The Chief's Court

There's a magnificent mahogany tree located near where we're doing the dental training. That's it in the photo above. It towers over everything else around it and is a landmark not only because of its size but because the head chief for the Wanyjok area (which includes our village) holds a traditional Dinka court under it.

 The chief, assisted by local elders, judges civil disputes. Particularly common are quarrels over cows, which are the most valued possession among the Dinka. The judges sit in a semi-circle and opposite them the quarreling parties sit on the ground. Anybody can come by and listen to the proceedings. My teammate James went to the court a few months ago and wrote an entertaining blog post about it.