226 



THE CULT OF NYAKANG AND THE DIVINE KINGS OF THE SHILLUK 



Ceremonies 

 performed at 

 the kengo 

 Nvakang 



Nyakang which his spirit is thought to inhabit. It is (listitiguisliod by a number of 

 paintings, very roughly executed on its outer wall. Eectangular black areas relieved 

 with white spots are not uncommon on shrines, but this is the only one I have seen 

 whose walls were extensively decorated, or wliich liad on it drawings that could be 

 recognised as representing animals. For this reason two photographs of this painting 

 are reproduced in Figs. 55 and 56. I could not learn that the designs had any special 

 significance, and considering the exposed position of the painting and the reasonably candid 

 manner in which my questions concerning the sacred interior of the shrine were answered, 

 I am inclined to believe that my informants were speaking the truth when they told me 

 that the designs referred to nothing sacred and had no significance in the cult of Nyakang. 

 Accounts differ as to whether his spirit is always in this hut or not ; the most general and 

 authoritative opinion appears to be that the spirit is always there. Before the door of this 

 tuM are a number of elephant tusks, the broad ends of which are thrust into the ground 

 (Fig. 57); within the tukl there are skins on the floor as if for Nyakang to rest upon.' 

 Some of the "spears of Nyakang" appear to be kept in this tuM, and there is an 

 extremely sacred stool in this shrine which, I believe, is also kept there, though it may 

 perhaps be preserved with some of the sacred spears and a number of elephant tusks 

 in the house without the ostrich egg and spear ornament on its roof, seen in the back- 

 ground of the photograph, Fig. 54. The tiiM on the right in the foreground is used by the 

 guardians of the shrine, and one of the houses at the back of this is a store house for 

 threshing the dura brought to the shrine when the crops are cut. 



One reason given by Fenikang men for the extreme sanctity of their shrine was that 

 Nyakang actually founded their village and lived there for some time, and the name itself is 

 but a corruption of fa Nijakaiui " the place of Nyakang." 



Two most important annual ceremonies are performed at the shrines of Nyakang : — 



(i) The rain-making ceremony held before the rains at the beginning of the month 

 alahor.'- 



(ii) The harvest festival held when the dura is cut ; /.«'. about the end of the rains. 



Besides these there is a ceremony which takes place shortly after the accession of 

 a new king, and sick folk may, and often do, send animals to be sacrificed at the kenyo 

 Nyakang. 



The following very brief outlines of these ceremonies may be useful to future 

 enquirers : — 



The Bain Geremonij. A cow and a bullock are given to Nyakang, the latter being killed, 

 while the former is added to the herd belonging to the shrine. Both should be given 

 by the king who takes part in the ceremony at the Fashoda shrine. The bullock is slain by 

 one of the guardians of the shrine (har'it hseng Nyakang) before the door of the shrine 

 enclosure with one of the sacred spears, the king standing near the beast shouting 

 his prayer for rain to Nyakang and holding a spear pointing upwards in front of him. 

 As much blood as possible is collected in a gourd and thrown into the river, and the same 

 is done with the bones after the meat has been eaten by all the har'it hasng Nyakang, 

 the skin of the beast being made into a mat for the tukl devoted to Nyakang. Much of the 

 dura preserved in the shrine since the beginning of the last harvest is used in making 

 the merigsa which is drunk at this ceremony. My Fenikang informants told me that the 



^ It is difficult to indicate the strong feeling of the real presence of Nyakang which I am convinced my 

 informants had without lieing unduly anthropomorphic. In spite of the objects kept in this shrine and tit only 

 for the use of a creature with a human liody, to the priests of the shrine, Nyakang, although the founder of 

 their nation, is now a purely spiritual lieiug. 



- The Shilluk calendar is lunar, hence this ceremony takes place about the time of a new moon. 



