Tennet people
The Tennet people are South Sudanese. Their language is sometimes referred to as Ngaarit. Tennet traditional dances are divided into the following categories: Lalu, Nyaliliya, Loduk, and so on
The majority of the Tennets are reported to be bilingual. They speak the languages of the neighbouring communities. They are bordered by Lopit to the east and west, Pari to the northwest, Greater Pibor and Bor to the north, and Toposa and Laarim to the northeast. They have, nevertheless, maintained a strong ethnic identity and resisted absorption by neighbouring communities by conserving their culture and language. They are still using Tennet.
Location
The Tennet live in Eastern Equatoria State, in the hills north of the town Torit, in the northern part of the hills. Their main administrative area is Arilo payam of Lafon County.According to linguistic / ethnographic data, the Tennet home area comprises about 14–15 villages.
Here are the commonly listed Tennet villages: Imilwanit, Ngaalovi,Itir, Nyaaro, Leteji, Ngaanlobok, Loudum, Le̱le̱, Lovi, Tare, Lobele, Imedu, Momoi and Lovirang
The “major town/village” for the Tennet is listed as Arilo. Some sources mention a smaller subset of villages — likely reflecting migration, consolidation or different reporting periods.
The Tennet territory is roughly 65 km northeast of Torit, in the hills. On a map of Eastern Equatoria, this places them in the northern‑hills region of the state, south of Lafon County’s border.
Their neighbors include other ethnic groups and the Tennet live somewhat “on the edge”: historically, they are considered a small Surmic group in an area surrounded by Nilotic‑speaking neighbors.
Early history
The ancient history of the Tennets people is closely linked to the broader history of southern Sudan. In particular, the Tennet have an account of how they were once part of a larger group, which are now known as Murle, Didinga, and Laarim, and the other members of the Southwest Surmic language family.The ancient history linked that these members of a hunting party speared an oribi, but after cooking it, they drank the broth themselves instead of giving it to the elders according to custom. And because of that, a disagreement arose, and in the end, they separated, splitting into four smaller groups.
Tennet people experienced periods of conflict and displacement, often due to political instability and violence in the region. Despite these challenges, the Tennet have been resilient and have continued to maintain their cultural identity.
On the other hand, the ancient history of the Tennets people state that, Tennet learned iron working from the Bari people. and during Sudan's civil wars, blacksmith activity decreased.
South Sudan. The official website of South Sudan. https://www.southsudanonline.com/