Southern Sudan II

Curse of the AK-47, March 2006

Mundari warriors, a tribe of nomadic cattle herders perform the daily dawn-to-dusk journey, from their open-air camps to pasture and back again with their cows; a journey unchanged for millennia across the red soil and scrub of their homeland in the vast expanses of southern Sudan. Unchanged, that is, except for one item. Strung across the shoulders of each cow keeper is what the Mundari call a “Perik”.

This is a weathered and worn AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle and it gets its Mundari name from the sound it makes when it looses off its lethal rounds at a rate of four bullets per second. It is a sound that has become all too familiar to the Mundari. Until a fragile peace was declared, the region was the battlefield for a 23-year civil war, which claimed two million lives. One of the herdsmen, Malual, said: “We need the Perik to protect our cows. We used to have spears and axes. But our lives have been changed by war – you must have a gun or else you will be robbed of your animals and killed like a dog. We have no choice. We must carry them.”

A Mundari Cattle herder with his young son in a cattle camp in South Sudan, with his AK 47 on his shoulder.
A woman with her young family in a cattle camp, South Sudan. Her husband has gone to defend the tribes grazing land against the rival Dinka Tribe.
A young Mundari girl stands in the middle of a cattle camp in the early morning light.
A Mundari Cattle herder rubs one of his cows with ash to protect its skin from the sun. Children from an early age are given responsibility for looking after their families cattle, and after an initiation ceremony when they reach puberty are given the name of the colour of one of their cows.
A Mundari Cattle herder watches over his cows in a cattle camp with a rifle strapped to his back.
A Mundari Cattle herder watches over his cows in a cattle camp outside of Juba with a traditional spear for a weapon. Most cattle herders now have replaced their spears with guns.
A young Mundari boy leans on his spear in a cattle camp outside of Juba. Children from an early age are given responsibility for looking after their families cattle and will initially guard them using traditional weapons like spears and arrows before buying guns when they are older.
A Mundari Cattle herder watches over his cows in a cattle camp. Mundari cattle herders are warriors, and will do anything to protect their cattle and grazing land from attack. Previously bows and arrows were used to protect cattle but since the 22 year civil war ended small arms are prolific and most cattle owners now posses guns to protect their cows from being stolen. This proliferation of weapons is leading to a rise in tribal conflicts and there is no control in the region over their sale or use.
Jewellery worn by Mundari tribesman was traditionally made from ivory and bones. Now it is crafted from melted down bullets shells.
A young mundari boy tends to his calves in a cattle camp outside of Juba, Southern Sudan. Children from an early age are given responsibility for looking after their families cattle, and after an initiation ceremony when they reach puberty are given the name of the colour of one of their cows.
Young Mundari boys tend their calves in a cattle camp outside of Juba, Southern Sudan. Children from an early age are given responsibility for looking after their families cattle, and after an initiation ceremony when they reach puberty are given the name of the colour of one of their cows.
A young Mundari girl carries mangoes back to the cattle camp where she lives.
A woman sits with her young family in a cattle camp, South Sudan. Her husband has gone to defend the tribes grazing land against the rival Dinka Tribe.
A woman breast-feeds her twins in a cattle camp, South Sudan. Her skin, and that of her babies is covered in a mixture of cow fat and ash to protect them from the heat of the sun.
A widow and her two children watch rain approaching over their cattle camp near Juba; Southern Sudan.

A Mundari Cattle herder with his young son in a cattle camp in South Sudan. Kate Holt.

A woman with her young family in a cattle camp, South Sudan. Kate Holt.

A young Mundari girl stands in the middle of a cattle camp in the early morning light. Kate Holt.

A Mundari Cattle herder rubs one of his cows with ash to protect its skin from the sun. Kate Holt.

A Mundari Cattle herder watches over his cows in a cattle camp with a rifle strapped to his back. Kate Holt.

A Mundari Cattle herder watches over his cows in a cattle camp outside of Juba. Kate Holt.

A young Mundari boy leans on his spear in a cattle camp outside of Juba. Kate Holt.

A Mundari Cattle herder watches over his cows in a cattle camp. Kate Holt.

Jewellery worn by Mundari tribesman was traditionally made from ivory and bones. Kate Holt.

A young mundari boy tends to his calves in a cattle camp outside of Juba, Southern Sudan. Kate Holt.

Young Mundari boys tend their calves in a cattle camp outside of Juba, Southern Sudan. Kate Holt.

A young Mundari girl carries mangoes back to the cattle camp where she lives. Kate Holt.

A woman sits with her young family in a cattle camp, South Sudan. Kate Holt.

A woman breast-feeds her twins in a cattle camp, South Sudan. Kate Holt.

A widow and her two children watch rain approaching over their cattle camp near Juba; Southern Sudan. Kate Holt.