Tour and travel guide To Larim Tribe/people In Boya Hills, South Sudan Cultural Safaris
South Sudan Cultural Safari Tour: Travel to the Larim tribe/People (also called Boya as they live near the Boya Hills) of South Sudan. The TheLarim tribe/People live in permanent villages in the Boya mountains, though like the Mundari people, The Larim tribe/People also have cattle camps and can also be toured and have an exclusive tour where you can see men take the cows to graze during the dry season. The Larim tribe/People villages are quite charming, made of thatched houses, often surrounded by thick fences. The dwellings of the Larim tribe/People have a rather low front opening, and one has to crawl to get in; roofs are often decorated with shells. A thick thorn fence encircles the village area, probably for defense against attack by their nemesis, the Toposa people.
The Boya tribe (also spelled Buya; called Larim and Langorim by the Didinga people) are a Surmic ethnic group numbering 20,000 to 25,000 people living in Budi County, part of the Greater Kapoeta region of the South Sudanese state of the erstwhile Eastern Equatoria.
The language of the Boya or Larim tribe/People is the Surmic Narim language, related to that of the Didinga, Tenet, and Murle in South Sudan. The people mostly live in the south and west Boya Hills, in the Mt. Kosodek and Mt. Lobuli areas. The main town is Kimatong, at the foot of the hills. They are agro-pastoralists, cultivating sorghum, maize, and beans, but mainly involved in livestock herding, hunting game, and fishing. Over your touring days the Larim tribe/People, you will be able to develop a fantastic tribal expedition deep into these mysterious tribal areas of the Larim people.
The Larim tribe/People are one of the most beautiful and unknown tribes in South Sudan. The Larim, also known to their Toposa neighbors as Boyas split from the great Murle nation after an argument over dinner. One Murle clan had invited another clan, but the other clan was not satisfied by how little gazelle meat was in the soup. They were offended and decided to migrate west. They settled in a mountainous area with plenty of water and fertile land. Larim women practice scarification somewhat differently from other tribes. The design almost looks like Asian characters, and they do it all over their body.
The Larim people stand out from the other tribes of South Sudan for their craftsmanship. They decorate their homes with delicate details, they make spoons and gourd containers that they prepare and decorate with beads. Their traditional gazelle skin dresses are also embellished with metal pieces (obtained from old bullets) and glass and plastic beads. They are undoubtedly the great artisan tribe of South Sudan.
Visiting the Larim tribal villages in South Sudan is an interesting experience as it is primarily women and children staying in the villages, the men being away at the cattle camps. The only men in the village were the elders and a few young ones who hopefully could protect the women. Men are out with the cattle, women are in charge of everything else. They grow seasonal crops, such as sorghum, millet, and beans, raise chickens and goats, and fetch water.
Equally characteristic and significant are the beaded ornaments and identity scarifications of the Larim herdsmen, a tribe that long ago perched in the hills of Boya to escape wars and cattle theft, building houses of clay and thatch, richly decorated with as many symbolic motifs. Their economy and social life revolve around the rural market called Camp 15, where they spend their days smoking tobacco in artisanal pipes and trading goods and livestock, especially with the neighboring Didinga clans.
The Larim tribe is generally an artistic one, as there are drawings everywhere. Their spoons and plates are pyrotechnically painted. Their beads are beautifully embellished, and their houses have detailed decorations.
Larim speak Murle and are excellent architects. They pierce their nose and lips and scarify their bodies and are considered to own the most sophisticated scarifications in the whole of Africa. Larim keeps cattle and grows seasonal crops, such as sorghum, maize, and beans. Widowed women wrap vegetable cords around their legs and head.
The young women who are "ready to be married, wonderfully beautify themselves with these scars and wear chains that extend from beaded piercings in their ears to ones in their noses. It's almost like a mating ritual, that makes eligible men know they are available.
The body scarifications usually have drawings of cows, animals, and abstract and geometric shapes. Compared to other tribes, Larim women use scarification to make themselves more beautiful and not necessarily as a mark to the gods or for protection.
Society, social events, attitudes, customs, and traditions of the Larim tribe/People
The Larim are organized into agnatic exogamous lineages knit together by strong ties of community solidarity; custom and tradition have helped them survive planked by two hostile communities. The social organization of the Larim is identical to that of the Didinga in terms of marriage and dowry settlement, rituals associated with birth, naming of the child, death, and treatment of the diseased.
The Larim venerate valor, courage, and machismo in their social relations and economic activities. This is reflected in the trepidation and fright their neighbors display when the Larim come raiding for cattle. The Larim food culture and habits are similar to the Murle. Beef and game meat form the biggest part of the Larim dish. The Larim have initiation rituals for passing into adulthood, which comes at about the age of eighteen and twenty for boys and fourteen for girls.
Political Organisation and Traditional Authority of Larim tribe/People
Although they have not developed some form of state organization only that the Larim have a traditional socio-political system in which administrative power is vested in the hereditary chiefs respected by all and sunder. The Larim share the same Rain Chief as the Didinga and indeed perform rain-making rituals in common.
Spirituality, Beliefs, and Customs of Larim tribe/People
The Larim are highly religious. Their spirituality is not organised in some religions but share with other religions the existence of a supreme being who the Larim believe controls all life including the health of their cattle. They believe the spirits of the departed ones still roam around them and therefore communicate with them through prayers and offerings which they perform collectively in designated ritual places.
Arrange with Ultimate Wild Safaris for the cultural safari tour of the Larim tribe in South Sudan.
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