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Main article: Population of South Sudan
Origin. Number. Resettlement
The Toposa are part of the Karamojong people (translated as' old people can't go any further '), as are their neighbours - the Jiyye. The ancestors of Jiyeh and Topos migrated from Abyssinia (southern Ethiopia) and from Buganda (Uganda) between 1600 and 1700 AD as a single group.
Topos are settled in the state of Eastern Equatoria in the South Kapoeta district in South Sudan, as well as in Ethiopia. As of 2023, there are from 180,000 to 300,000 topos in the country according to various sources.
Language
They speak the language of topos of the Nilot group, topos is close to the language of Turkana. Arabic is also common.
Village. Type of dwelling
They live in bushes, villages exist on a permanent basis for a long time (more than 10 years). In the dry season, when the savanna dries up a lot and there are no pastures for livestock, small groups (young families, young men and women who have reached a certain age) with herds and property go to swampy places and on the banks of rivers.
An ordinary toposa village is located behind a low fence of prickly shrub and brushwood, there are many arched entrances/exits, on the outskirts there are small round cattle pens. There are no fences inside the village between the courtyards, the buildings of one family are located at the entrances inside the makeshift courtyard. The common courtyard consists of a hut, storage, and sometimes wind barriers for the hearth.
The hut for living is round in plan with a domed roof made of straw, the floor is covered with skins, a small storage on high legs for storing grain, food, household utensils and jewelry with a domed roof and an arched entrance made of straw, the hearth is located either in the center of the courtyard or inside the barrier from the wind with a hidden entrance without a roof.
Temporary households in nomadic stables consist of a light hut of branches and a cattle pen fenced with spiny scrub. Summer camps are tens of kilometers away from permanent settlements.
Appearance. Clothing, jewelry
Women wear short haircuts, less often pigtails or dreadlocks. Women's casual clothing is traditional - a hip belt made of beads and often fabric thrown over the shoulder, married women wear bandages made of goat skin or skirt made of fabric, shoes, beaded jewelry. Piercing of the lower lip, less often the upper and nose wings, is common. In adult women, the body is decorated with scar: ornaments on the face, hips, chest, abdomen, forearms, back.
Festive - hip bandages made of leather, abundantly decorated with beads, shells of Nahuli, hip skirts made of leather with an active pattern of beads and/or with metal plates. Jewelry: metal, less often bone bracelets on the hands, bracelets made of beads on the forearms, necklaces made of beads, earrings, headband made of beads with a top in the form of a box or bud, necklaces with jewelry moving to the back. A feature of married women of the tribe is the piercing of the lower lip (closer to the chin), a labretka with a large metal ring is used as a decoration.
Men's everyday clothes - shorts and trousers, berets and panams of khaki color, rarely loincloth bandages made of fabric, shoes, rubber boots. Earrings, plastic bracelets on the forearms are rare as jewelry.
Festive - mostly casual with the addition of jewelry. Sometimes they decorate the head with feathers, apply ash to the body and face, dress necklaces made of beads and stones.
Young children usually walk without clothes and barefoot, girls in short skirts, often jewelry around the neck, rarely children are scarred in the glabellar area, on the forehead or in the corners of the eyes, there is a piercing of the lower lip.
Main classes
The main activities of men: protection, breeding and grazing of livestock (cattle of the Zebu breed, sheep and goats), gathering, fishing, less often hunting, gold mining. Topos nomadic pastoralists, slaughter cattle only during rituals. Goats and sheep are kept as a source of meat and for exchange, and cattle for nutrition in the form of milk and blood.
The main activity of women in the village: raising children, building huts and fences, water extraction, gathering, making skins, cooking, weaving jewelry.
Stones and
stone tools are actively used, knives and metal tips are found.
They eat milk and dairy products, process milk - the manufacture of soft cheese (like cottage cheese) and butter. Cereals are eaten, grains are ground to obtain cereals for porridge and flour. Wild fruits, nuts and berries are harvested. Sorghum is grown.
For cooking, vessels from dried pumpkin, metal pots are used, plastic containers for carrying and storing water are found.
Organization of the company
Children walk in small groups throughout the day, usually older children wear on their backs or are next to babies. School-age children go to school, many children know the English alphabet well.
Ceremonies
Initiation is practiced in both girls and boys.
Girls during the first menstruation go into the forest, where for the first time they scar in the shoulder area.
Boys at the age of 13-14 leave for the first time with men to graze cattle.
Traditional dance: men and women dance separately, women's dance consists of low jumps with the movement of the pelvis forward, during the dance the whole group sings. A dance of men with an imitation of a spear attack, ashes are applied to the body and face. Climax: 2-3 men and a woman appear in the center of the circle, who dance more actively than the rest of the participants who create the rhythm.
Polygamy is common, in fact, any man with a large number of livestock has this opportunity.
The age of marriage is 11-15 years. Depending on the status and size of the girl's family, the groom must give a certain number of cows (from 15 heads). You can give cows both immediately and during the agreed period of time.
On the wedding rite day, the men and girls are divided into groups. Men and some adult women consume a local alcoholic beverage (most likely beer), dance and involve the groom in the dance. The groom decorates his head with long feathers and dresses a necklace. The bride is first symbolically hidden, then the dance of young girls begins - they become in a circle, dance and sing, their dance symbolizes the girl's readiness for marriage. The bride walks with her head covered in cloth. After the dances, a rite of consent of the bride's parents takes place, a bull is slaughtered in the evening and a treat is prepared for all participants.
Beliefs. Folklore, traditions, myths
All topos people believe in the existence of a supreme being and spirits of departed ancestors.
The tribe is actively involved in Catholicism. Many wear a cross or an image of the Virgin Mary around their necks. In the evening, small groups gather for services outside the village by the fire.
Topos have been mining gold by washing for a long time. They believe in the existence of supernatural forces and demons guarding areas where minerals are common, and they are always "purified" by sacrificing a goat. On a good day, the miner can wash 6 g of gold, earn $270 and buy a cow.
Most decisions are made at meetings of men, which usually take place in the evening before sunset.
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