Kuku people

The Kuku are a tribe from South Sudan. They inhabit the agricultural lands of Kajokeji County in Central Equatoria State. The Kuku speak a Bari dialect, also called Kuku.

They are chiefly a farming people relying on mixed farming. During the rainy season they grow substantial food crops, mainly sorghum, (also known in Sudan as dura) maize, millet, cassava, sweet potatoes, and beans (loputu). In the dry season they manage a small scale of cattle, goats and sheep herding. The Kuku are good beekeepers. They also practice collective hunting during dry season. They go hunting with arrows and bows. They meet and prepare themselves. They tell everyone about it so that there is no problem. Warn other tribes to be ready for them. They also carry nets with them. The nets are very long and they make a semicircle when the animals are inside. They close in fast sending the animal to the net. The animal gets trapped and other hunters waiting will stab the animal and it dies.

History

The Kuku people were part of a larger group known Bari-. There was a good deal of in-fighting amongst the larger group and so they decided to spread out into places where each group felt more comfortable. The Kuku was the group that decided to move south and settle. There are rainmakers who are very famous in the tribe. After the first Sudanese civil war in 1972, there was an agreement amongst south Sudanese groups, and prominent members of the Kuku joined south Sudan's leadership.