Tribal Marks
by Peter Rek Dak

    The most important event in the lives of  Nuer boys in Sudan becomes when they reach the age of fifteen and seventeen. They will decide to have tribal marks. This will be done by Gaar, a man who is an expert in cutting tribal marks. The marks he cuts also are called Gaar. This ritual changes the status of the boys from boyhood to manhood. It gives the boys the right to exercise their power in the community, their community treats them respecfully, and their tribe becomes proud of them. This event involves many things for the boys who decide to have them. For example: planning, informing the families, and processing.
    Before the boys have got the tribal marks, they talk to each other to make sure they are ready to get them or not. Among the boys, there are some who feel that they are too young to have their marks. That is why this talk lasts many days between the boys in order to know who is ready and who is not. It involves encouragement and influence to these who feel that they are not ready to get tribal marks.
    When they agree to get them, they will take this plan to the families. The families will think about it for a couple of days. After they accept their decision, the boys will send a message to the man who will cut their tribal marks. After that, he will tell them the day he will see them. That day, all the boys will sleep in one place. They become ready to get their tribal marks. That event will take place in front of a hut made with wood and mud or grass. It will be an open area where everybody can see what is going on.
    In addition, the man will arrive before the sunrise because he will cut the marks before the sun gets hot. Before he reaches the compound, he will announce his coming with a loud voice to scare the boys. He will say, “I’m coming, I’m coming with my Sharp knives Sons, who is not ready leave the compound.”
    Hearing these words, the boys will glance to each other without words and they will know the time has come for them. Within that moment, the man will start to call the first boy. The boy will come directly to him without a word. He will lie down on his back facing the sky, his arms folding around his chest. The man will kneel down beside the boy and begin to cut. The first cut will start above the eyes. The rest will follow horizontal to each other until they become six in number. Moreover, everything is calm when the cutting continues. However, the only sound the boy hears is the grating of the knife on the bone. These cuts are very deep into the boy’s skin. The cuts become open before the blood covers them. The boys bear the pain with great fortitude. They will stay down until the bleeding stops. After the bleeding, they will crawl into the house with their hands and feet, their bodies bent backward. They do this because the cut will bleed again if someone turns down his head. After that, the boys will give some gifts to the man who cut their tribal marks. They will give him their fishing spears. Also, they will thank him for the great work he has done.
    After these processes, the families of the boys will slaughter a sheep. They do this in order to bless the cuts so that they will get healed very soon. The families of the boys will provide local wine to the man and his followers. As a result of this, the women begin to dance and sing. Now, their boys have become men.