness and the period of personal existence). Volumes V and VI
focus on the Anyuak village and its physical, social, judicial and
political structures, and examine the lively sphere of collective
experience under a forceful leadership, which embodies the community's
self-awareness. Volume VII investigates the economic and material values
of the Anyuak, in particular the social aspects of labour, such as
solidarity, sharing within the community, and cooperation. It focuses on
the daily or seasonal activities of women, men and children: in the
fields; on the riverside and at home; during working hours; or while
traveling, trading, and at times of rest. The text, with accompanying
pictures and illustrations, highlights important aspects of agriculture;
hunting and gathering; tobacco; on the making of tools, utensils and
handicrafts; and on the rituals of cooking, eating, drinking, and
smoking. The book ends with a chapter on art, which illustrates the
Anyuak artistic self-awareness in all aspects of life.
