Ingessana people

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The Ingessana are an African ethnic group in Sudan who speak the Gaam language. They live around the Tabi Hills in Blue Nile State, southwest of Ad-Damazin and northwest of Kurmuk. The area’s capital is Bao, and government offices are in Soda. The population is about 132,000. Most Ingessana people today identify as Sunni Muslims, but traditional sun-worship beliefs are also noted in their culture.

Five main subgroups
- Jok Kulelek: large herds of livestock
- Jok Bulek: strong farmers
- Jok Gor: skilled weavers
- Jok Tau: iron blacksmiths
- Jok Gabanit (also called Bawoak): known for a traditional test called shada Gabanit

How they live
- The Gaahmg (Ingessana) have long protected themselves in their hill country, which has helped keep their culture from changing quickly.
- They mainly grow crops like sorghum, sesame, maize, peppers, gourds, and tobacco. They also keep cattle, goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, donkeys, mules, and camels.
- In the dry season, young men and boys drive herds up to about 100 miles to the Yabus River for water and pasture.
- They are famous for throwing knives, called koleth, in two types: Sai and Muder. Each type has distinctive blade designs featuring animals or nature motifs.

History with outsiders
- The Ingessana hills sit on a borderland and have seen many raids and tributes from neighboring kingdoms and empires.
- From the early 1800s, rulers like the Turkish-Egyptian administration, the Mahdist government, and later the Anglo-Egyptian administration demanded tributes and sometimes attacked in response to protests.
- Since the 1980s, Sudan’s push for centralization and a dominant Arab-Islamic identity clashed with the desire of some groups for more regional autonomy. In the 1980s and afterward, many Ingessana joined the southern-leaning SPLA/North movement.
- Since 2011, many Ingessana have become refugees in South Sudan due to ongoing conflict.

Today
- The Ingessana mainly do livestock keeping, farming, and crafts. Their communities have faced displacement and ongoing political tension as Sudan continues to redefine its national identity and governance.

Notes on culture
- The Gaam language is tonal, meaning pitch helps distinguish meaning in words.
- The Ingessana have a distinctive hill landscape with about 78 hills rising up to around 300 meters, offering water sources and diverse plant life even in the dry season.