The South Sudanese tukuls are built according to traditional architecture. The Moru have a lot of knowledge about the construction of tukuls and in particular they know better than anyone how to make the grass roofs watertight.
The South Sudanese tukuls (mud huts) are built according to traditional architecture. The Moru have a lot of knowledge about the construction of tukuls and in particular they know better than anyone how to make the grass roofs watertight. The materials needed to build a tukul are relatively easy to obtain. Sticks, loam, and grass. All materials are 100% natural. If a grass hut expires, there are no environmentally harmful materials left over.
Tukuls are built with mud, supplemented with stones, grass and cow excrement. A new mud hut will last 1-2 years, depending on the amount of rain and erosion. The huts were built so that they could be loosely grouped around open spaces to provide ventilation and cooling.
A family in South Sudan often consists of a man with several wives and many children. This is especially true in areas where many men did not survive the wars. They are generally blended families whose children have partly come over from other relationships or other families in the family.
A tukul in South Sudan is not a single family home. A home for a South Sudanese family consists of several tukuls. These tukuls are usually in a group or in a circle. One tukul is for parents, the other for children. A tukul can also have a special destination. It can be a kitchen, but also a library or shed for the motorbike.
For the Moru who own their own piece of land, it is often land that has been in the hands of the family for decades. The family graves are always located near the center of the home. There are different types of graves. Sometimes a stone stands upright and sometimes it is a kind of dolmen. Nowadays, complete tomb monuments are also built of stone and concrete.
South Sudanese are used to the fact that possessions can be lost quickly. Houses are therefore almost always built in the traditional way. In the larger cities, however, you increasingly see houses with straight walls and corrugated iron roofs. There are also many buildings built by missionaries or auxiliary organizations. In Lui there are many buildings from 1920-1940, the period that Rev. Fraser initiated the development in Lui.
We hope that the housing of the Moru people will soon improve. But the traditional handicrafts always look great. As far as we are concerned, it would be nice if this could continue to be used in modern times.
