By Manyok Mabiei

January 7, 2008

What is a word "Jonglei" or Jong-Kulei-Bor meant in Dinka word? In fact, most of people have differing definition about Jong-Kulei-Bor. In my definition statements of the "Jonglei or Jongkulei-Bor meant to people of Bor along the River Nile in Sudan. Well, to define on the other ways Jong-kulei meant to people of Great Bor in many ways: Jonglei meant in Dinka word is a Mabuor, but in English word is meant "Ship". It was times Mading-Bor became a “melting point of intersection” of transportation of goods between 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s for our people of Sudan. There are Great Ships running’s along River Nile as we called "Mabuor" according to Dinka-Bor word related to Arabic language. “Mabour in mid 40s was traveled along Red Sea, Kassala, Khartoum, White Nile, and Blue Nile in all ways to Upper-Nile”. Jong-Kulei was always stops in Mading-Bor Town, and up to Juba in Western-South. As the name remained as Jong-kulei or Mabuor according to Dinka-Bor dialect word related to Arabic word.

Therefore, in Dinka word Jong-Kulei is so-called Mabuor or Ship in English according to our forefathers. I was remembered, when, I was little boy in ages of "6-7" in the Cattle camp, where my grand-father and fore-fathers kept their cattle’s along the River-Nile bank so-called Akot located in Chuei-Keer/Priak in Bor-South. Jong-Kulei/Ship, it always passed along the Cattle Camp near the River Nile of Bor-South as many kids named “Mabuor Koth" in Dinka word, because most of traders inside Jong-kulei or Mabuor they always helped civilians along the River Nile. (94% of Bor citizens settled along the Nile River in Sudan).

Evenly, our fore-fathers called Mabuor same way as called in Arabic. That time there were different types of ships which traveled along the Great Nile some likely called "Sadder" small one which doesn't carries a lot of people or good. But, Jong-kulei-Mabour was a bigger one than Sadder. On the other hand, Jong-kulei-Mabuor was remarked as a greater of imports/export in Sudan. Especially, it was traveled between "Red-Sea and River Nile" as people of Bor received goods. It is every enthusiasm to people of South-Sudan as beneficiaries’ from these countries Japan or China. We all know that without “Red-Sea Port-Sudan” we should be considered as a land-lock likely rest of the countries in Africa.  Great Jong-kulei-Mabuor or ship was supplied goods along mainstream across a Red-Sea to all the way along River Nile in Sudan. That were the name remained to people of Great Bor as Jong-kulei-Bor.

All the people of Bor area got beneficiaries from that "Ship" or "Jong-kulei-Mabuor" in Dinka word it considers a great ship that carries lot of materials likely rice or beans from China or Japan to Sudan up to Bor area or Juba. Mabuor, is always stopped along the shore of "Mading-Bor Capitol of Bor", where people of Bor borrowed this kind of the (Nick-name so-called Jonglei or Jongkulei-Bor. In addition, to that, people of Bor accept the name recently as a remarkable to some of sub-communities in area. It is a way to luring other counties in the region likely: Murle, Anyuak, Ayat, Bor, Aliab-Bor, and Akobo, as one state of holding one name. It was remarked by people of Bor incase to luring the best unity among their counties, instead using same name Capital like Bor Town, while we have some communities doesn't belong to Bor. That why most of elders of Bor area accepted this kind of the name Jonglei-kulei-Bor as symbol of unification to whole region.

Above all, that where people of Bor borrowed a name so-called Jong-kulei or Mabuor in Dinka word as symbol of state. (This message is concern to people who asking what name Jong-Kulei meant to people of Bor.

Yours truly,

Manyok Mabiei

By Manyok Mabiei