Sudan is called 'little Africa', not only because of its geographical location but also due to the large number of different peoples inhabiting it. Even the northern part of the country, apparently homogenous with respect to ethnicity, and unified by Islam and Arab culture, is a place where a variety of tribes have lived together for ages. The article presents material from field research conducted by the author in North Sudan in 2003 and 2004. Nubians, the native population of this corner of the Nile Valley, have come under strong Arab influence which has absorbed both their culture and their language. In the villages under investigation, relics of Nubian culture can now be found only in folklore customs, especially those connected with crucial moments in human life, mostly related to women. The majority of the inhabitants of this part of the Nile Valley belong to Arab tribes, with two major groups, Djaaliin and Djuhaina. The two groups differ significantly in their way of life. Arab Djaliin are farmers who are settled the Nile Valley for good, while Arab Djuhaina are predominantly nomad herdsmen. In mutual relations between the two tribes there are many negative stereotypes and much antagonism, even more so because of the immigration of other minorities, traditionally of a lower and marginalized status, into the Nile Valley, such as Gipsies, Copts (Egyptian Christians) and the so-called Fellata (descendants of former slaves).
The article addresses the life cycle of a contemporary north Sudanese peasant. The author, based on his own experience and interviews, describes the achievements of the local folklore, showing it against the background of the most important events in human life, such as birth and circumcision. The article provides a description and explanation of basic rituals and beliefs of the inhabitants of the Central Nile Valley, both in the broader context of culture and religion of the Muslim world and in the narrow context of Sudan. The author does not restrict himself to the sphere of rituals; he provides insight into the processes of upbringing. The article also describes the changes taking place in the cultural reality of northern Sudan, which is under the influence of extreme Islamic ideology and the processes of westernization or globalization. As the problems addressed in the article are very extensive, the author has focused on childhood and adolescence.
Islam categorises reality into two clearly separated spheres; lay and sacred. This division determines nearly every sphere of the Muslim's life. Because of the importance of this division, sanctified by religion and custom, borderline places, which both link and separate both worlds, become particularly important. The author discusses the problem of border as one of the most basic issues of the culture. He analyses it in the context of the rural environment of Northern Sudan, which he learnt during his two study trips. In Northern Sudan it is the Nile that serves as the physical and symbolic border area. It is most strongly associated with the experience of border and sacrum. Because of this, it is a model of the conceptualisation of all kinds of places or events, which give the impression of border crossing. The phenomena described in the article, although strongly connected with the North Sudanese context, are basically common to the other areas of the Middle East. Simply, because they are integrally linked to Islam.
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