NEIGHBOURHOODS 2
NYANGATOM
Neighbourhoods has a second layer of meaning in the region: the state borders drawn during the colonial era divide the Nyangatom people, making families neighbours who belong to different states. The Nyangatom inhabit territories in southwestern Ethiopia, southeastern South Sudan and the Ilemi Triangle during the dry season, when they move there with their livestock. The Ilemi Triangle is a disputed area south of the two countries that came into being after the agreement between Ethiopia and British East Africa on the demarcation of the border in 1907. The state borders are crossed by the Nyangatom in their daily lives, as they move back and forth. Smaller groups of Toposa and Murle also live on the Ethiopian side close to the border with South Sudan. In the semi-permanent settlements of the Nyangatom, individual buildings in the Toposa style can be found. Toposa from South Sudan have settled in western Ethiopia in the past decade and are influencing the way of life of the Nyangatom. The borders of the settlement areas of the Nyangatom, Toposa and Murle are changing due to state influence but also due to climate change, which is increasingly causing droughts and floods in the region.
