The Dinka Folktales: A Collection of Dinka’s Short Stories and Mythologies
Dinka Folktales, by Manyuon Dhieu Chol
By Manyuon Dhieu Chol, Nairobi, Kenya
Sunday, June 27, 2021 (PW) — “In a massive effort at chronicling the fables and stories of the Dinka people, Jacob Manyuon Dhieu Chol has preserved a long-standing oral tradition in written form. This book is a useful tool for future generations to engage, learn and connect with their culture. It is suitable for readers of all ages and is a great introduction to the customs and culture of the Dinka people” …. The Dinka Folktales @ $19.99.
In this book, The Dinka Folktales: A collection of Dinka’s Short Stories and Mythologies, the Dinka mythologies: myths, legends and folktales have been collated purposefully to be learned as history by future generations. These stories are extremely diverse and heterogeneous; they convey customs and our ways of life as their themes and motives give us an overview of African traditional cultural heritage and diversity, especially of the Dinka community.
Culture is a set of social codes governing values, norms and behaviors held consciously or unconsciously by groups of people. The Dinka cultural heritage and ways of life have been, and will always inevitably continue to be, with our children and the generations to come. Storytelling about folktales, fables, animal lore, folklores, folk songs, myths, fairy tales and legends are common amongst the Dinka communities as well as other African tribes.
The stories are generally narrated by elders to the children as they sit around a fireplace in the evenings. More so some individuals were so crafty in storytelling that they were respected as good story-tellers full of humor and wisdom.
As Samuel Huntington puts it, “The most important distinctions amongst people are not ideological, political, or economic viewpoints, it is the cultural norms. Peoples from various nations are attempting to answer the most basic question human beings face: Who are we? And they are answering the question in traditional ways that suit their cultural and social backgrounds, reference to the things that mean most for them. People define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language, history, values, customs and institutions.”
These oral traditions were passed down from generation to generation. The myths explain the actions of gods, heroes and natural occurrences, while legends tell about the past stories that may or may not be based on facts and the folktales entertain us about heroes, adventures, or mischief-makers. Folktales and myths offer fictional explanations for natural occurrences.
It isn’t possible to trace the authorship of any of the stories recorded in this book. When a Dinka storyteller is questioned about authorship, they say that they orally acquired stories from their ancestors, and the same story, or parts of it may be found in other sections of the Nilotic communities.
I believe both the scholars and students of the Dinka tribe and other African communities will find this book useful. Some of these tales will make you think, laugh, wonder, but almost all of them have hidden wisdom for you to discover! Although a lot remains to be done, the author has demonstrated to us that there are more hidden oral traditions to be discovered.
In this book,animals, birds, and human beings are the main characters: clever foxes and hares, bewitching owls, diplomatic rabbits, greedy hyena, brave lions or tigers and forgetful dogs.
The author, Manyuon Dhieu Chol, is a South Sudanese Graduate Student of Economics at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and can be reached via his email: manyuondhieuchol@gmail.com
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