The Cowboys of Yirol

Words by Carly Learson

In southern Sudan, cows are the meaning of life. Their herders are Dinka tribesmen—seven-foot-tall and stick-thin, wearing brightly colored nightdresses, accessories fashioned out of car parts, and earrings. Their primary food groups are cow’s blood and milk, and they look after their herds with one purpose: to attract a suitable wife. Only suitors with 1,000 cows or more can hope to marry the most beautiful and fertile women in the region. When it’s trading time they descend on Yirol, a town near the center of their domain. They stroll the main street hand in hand, peruse the new fabrics on display, flirt with ladies, and hold deep conversations that, in all likelihood, are in some way related to cattle.