Tributes in Living Memory of Sultan Manyok Deng Biar
- The History of Awulian’s traditional leadership from Biar Diing to Manyok Deng Biar
By Samuel Reech Mayen, Juba South Sudan
Saturday, 15 August 2026 (PW) — The late Head Chief of Pawuoi Payam, Sultan Manyok Deng who departed on the 30th of July 2026 has been buried at the Payam’s Headquarters in Nyaken. Manyokidt was the Head Chief of the sixth (in order of establishment) Payam in Twic East County in Jonglei State. The late played a key role in realizing the idea of a acquiring a new Payam for his community. This administrative division has motivated members of Awulian community across the globe to develop a new town at home. The late Chief achieved this goal few months before his demise.
In this hour of grief, I would like to recap the history of Awulian’s traditional leadership. This History traces back to the unrecorded period before the community migrated from the west of the River Nile to the present-day territory in the east of the Nile. And for the purpose of precision, I will only summarize from the colonial era to the present time. This article is basically for eulogizing our late chief Manyok Deng Biar in lines of successions.
The oral narrative of chieftaincy has it that Biar Diing was the chief of Awulian community sometimes during the colonial government. This government was brutal and imposed illegal fines to extort resources from the traditional leaders. In one of these occasions, Biar Diing was arrested and later fined with a pregnant heifer. Before the bailiffs reached the cattle camp to collect the heifer, the wind carried the message to Biar Abit (Late Manyok’s grandfather) that his first cousin had been fined and the bailiffs were on the way to seize his red heifer as a fine.
The decisive Biar Abit hid the cow and instead fastened a gestating red sheep on the very peg which was used for tying the red cow. When the bailiffs reached and informed Biar Abit to give them the cow with the specification of a gestating red heifer, Biar showed them the red sheep and told them the description they made fit that particular sheep. He denied any existence of a red gestating heifer of Biar Diing. Perplexed by the new assertion, the bailiffs took the red sheep to the court. They reported the challenges in execution as they found a sheep instead of the cow.
Weary of the constant obstruction of justice by the stubborn colonized people, the court accepted the red sheep and released Biar Diing from the prison. Upon arrival in the cattle camp, he sang while standing at the mid of his herd. Subsequently he convened an impromptu meeting. He commended Biar Abit for swapping his heifer with a sheep and prevented it from being taken by the colonial court. Subsequently Biar Diing voluntarily handed over the chieftaincy to him as a sign of appreciation. Like his predecessor, Chief Biar Abit fearlessly led Awulian by resisting the colonial rule. During his leadership Awulian fought many battles with the colonial governments including the battle of Pawuoi locally known as Turuk Pawuoi.
After Biar, Ajak Biar inherited the chieftaincy from his father. Decades later, Ajak handed over the chieftaincy to his brother Deng Biar, the father of Manyok Deng. Chief Deng Biar led Awulian till he was assassinated in 1967. Following Deng Biar demise, Chief Dau Machur Biar inherited the chieftaincy and led Awuilian for almost two decades.
During the SPLM/A days in the mid-1980s, Chief Dau Machur was replaced with Ajak Deng Biar (popularly known as Ajak-Agut-Dau) from the SPLA. Chief Ajak-Agut-Dau later handed over the leadership to Chief Manyok Deng and returned to the army (SPLA) to pursue the struggle for liberation. In record Chief Manyok is the sixth chief from the era of Biar Abit to him. He led from 1987 till his passing on the 30th of July 2026. However, there was a short interval in which Chief Thon Dau Machur led Awulian community.
- How I came to know Sultan Manyok Deng Biar
I saw Chief Manyok Deng for the first time in the marriage of one of his cousins which was conducted at our neighbourhood sometimes at the end of 1987 or in the beginning of 1988. On that day my father asked my sister and I to collect our meat (kaam) from the marriage feast. We were very young and eager to rush to the venue to watch how people celebrate in the marriage festivities. We found elders singing oracle songs with an ox tied to a peg in their middle. A few minutes later the ox urinated and the question was who would kill the ox. The unanimous response approved Manyok to kill the ox. He was called from where he was chatting with other group of elders under a tree to move in and kill the ox. The towering chief majestically swam through the crowd towards the ox. He grabbed a spear from one old man and thrusted it at the upper part of the ox’s neck just behind the base of the horns. The poor ox collapsed instantly. The women ululated and sang. In this occasion I saw unmatched charisma in a man that would lead our community for the following decades.
Two or three years later, Awulian’s court center was relocated from Aborom to Lual-Ajokbil where our family lived. At this time the SPLA was terrorizing the villages. However, Chief Manyok was apparently a shield to our community. The arrogance of the guerrilla soldiers was not tolerated in Lual-Ajokbil. He showed this trait of fearlessness during the conscription in the first half of 1991. An SPLA Major Jok Reng was moving through all the court centers torturing the chiefs to enlist their youth into the SPLA. When he arrived in Lual-Ajokbil Chief Manyok firmly told him that all the youth of Awulian had all been conscripted and there was no need to torture the chiefs as there was no single person left in hiding. Major Jok was convinced by the number of recruits from Awulian as a proof of the chief’s assertion. However, some of his officers felt intimidated by Manyokdit fearless conducts and wanted to find a reason to get at logger head with him. Since Lual-Ajokbil had become a temporary base of the forces of Major Jok, some fines in form of cows which were seized from the herds of deserted recruits from the neighboring communities were frequently brought to this traditional leadership Headquarters.
In one occasion some of the alluded cows were sprayed with bullets at the eastern outskirt of Lual-Ajokbil. One Captain from Major Jok’s officers instructed Chief Manyok to divide the meat offered to the civilians. In response, Manyok said, “Do not repeat what you have just said. I am not a cheap chief to be debased in front of my community.” This was construed as a rude statement and Chief Manyok was arrested and detained in a roofless thorny fence which was used as a detention facility. I still remember that day he would move out and back to the jail as he wished. He was released on the same day in the evening.
In Litigation which is one of the key roles of the Chiefs, Manyokdit was known for deciding cases fairly. When he held dissenting opinion, he would agree with the decision of the majority of the chiefs. He would not impose his decisions. He would just air his opinion and allow the decision of the majority to prevail.
In the ordinary social settings, Chief Manyok was well known for being positive and and always grateful. He would always commend people’s contribution toward the unity of the community. He was also humorous which is a great character for a public speaker. He would express facts with humour and this made his speeches memorable. Chief Manyok was brave, kind and above all he was very intelligent. He could provide solutions to complex problems.
Nevertheless, chief Manyokdit also had shortcomings like any other person. He would not get irritated and leave without turning every stone. In the beginning of 1991 there was a wrestling match between Awulian and Ayual in Wangulei. Awulian was defeated by a small margin and Chief Manyok ran to the field demanding to wrestle with anyone from Ayual. The late wrestling giant Marol Garang Deng from Kuac section of Ajuong was the referee. He dissuaded him and gently led him away from the field. This is rare of a chief but Manyok felt that he could not swallowed this tiny loss. Though he was not apparently short tempered, but in some cases, he would pay a person with his own coin.
His demise is a huge loss to Awuilan. Chief Manyok was a protector and an epitome of truth. He was a man who could not burry his head in the sand to pretend to be good. As he is being lowered to his ‘Final Resting Bed,’ his memories shall live on.
May the Soul of Chief Manyokit De Deng De Biar Rest in Peace!
Note:
- This is not a biography of Chief Manyok Deng nor is it the whole history of Awulian’s traditional leadership. This is primarily memories of the writer about the late.
The writer lives in Juba and can be reached at: [email protected]
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