Moru
Encyclopedia
Moru is an ethnic group of South Sudan
. Most of them live in Equatoria
. They speak Moru
, a Central Sudanic language
. Many members of this ethnicity are Christian
s, most being members of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS). The Pioneer missionary in the area was Dr Kenneth Grant Fraser
of the Church Missionary Society (CMS). The population of this ethnicity possibly does not exceed 100,000.
The Moru used to be the most educated tribe in the Equatoria Region following the example set by the work of the pioneer missionary Dr [Kenneth Grant Fraser].The large number of Moru people who have become medical doctors, medical assistants, and medical nurses is a tribute to the depth and effectiveness of Dr Fraser's Christian witness as a medical doctor. Fraser had a deep personal impact on the Moru people who still greatly revere him to this day.
The Moru, who belong to the ethnic group which includes the Madi, Lugbara, Avokaya and Logo of Uganda and Zaire, live in the southern part of Mundri County, Equatoria Region, Southern Sudan. Mundri County is located in Central Western part of Equatoria Region in Western Equatoria Province. It is between 4°N and 6°N of Equator and 29°E and 31°E. There are five main divisions of the Moru, namely: Miza; Ägyi; Moroändri; Kediro and 'Bali'ba, who each live in a distinct area and have their own dialectical differences. Other partial divisions can also be recognised.
The northern part of Mundri County is inhabited by the Jur cluster, which includes the Beli, Sopi, Mödö, Nyamusa, Wira, Biti and Morokodo. Although they are often erroneously classified as Moru they form a distinct language group, more closely related to the Bongo and Baka. The Moru have received the most attention in the past and Moru Miza has been the vernacular used in education and the church throughout the district.
Settlement is in extended family groups surrounded by their gardens. These families are linked together into clans under headmen and subchiefs, but there are few physical concentrations of villages. The term village is generally used to describe the people who relate to one centre.
which is grown in various field types in association with sesame
, cowpeas, bulrush millet and finger millet
. Other important crops are groundnuts, maize
, cassava
, sweet potatoes, okra
, pumpkins and various green vegetables. Livestock are kept mainly on the northern and eastern sides of the district. The most animals are sheep and goats. Poultry are kept by most households.
Contact with the wild bush is important, and many of the relishes are obtained from wild sources. Hunting and fishing are important economic and social activities. Other wild foods include vegetables, wild fruit, fungi and insects, especially termites. The bush is also the source of building materials, fuel and fibres. The trantional way of cultivation is for close relatives to cultivate together in one area. This is traditionally called a Kätiri, and is traditionally made of segments divided round a central marker such as a large tree or ant hill.
From January to April, food is abundant, the people are healthy, physical labour is very little, and there is a great deal or idle time. During this time, the dance performed is called RUMA. The number of drums used during this dance is four. The biggest drum is called Dugye (sometimes also called Lari Endre ‘the mother drum’), the medium size drum is called Ruma, from which the dance takes its name, and the two small high pitched drums are called Lari Ngwa ‘Children of the Drum’.
From May to August, when there is a great deal of agricultural economic activities, the dancing is called DEGO. The number of drums used during this dance is one Dugye and two small lari ngwa. With the peoples' strength sapped by the heavy labours and the assumed or real scarcity of food, the movements or this dance begin slow in relation to the rhythm or the songs which is also slow. The movements progress to Ngala when the movements and steps become considerably quicker and faster. DEGO dances are infrequent and do not last a complete night.
From September to December the dance is called YELU. The number of drums used is five. They consist of one Dugye, one Diri (also known as Biri) and three small high-pitched drums Lari Ngwa. The movements which are involved reflect the great health and strength which the people have just acquired as a result of eating freshly harvested crops. YELU is the harvest season dance.
A rattle called gara is used by women in church or at dances. It is made from a small gourd
that has been dried. It has a spherical body and narrow tapering neck with rounded end that serves as the instrument's handle. It is filled with a number of medium-sized seeds, normally okra, inserted through a circular hole cut into the centre of the top, and then resealed.
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. Most of them live in Equatoria
Equatoria
Equatoria is a region in the south of present-day South Sudan along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Egypt, it also contained most of Northern part of present day Uganda including Albert Lake...
. They speak Moru
Moru language
Moru is a Central Sudanic language spoken in South Sudan by the Moru people. Dialects are Agi, Andri ~ ’Bali’ba, Kadiro = Lakama’di, Miza, Moruwa’di....
, a Central Sudanic language
Central Sudanic languages
Starostin notes that the poorly attested language Mimi of Decorse is suggestive of Central Sudanic, though he provisionally treats it as an isolate.-References:...
. Many members of this ethnicity are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s, most being members of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS). The Pioneer missionary in the area was Dr Kenneth Grant Fraser
Kenneth Grant Fraser
Kenneth Grant Fraser O.B.E., M.D., Edin., D.P.H., F.R.S.E. or "Dr Fraser" as he is commonly remembered, was a Scottish missionary doctor and educator in Southern Sudan, specifically working among the Moru people....
of the Church Missionary Society (CMS). The population of this ethnicity possibly does not exceed 100,000.
The Moru used to be the most educated tribe in the Equatoria Region following the example set by the work of the pioneer missionary Dr [Kenneth Grant Fraser].The large number of Moru people who have become medical doctors, medical assistants, and medical nurses is a tribute to the depth and effectiveness of Dr Fraser's Christian witness as a medical doctor. Fraser had a deep personal impact on the Moru people who still greatly revere him to this day.
The Moru, who belong to the ethnic group which includes the Madi, Lugbara, Avokaya and Logo of Uganda and Zaire, live in the southern part of Mundri County, Equatoria Region, Southern Sudan. Mundri County is located in Central Western part of Equatoria Region in Western Equatoria Province. It is between 4°N and 6°N of Equator and 29°E and 31°E. There are five main divisions of the Moru, namely: Miza; Ägyi; Moroändri; Kediro and 'Bali'ba, who each live in a distinct area and have their own dialectical differences. Other partial divisions can also be recognised.
The northern part of Mundri County is inhabited by the Jur cluster, which includes the Beli, Sopi, Mödö, Nyamusa, Wira, Biti and Morokodo. Although they are often erroneously classified as Moru they form a distinct language group, more closely related to the Bongo and Baka. The Moru have received the most attention in the past and Moru Miza has been the vernacular used in education and the church throughout the district.
Settlement is in extended family groups surrounded by their gardens. These families are linked together into clans under headmen and subchiefs, but there are few physical concentrations of villages. The term village is generally used to describe the people who relate to one centre.
Agriculture
Most families are subsistence farmers depending on rain fed agriculture to produce food for their families. Any surplus may be sold for cash or bartered for products that cannot be produced locally. The staple crop is sorghumSorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
which is grown in various field types in association with sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
, cowpeas, bulrush millet and finger millet
Finger millet
Eleusine coracana, commonly Finger millet , also known as African millet or Ragi is an annual plant widely grown as a cereal in the arid areas of Africa and Asia. E...
. Other important crops are groundnuts, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, sweet potatoes, okra
Okra
Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
, pumpkins and various green vegetables. Livestock are kept mainly on the northern and eastern sides of the district. The most animals are sheep and goats. Poultry are kept by most households.
Contact with the wild bush is important, and many of the relishes are obtained from wild sources. Hunting and fishing are important economic and social activities. Other wild foods include vegetables, wild fruit, fungi and insects, especially termites. The bush is also the source of building materials, fuel and fibres. The trantional way of cultivation is for close relatives to cultivate together in one area. This is traditionally called a Kätiri, and is traditionally made of segments divided round a central marker such as a large tree or ant hill.
Dancing
Between and during economic activities, the Moru spend a lot of time on other cultural pursuits which are of non-economic values. Predominant among the many cultural and social activities are dancing and singing. Both of these activities serve as recreation and realization of cultural values. Drumming, dancing and singing in Moru society are related to the three seasons. The correlation between the drumming, dancing and singing, the three seasonal periods, and general physical and economic welfare of the people, is one of the most interesting features of the Moru society.From January to April, food is abundant, the people are healthy, physical labour is very little, and there is a great deal or idle time. During this time, the dance performed is called RUMA. The number of drums used during this dance is four. The biggest drum is called Dugye (sometimes also called Lari Endre ‘the mother drum’), the medium size drum is called Ruma, from which the dance takes its name, and the two small high pitched drums are called Lari Ngwa ‘Children of the Drum’.
From May to August, when there is a great deal of agricultural economic activities, the dancing is called DEGO. The number of drums used during this dance is one Dugye and two small lari ngwa. With the peoples' strength sapped by the heavy labours and the assumed or real scarcity of food, the movements or this dance begin slow in relation to the rhythm or the songs which is also slow. The movements progress to Ngala when the movements and steps become considerably quicker and faster. DEGO dances are infrequent and do not last a complete night.
From September to December the dance is called YELU. The number of drums used is five. They consist of one Dugye, one Diri (also known as Biri) and three small high-pitched drums Lari Ngwa. The movements which are involved reflect the great health and strength which the people have just acquired as a result of eating freshly harvested crops. YELU is the harvest season dance.
Musical Instruments
The Kudi and Lekyembe are harps which play important roles in Moru society. They serve as recreation and realization of cultural values. They particularly play a role during engagement between males and females. They are also used as important instruments for covering long distances and entertainment.A rattle called gara is used by women in church or at dances. It is made from a small gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
that has been dried. It has a spherical body and narrow tapering neck with rounded end that serves as the instrument's handle. It is filled with a number of medium-sized seeds, normally okra, inserted through a circular hole cut into the centre of the top, and then resealed.