Dinka woman wearing a traditional corset known as “manlual”. Photograph by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher.

Dinka woman wearing a traditional corset known as “manlual”. Photograph by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher.

Although this is now a dying tradition, among the Dinka of South Sudan, both men and women used to wear colorful beaded corsets known as “manlual”. They can be worn daily, or during special occasions. Among girls and young women, these corsets indicate age, readiness for marriage, dowry price and family status, determined by the complexity, height and colors of the corsets. Yellow corsets are worn by girls who just reached puberty. Blue corsets are worn by 16 to 18 year old girls. Red corsets are worn by unmarried women older than 18 and mixed colors can be worn by girls and women of any age.  

“the height of the corset in this photograph indicates the girl’s parents require over 80 head of cattle in exchange for her hand in marriage.”