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SINYAR 693
Masalit Native Administration, and in 1954 he was succeeded by his son. Over
the years many Chadian Sinyar have settled on Sudanese soil because of better
economic opportunities and the progressive breakdown of services and security
in Chad.
In the course of time during which the Sinyar constituted a semi-autonomous
buffer state of the Keira sultanate of Dar Fur, they culturally became Fur with
admixtures of Daju, Masalit and above all Arab cultures. Today the Sinyar have
no kinship terms, songs, dances and stories, or musical instruments such as a
special type of drum, other than those adopted from the Fur. Most Sinyar are
fluent in Sinyar, Fur and Arabic; quite a few know Daju or Masalit as well.
Thus in contrast to the Fongoro, who have also become Fur culturally, the Sinyar
have preserved their language.
Today the Sinyar live in two countries and are administered by four different
provincial administrations, or rather by two in Sudan and by various rebel groups
in Chad. Internally they are segmented into 18 different sections, of which 8
appear to be headed by a land chief, custodian of the land and the drum which
symbolizes his offices, which is used sparingly in case of sad and festive occasions
and cattle raids. As in surrounding ethnic groups, the land chief is the custodian
of the section's land, which he allocates to members and guests. However, among
groups such as the Masalit the land chief is also head of the diya (blood moneypaying
community). Owing to their small size, the Sinyar collectively contribute
towards the payment of blood money (compensation which relatives of a murderer
pay to relatives of the victim).
Matrilineality was once a dominant factor in Sinyar culture, evident today in
kinship terms whereby the word for father is the same as that for maternal uncle.
Women have significant roles of their own. The compounds often belong to the
wives, and husbands move out when they divorce their wives. Wives may be
economically independent of their husbands. There is considerable marriage
instability, divorce is frequent and fostering of children is common.
More than other groups the Sinyar live and work as extended families encompassing
three or four generations and frequently numbering as many as 60 people
(apart from those absent as a result of labor migration). In such residence units
women frequently outnumber men two to one.
The Sinyar are Muslims, and apart from a few surviving elders who were
Ansar (followers of the Mahdi) in the past, they are little inclined to either
fanaticism or asceticism. Politically they are indifferent to candidates from the
ranks of the traditional rulers and aspirants from the trading and professional
strata and will vote for the most generous candidate, entertaining no illusions
about electoral promises ever becoming reality.
In 1925, Grossard described the Sinyar and their habitat in terms invoking
untempered bliss and contentment: "Living in a fertile country in which the
resources of hunting and fishing contribute to those of cultivation, the Sinyar
are kind epicureans, fond of music, dance and even more of millet beer." Today,
more than half a century later this picture is still largely true, most of all because