family will be ensured by the sons of the family. A
man receives the names of his father and grandfa-
ther and ancestors.
Initiation RitesWhen a boy is initiated, he is no longer asked to
do the labor of a boy. He does not tether the ani-
mals. He does not milk the cattle. He does not cart
cattle dung. He receives the scarification on his
forehead that identifies him as a parapuol, one
who does not milk. When a boy becomes an initi-
ate between the ages of 10 to 16, he can be called
on to be a warrior, guard, and hunter. The boys
remain with their cattle during the dry season, and
they farm during the wet season.
Initiation is a major part of the Dinka tradition.
The boys sing songs of their families. They have
their heads shaved. They get up early on the
morning of the initiation and are taken by their
parents to the ceremonial grounds. They receive
blessings and are asked to sit with their legs
crossed in a row with their backs to the sun. As
the rising sun makes an aura of innocence around
them, they are asked to recite the names of their
ancestors. The person in charge of the initiation
then takes each boy by the crown of his head and
then spins the head toward a sharp knife. The boy
is cut. This is repeated until the boy has all the cut
marks of his particular clan. He has recited the
names of his ancestors without stopping all the
while he is being cut. This is truly the bonding of
the Dinka during initiation. A boy cannot flinch
or cry during the initiation because it will show
him to be a coward.
Afterward, there is great joy with dancing and
music for many days. Theparapuolis granted his
song oxen, the most precious object he will ever
possess. In addition to all the attention, the boy
will also receive attention from the girls, who pre-
fer boys who are parapuols. The Dinka have
retained many of their religious traditions as a
result of the continuation of a strong resistance to
outside influences. They represent a bulwark of
African culture in the midst of Christian and
Islamic penetration.
Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoDagu; Initiation; Rituals
Further Readings
Asante, M. K. (2007).The History of Africa. London:
Routledge.
Mair, L. (1964).Primitive Government. London: Penguin.
Radcliffe-Brown, A. R., & Forde, D. (Eds.). (1970).
African Systems of Kinship and Marriage. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Ryle, J. (1982).Warriors of the White Nile. Amsterdam:
Time-Life Books.DIOLA
The Diola (also calledJola) are an African people
found in the area of Senegal, Gambia, and
Guinea-Bissau. It is believed that the Diola
migrated to the Casamance region of Senegal during
the 11th and 12th centuries in an effort
to escape the increasing Islamic jihads. Mande-
speaking (Dioula) and Fula-speaking people fol-
lowed the Diola to the region. Diola are not to be
confused with the Dioula or Doula people; these
are separate and distinct people.
Unlike some of their neighbors, the Diola do not
have a hierarchal system of governance. There are
no djeles, nobles, or kings. The Diola do not have a
class system that divides people by leather workers,
farmers, iron workers, and so forth. Indeed they
have created a community based on the large family
settlement form of organization. Many of these fami-
lies give their own names to their communities, such
as Jola Jamat, Jola Brin, Jola Kabrouse, Jola Foni,
and Jola Karon. Like the Baga, Balanta, Konyagia,
and Serere, the Diola have remained tied to the vil-
lage as their largest political organization.
Most authorities agree that the Diola have a
long history of fishing, farming, domestication of
animals, palm wine harvesting, and the processing
of palm wine; they have a comprehensive and
intensive engagement with the rich natural envi-
ronment in which they live. They are most well
known for rice production. This is the key to
much of the structure of their thought, celebra-
tions, holidays, and responses to the environment.
The Diola were the last of the Senegambia people
to succumb to Islam. Their ancestors had handed
down to them the idea of one God, supreme and
omniscient, who was called Emit. The deity Emit
was associated with the natural phenomena ofDiola 203