07/12/2024
When we were young and growing up in the village, we had a different way of getting treated, including psychological treatment.
By Ngor Arol Garang
When it fails, herbal medicines, mostly leaves, root and other parts of the trees were looked for, mixed and given as medicines for treatment. In a few hours or day , the sickness goes away. One of the psychological treatments was that, an elder, having heard a child of so and so is unwell, would show up at home, ask for water and the child to stand before him or her. While standing, the elder would lay hands on the forehead, touching gently, spitting and pouring blessing water by way of sprinkling. This elder would then say, Jok loor Malual. Jok is broadly interpreted, depending on the context. It can be in the context of malaria sickness, headache or other unfortunate strikes causing discomfort and paralysing human activities. People would then wish it to go away, far from returning. And elders would prefer it goes far to Malual and Malual for us was where the sun sets down and it sets down in the West. In my village, anyone coming from the direction of the west was from Malual or Tueng. We did not know where the west starts and ends. People in my village used to think Malual starts from Abiem west comprising Yargot and Mangok going further. In Abiem west, Malual would start after Korok and going further. Now, if someone from Aweil west and Gok Machar comes to my village and says he is from Malual, nobody would deny it. In many historical books and oral narratives, including the doctoral thesis of Damazo Dut Majak Kojok, Aweil west and North are depicted as the Malual. Taking these narratives as the basis, one would see Aweil north forming part of Malual Buoth Anyar together with Aweil west. But this is when internal organisation is necessary. Outside Aweil, Malual Buoth Anyar starts from Abiem because it's about displacements and settlements. In this context, and if there are people wanting to organise themselves, they should not be vilified and they should not also be discriminatory, unless the intention is to divide and tear. In the release that has been widely shared , carrying the names of George Aguer, it shows where it reads Aweil west and then Malual Buoth Anyar, suggesting a limit to Aweil West and suggesting there can be another interpretation and naming, especially Aweil north if they want. Logically, North and west are not just geographical locations or identification but are people living in adjacent villages, going to the same fishing spots, play and dancing grounds, markets and schools to separate. That they are separate counties should not cause a friction. It was meant for administrative purposes to ease how to control and manage social affairs. This is clear.
