Table of Contents

Introduction
Geography and Brief History of Sudan
The Changing Nilotic Frontier
Slave Raids, Wars, and Migrations
Communities of the Sobat/Nile Confluence: The Padang
Communities of the Eastern Nile: The Bor
Communities in the Southwest: The Southern Bahr el-Ghazal
Communities in the Northwest: The Northern Bahr el-Ghazal
Grain, Cattle, and Economic Power
Totemic Religion
Human Sacrifice, Virgins, and River Spirits
Priests, Politics, and Land
Ethnic Expansion by Marriage
Sovereign Nations within the Dinka
Eighteenth-Century Slavers and Traders
Nilotic Chaos: Dinka, Nuer, Atwot, and Anyuak
Politics and Stratification among Stateless Peoples
Summary and History
Legacy of the Precolonial Era

Reviews

Broad in scope, and based on rigorous research and extensive fieldwork, [Beswick's] book makes a lasting contribution to Sudanese studies and will appeal broadly to scholars of African oral history and migration.
*INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN STUDIES*

This book is full of big ideas and detailed commentary, resulting in a satisfying intellectual experience. Highly recommended.
*CHOICE*

This book is a remarkable achievement that establishes a definitive standard for all future Dinka studies, a foundation of clarity, comprehension, and creativity. It should be required reading in all government, nongovernment, and humanitarian agencies whose employees work with the Dinka.
*AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW*

Clearly an important and original contribution to the study of the history of Sudan and of Dinka history in particular.
*MODERN AFRICAN STUDIES*