Donga fight
The donga fight is a ritual of the Surma people in Ethiopia and in neighboring South Sudan .
Rules and meaning
The donga fight serves on the one hand as a sport and ritual of manliness , on the other hand it is also used to fight serious conflicts. In a donga fight, the sensitive parts of the body are wrapped in grass or, today, in all kinds of helmets and shooters made from civilization waste, but mostly the hands and elbows are protected by narrow shields made of plaited grass.
With a two to three meter long stick, the combatants try to inflict bloody hits on the opponent on the head or legs or to force him to surrender using levers. An opponent who is on the ground may no longer be hit. If the reason for the fight is of a sporting nature and not a quarrel, man for man face each other in a duel until at the end only the two best fight for victory among themselves. Often up to 50 men take part in the duels . Newcomers who drop out at the beginning are still recognized as brave warriors within their people.
A referee and the assembled community of men watch over the fact that a fight does not end fatally . Harsh punishments await a man who kills his opponent. The punishment entails the loss of all his property and the banishment of the surviving opponent and his entire family. Death sometimes occurs, but fractures and loss of body parts such as eyes and fingers are more common.
backgrounds
The ritual of the Donga fight has two practical backgrounds: on the one hand, young men can let their aggressions run free without endangering the vital group peace; on the other hand, the fight is used for courtship . Donga fights are especially common in months after the harvest , when food is abundant and not much work to do. Often two village communities meet and fight against each other. The whole village takes part in the preparations for a donga fight. The young men train days in advance and incite each other to be ready to fight.
The women - especially the young ones - dress up and adorn themselves, because the donga fight is used explicitly for young people to flirt , one reason why young men are encouraged to perform at their best. Before the fight, the men mix the wood of a tree with river water and drink it until they vomit . This is to cleanse the body of the Geso (a thick, alcoholic corn drink) that is consumed in large quantities during the preparations. Then animal blood is drunk and the whole village sets off until it meets the people of the other village at the agreed meeting point, mostly on a grassy plain. The young to middle-aged men form a large circle inside of which sometimes up to ten opponents fight against each other at the same time, while they are cheered on by the others.
For the married women, a donga fight is an opportunity to meet women from other villages, exchange news and sell Geso. The younger ones try to choose a future husband from among the fighters. The choice of her future husband is determined by a Surma woman herself. When men courting their favor in the Donga fights, their show of hands decides whether the victor will be their bridegroom or whether another contender should fight for them.
