I am just curious to know if Gatluak Manguael and Malual [A]Bong-Baar are from Mading Aweil.
Some say Gatluak belongs to Nuer descent. It is contraversial because some want to reject Gatluak's status due to the fact he had some sort of Cannibalistic tendency or something as our oral stories entail.
I want to know actually who he was and where he belongs (ed)? Thanks.
Second, Atuot (nei-Tut) subtribe are considered as partially have link with or were Nuer historically. Is that true?
Have a Nice weekend.
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"The most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas, party dictatorships, or modern corporations.."______Noam Chomsky
The name Gatluak Manguael is a typical Nuer name. I have never heard of this person before. This makes me suggest that he belongs to Nuer. I am not rejecting him because he has cannibalistic tendencies as you say, but because of his name and that we at Mading Aweil never heard of him.
Atuot may have a link with Nuer because they speak their own language which no other dinka speaks. That language resembles that of Nuer. I am not sure about this though, let someone who knows it better tell us.
Thanks for responding to my post. However, I would slightly refute your idea that the name "Gatluak" should be the overriding evidence that proves that G. Manguael might be a Nuer. Do you know that there a good number of pure Dinka who have Nuer names (Gatluak included) and so do Nuer? I will suggest to you many popular Dinka people who bear Nuer names if you are in doubt.
Anywayz, thank you for the compliments.
Wangkec.
-- Edited by Wangkec at 13:13, 2005-01-23
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"The most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas, party dictatorships, or modern corporations.."______Noam Chomsky
I personally don't know this person, but I don't have evidence to prove that he doesn't belong to one of the sections of Dinka. The name Gatluak is also found among Dinkas particularly among those of Upper Nile; Hol and Nyar Weng to be specific. I have a number of colleagues and friends from these two communities (Hol and Nyar Weng) who go by the name 'Gatluak'. But like Deng Santo pointed out, the name 'Gatluak' is never used in Mading Aweil. I would assume that if Gatluak Maguael is a Dinka, then he probably hails from Twic of Bor (sorry Twic people, I know you don't like being referred to as "Twic of Bor"). There are a few Twic of Uppernile fellows here, let them tell us if they know him.
thank you ,for Ask that question, actually event me,I was just ask myself for that name I never heared them in mading Aweil.
second, I just confuse because may be that name are in mading Aweil, because mading Aweil is a larger city in sudan and freedom state, so everyone event is not from mading Aweil HE OR HER, like to welcome is self to mading Aweil. WELCOME, MY bROTHER.
Thanks for Kuot, I forgot that Gatluak is used in Bor, now I think this person is either from Nuer or Bor. He is not from Aweil because we do not have this name in Aweil. Thanks
Thank brother wangkec for your question as pertaining this legendary person named "Gatluak Mangual". I think many authors respond to this topic with an attempt to trace the orgin of the man in question.
As Kuot Kuot mentioned it before there are some Dinka tribes that go by the name "Gatluak" special from Bor and Nuer,but with the other domain of the name "Mangual", suggested that this person has been nick-named possibily to refer to circumcised person in Nuer community and this trigger a question in the mind of some people like the author of the article that will this person be from the Aweil community because most of the Bher el Gazel people that are circumcised are from Aweil, and the fact that this person processed superhuman characterised put "Tuot" and "malual bong baar" in suspicion also but I must point it out that and any given community in this world has some myths of such cannibalistic pictures.
Therefore I must say that "Gatluak mangual" is a mysterious man who have ever single of bit of elements in the Dinka and Nuer people meaning he is man of no orgin.
From the little I know about this man I have to tell you this.'Gatluak manguel' to the dinka, is believed to be a Nuer from his name and from the fact that he came to live among the Nuers and believed to have been speaking Nuer language those days.
Among the Nuers, the story is different. All the Nuers believe that Gatluak manguel was a Dinka and in their version of their myth, they use to believe that he came from Bhar el Gazel.In its simplest way, the Nuers believe that he was from 'MALUAL GIER-NYANG'. The Nuers in their knowledge use to assoctiate mr.manguel with the MALUAL ABONG-BAAR family.Nuers also believe that the family of malual abong baar are people of Aweil (malual Giernyang).
The Nuers believe that mr.manguel relocate to Nuer land because he was not known there and would be lucky enough to exploit the inocence of those nuers. The Nuers also believe that before mr.Manguel went to Nuer land, he was known by different names but only latter changed to be called manguel to suit the locality where he lately relocate to-the Nuer land. They belive that it was a kind of mimicry! Sorry guys, I have little time for more.
The above is free from bias but what I heard. The question is still to the Nuers to prove to us why they think he was a Dinka.
Let me lately welcome you to MadingAweil Board. Iam kind of pinned down here with enormous class work and rarely get time to pop in here at the board. I hope you have good time in Aussie?
Dhor.
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"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors" Plato.
Like the rest of my colleages, I want to say that Gatluak Manguel is not from Mading Aweil. Aweil community/Dinka Malual do not bear such names. We use our forefathers' names to identity us from the rest of the communities in southern sudan. We do this even within the broader name of Dinka that encompassed many sub-tribes with different languages. So Gatluak Manguel is believed to be a Nuer. Furthermore, Aweil community accept all the people regardless of their ethnic background. So there is no point we will run away from him or reject him for whatever reason. The truth is, Gatluak Manguel is from Nuer and I have no doubt in mind that he is not from Nuer.
Lual Dau
Welcome to the board brother. This is where Aweilians and friends hang around man and it is good site for communication. Thank for your compliments pertaining the subject on the debate. You have said it all and you hit the nail on the head. I hope the author of this topic will be satisfied with your well stated comments. Once again, welcome to Mading Aweil public forum. Please inform the rest of Aweilians and friends alike about this fantastic board.
Thanks
Santino Bol Ajith
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Nothing is possible without fair distribution of power and wealth.
Thanks for the warm welcome and the kind words.I appreciate it.
To all,
Some have given conclusions saying that Gatluak maguel must have been from Bor in general or more precisely, from from Nyarweng or Hol who happen to have people called those name Galuak.One thing I have to let you know is that, those who are making their conclusion based only on the name 'GATLUAK' and suspecting him to have come from Nyarweng or Hol are telling us that they have been convinced that the man was a Dinka. Given the fact that this "man" (gatluak manguel) was a monster and human, it was very possible that he can give himself a Nuer name so that he may not be easily identified and it would not matter if he was called Aleer, Ajang, Atem, Alier, mading, Lado, lual, madut etc before could become a monster.
Instead of us saying, "He cannot be from madingaweil beacuse we don't have that name there" or " he must be from Nyarweng/Hol because they have many Gatluaks among them", we better ask the Nuers to prove to us why they think he was a Dinka or why they think he was from malual-Giernyang or why they think he must be from the family of malual Abong Baar?
still on the name issue, there was a small animal that came into being in Bor area during the times of SPLA. it must have first been noticed to exist in the south most region of Bor before it could spread out to other area.Its existence must possibly have first been noticed in those areas of Anyidi, kol-nyang, makuac etc.I am told that this small animal used to be tiny that it fears attacking the mighty human being but had to use skills inorder to be able to earn its daily bread. It is said that it used to hide and only have to time you and then position itself very well such that if you passes next to it, it just chop off your eye and start eating it while you keep running away for help.
Why did I say that story? This small animal was named by the people of Northern Bor to be called 'nyan e' Juan'.They also believed that this animal must have come from far with others theoretically tracing its origin to some areas in Equatoria. More interestingly, when we heard about this animal (further north), people use to call it 'Abuk Nyan e' Juan'. I can't tell why they were not consistent with its name! with all these stories, I am not saying that this latter canible had some characteristics of a human being but what is important though is that people tend to give a name to it in their own languages. I believe if the same Nyan juan had gone to Nuer land, it would have got another name. The same way, if Gatluak manguel had gone to Bhar el gazel say for example yirol, perhaps he would have called himself mang'aar or mabeny. By doing that, its only the yirol people that can know very well that Mang'aar/mabeny had come from far but all people from other regions will always assume that he is just from Yirol.
I hope you see the implications in relation to the name Gatluak maguel and why he must or must not be a Nuer or Dinka! Remember, even if we debate it day and night, the Nuers are likely not to convince us on why they believe the man was a Dinka and no Dinka will convince the Nuers on why the man must not be a Dinka. The name alone isn't enough to make a conclusion on. All I know is that the Nuers can't trace the origin of mr.Manguel but the fact is that, they believe that the people of malual Abong baar posses some xtics of becoming monsters at some points and they do believe that these people are from aweil hence their suspicion of mr.Manguel to have originated there.Nuers also believe that in their history, no Nuer have ever been associated with caniblistic behaviour. This is not because they lack some but simply because they say that those few family lines where such xtics are found were first dinka then latter assimilated into the Nuers.
In conclusion I have to say that whether mr.Manguel was a Dinka or a Nuer or from Aweil or from Nyarweng or Hol or from the family of malual Abong Baar or not, non of us knows where the truth is and after all its not neccessary that we know his origin.
By the way, is it not true that some Dinka can turn to becoming monsters at some points especially at old age or after death? This must be another myth if not real!
! 
