Tenet people
Encyclopedia
The Tennet people are an ethnic group in South Sudan
. Their language is also called Tennet
. Their neighbors, the Lopit
, refer to them as Irenge. In many respects, the Tennet culture resembles that of the Lopit, and most Tennet people can also speak Lopit, but they have maintained a strong ethnic identity, and among themselves they continue to speak Tennet.
in Eastern Equatoria state. Four of the villages are entirely Tennet, but the fifth is part Tennet and part Lopit. In 1994, the Tennet population was estimated at about 4,000 people.
, the other members of the Southwest Surmic language family. Members of a hunting party speared an oribi
, but after cooking it, they drank the broth themselves instead of giving it to the elders according to custom. A disagreement arose, and in the end, they separated, splitting into four smaller groups. The other three groups have similar stories. Some estimates place this event in the early nineteenth century.
The Tennet learned iron-working from the Lopit. However, during Sudan's civil wars
, blacksmith activity decreased.
, Eastern Sudanic
, Surmic
language. It has several of the features common in other Surmic languages: Implosive consonants, multiple strategies for marking number on nouns, a marked nominative case system, and VSO order but sentence-final question words.
mostly on the plains below the villages, but they also cultivate fields on the mountainsides. They raise cattle, which are the main measure of wealth and are used for bride wealth, and they also hunt, fish, and raise goats and sheep. However, they are primarily dependent on sorghum, and drought can cause severe food shortages.
. Carved flutes are common around the villages, and drums are used during dances.
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...
. Their language is also called Tennet
Tennet language
Tennet is a Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Surmic language spoken by the Tennet people...
. Their neighbors, the Lopit
Lopit people
The Lopit or Lopid are an ethnic group numbering 90,000 to 136,000 people living in the South Sudanese state of Eastern Equatoria. The Lopit language is Nilotic....
, refer to them as Irenge. In many respects, the Tennet culture resembles that of the Lopit, and most Tennet people can also speak Lopit, but they have maintained a strong ethnic identity, and among themselves they continue to speak Tennet.
Location
The Tennet home area consists of five villages at the northern end of the Lopit Mountains, north of ToritTorit
-Location:The town is located in Torit County, Eastern Equatoria State, in the southeastern part of South Sudan, close to the International border with the Republic of Uganda. Its location lies approximately , by road, east of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country...
in Eastern Equatoria state. Four of the villages are entirely Tennet, but the fifth is part Tennet and part Lopit. In 1994, the Tennet population was estimated at about 4,000 people.
Early History
The Tennet have an account of how they were once part of a larger group, which also included what are now Murle, Didinga, and BoyaBoya people
The Boya are an ethnic group numbering 20,000 to 25,000 people living in Budi County, part of the Greater Kapoeta region of the South Sudanese state of Eastern Equatoria....
, the other members of the Southwest Surmic language family. Members of a hunting party speared an oribi
Oribi
Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
, but after cooking it, they drank the broth themselves instead of giving it to the elders according to custom. A disagreement arose, and in the end, they separated, splitting into four smaller groups. The other three groups have similar stories. Some estimates place this event in the early nineteenth century.
The Tennet learned iron-working from the Lopit. However, during Sudan's civil wars
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
, blacksmith activity decreased.
Language
Tennet is a Nilo-SaharanNilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
, Eastern Sudanic
Eastern Sudanic languages
Ehret 2001 [1984]Ehret, published in 2001 but circulating in manuscript form since at least 1984, calls the family "Eastern Sahelian", and idiosyncratically adds the Kuliak languages and Berta, which Bender assigns to higher-level branches of Nilo-Saharan, and reassigns Nyima to the southern branch...
, Surmic
Surmic languages
The Surmic Languages are a branch of the Eastern Sudanic language family.-Languages:*North: Majang *South**Southeast: Kwegu , Me'en, Mursi, Suri...
language. It has several of the features common in other Surmic languages: Implosive consonants, multiple strategies for marking number on nouns, a marked nominative case system, and VSO order but sentence-final question words.
Economy
Like their neighbors the Lopit, the Tennet people practice swidden agriculture. They grow 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...
mostly on the plains below the villages, but they also cultivate fields on the mountainsides. They raise cattle, which are the main measure of wealth and are used for bride wealth, and they also hunt, fish, and raise goats and sheep. However, they are primarily dependent on sorghum, and drought can cause severe food shortages.
Governance
The Tennet communities are governed by the ruling age set, called the monyomiji, a system (and term) also used by their Lopit neighbors and other groups in the region. Members of the monyomiji are young men who are old enough to participate in warfare (cattle raiding and defense of the village). They make decisions, but they are also held accountable by the retired monyomiji, the elders. A new group of monyomiji is initiated about every twelve years.Music
Tennet music is pentatonicPentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...
. Carved flutes are common around the villages, and drums are used during dances.
External links
- EthnologueEthnologueEthnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
information on Tennet - Focus On South: Facts About Eastern Equatoria State – Sudan Vision Daily.
- South Sudan: Changing of the guard – Interpress Source News Agency.