[Censored because Tumblr doesn't like non-western modesty standards...]
Dinka / Jieng / Nuony-Jang
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, from Mangalla to Renk, in regions of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (former two of three Southern Provinces in Sooth Sudan and Abyei Area of the Ngok Dinka in South Sudan.
Adult men wear corset known as malual. It exposes many parts of their body except for beads around the neck or wrist. The male corset is easily recognized by its «horn» (fungi), flinging itself toward the sky at the back of the body.
The women commonly wear only goatskin skirts, but unmarried adolescent girls will typically be nude. These garments are used to communicate characteristics such as gender, age, wealth, and ethnic affiliation.
The tight beaded corsets of Dinka and Mundari herdsmen indicate the position of men in the tribal age system. Corsets are first sewn at puberty and are not removed until the wearer reaches a new age. Each group wears a color-coded corset: a red and blue corset indicates a male between fifteen and twenty-five years of age. A yellow and blue corset is worn by a man over the age of thirty who is ready for marriage.
The male corset is easily recognized by its "horn", which shoots skyward at the back of the body. Cowrie shells (gak) are sewn into the front and back of the women's vest, probably to protect the wearer and ensure her fertility. Both the corset and the poncho come in different colors, each related to a particular age group. A man in his early twenties would have worn the corset, and a married woman in her early twenties the poncho.
Corsets can be worn every day, although many wear them only on special occasions such as weddings, parties and, in particular, dance ceremonies. The corset conveys the age of the girl and her readiness for marriage and the status and wealth of her family, thus the probable dowry for her.
The complexity and beauty of the designs, the lengths of the corset as well as the colors distinguish these messages:
Yellow corsets: Worn by girls who have just reached puberty. For men ('malual') means that they are over 30 years old.
Light blue corsets: Used by young girls between 16 and 18 years old.
Red corsets: Worn by single older girls, over 18 years old.
Mixed Colors: Worn by girls of any age for special occasions.
2. Dinka bodice, Sudan, late 19th to early 20th century
3. Dinka man's corset, Sudan, late 19th to early 20th century
4. Dinka man's necklace, Sudan, worn at or shortly before wedding to show his eligibility and the wealth of his family in cattle
5, 6, 12. Dinka Woman Wearing Corset, South Sudan. Some Dinka women from wealthy families also wear beaded corsets. The height of the corset in this photograph indicates the girl’s parents require over 80 head of cattle in exchange for her hand in marriage. | © Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher.
7. Dinka warrior by Angela Fisher
8. Dinka mother and child, Sudan by Angela Fisher, 1984
9. (two images) Dinka bodice, 1960s-70s
10. Dinka bodice made by Mary Padar, Dinka, South Sudan
11. Pre-bridal beaded bodice
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