146 The Ban, Tribe.

Baris.

Mongalla.

Rain*.

ordinary individual. These priests are believed to have supernatural powers of conversing with those who are di«d and have become the children of Deng-Dit.

This communion with the dead is held on the occasion of a ceremony to commemorate the deceased or sometimes in cases of serious illness.

Mr. R. Tiirstig gives the following interesting description of these ceremonies : — " It was the memorial day for a deceased wife of sheikh Bor. At about 7 a.m. he and some of his people went to the tukl, which had belonged to her, and sat down in front of the doorway ; on the other side near the ' Gu ' cr granary sat the deceased wife's * locum tenens ' as well as other wives. In the open space between them the Tieit or priest sat on his cow-hide mat. Close by was a tree from which the branches had been shorn, and to which a large number of cow-horns had been affixed — said by sheikh Bor to be a very old erection — and to the bottom of the tree a live goat was fastened.

"Sheikh Bor and his people then commenced to question the priest on many points with regard to which they desired the opinion of the deceased wife ; the priest meanwhile sat with legs crossed supporting his head with one hand, whilst with the other he continued to rattle a bottle-shaped-gourd half- full of lubia beans. After much shaking and rattling he proceeded, having first directly addressed the deceased and having made a suitable pause to enable her to reply, to give a detailed answer on each question in a deep guttural tone, his eyes meanwhile being rigidly fixed on the ground, his voice (similar to a ventriloquist) sounding as though it were not his own.

" Though I was unable to understand much that was being said, one, at least, of the questions and answers referred to the approaching visit of the Mudir.

" Having obtained all the information required, sheikh Bor rose, the priest remaining seated, seized the sheep, threw it down, and then slowly and solemnly cut the throat of the animal with a lance, remaining himself the while in an upright position. The blood having spurted out, the ceremony was over, and the old sheikh said ' Now let us go to your house.'

" On another occasion a somewhat similar ceremony took place in connection with a sick man. The same priest officiated, but there were more people, and it lasted from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. A good deal of dancing was performed by women who were decked in fantastic fashion with ostrich feathers, etc. One woman carried a gourd full of liquid butter, with which she anointed in most liberal fashion the necks of those present as well as the entire body of the bull which was subsequently sacrificed. The priest invariably receives the ribs of the animal as his portion, but in this case no one partook of any of the flesh until 5 a.m. the following morning. On the whole, the Dinkas did not strike me as a particularly superstitious race."

Vide also Chap. VII, p. 162, and compare with Shilluk religion. Chap. VIII. On the right bank, 20 miles south of Bor, the Baris begin and extend to Gondokoro and south. The Sudan Baris appear to be a poor race both materially and mentally. At present they are neither willing to work to increase their cultivation, nor to act as porters. In the days of Baker they were a warlike race, rich in cattle — this spirit and property seem to have vanished under Dervish rule. They appear physically stronger and better built than the Dinkas. Like them they do not appear to inhabit the country more than 20 miles inland. Their inland villages have no wells, but each house has usually five pits dug round it for collecting rainwater. The Baris cultivate dura, simsim, telabun and tobacco. During the last few years their crops have suffered much from drought and floods alternately.

Beads are of little use as trade goods. Brass wire, hoes, iron, and tarbushes, as well as native cotton-cloth (damur) are all acceptable.

The men as a rule carry a long narrow-bladed spear, and go about stark naked. The women wear a leather fringe roimd the loins, with a tanned skin hanging down behind. The unmarried girls are content with the fringe only.

The women carry their babies on their backs, in skin bags, which can be detached and hung on a cross stick to form a cradle.

The principal Sheikhs of the Bari living on the right bank and working south are Kula, Wungo, Lefo Abu Kuka, Legi Lefo, Lado, and Lowala, and on the left bank Mudi, Wani, and Lado Kanga. They have apparently no tribal organization, and the Sheikhs have very little authority.

Mongalla is the southernmost post of the Sudan Government on the White Nile. It was moved here from Kiro, on the left bank, in April, 1901. It is the residence of a British Inspector and Police Officer; there is also a detachment of two companies under a British officer furnished from the Sudanese battalion at Taufikia. There are here Government offices, barracks, hospital, and residences of officials built of brick. A gunboat is always stationed here. Mongalla is on the right bank, 23 miles north of Gondokoro, and 13 and 12 miles from the Belgian stations, Lado and Kiro respectively.

The rainy season in this district is spread over the period from the end of February to November, but during