Kambala dancer traditionally wears Buffalo horns which are tied to his head with a long white turban and on the top of each horn is attached a colourful piece of cloth, and sometimes he wears a nickel or beads on his neck put by either his sister or his mother.
The Nubian mountains are a kind of natural fortresses. For centuries they granted refuge to different African tribes that were on the run to avoid slave hunters. Primeval Africa - and perhaps also genuine human sensitivity - has survived in these remote valleys.
The Nubas have never established states, built monuments, made machines nor they have flown to the Moon. They have had no tyrants to obey. Instead, they have listened to the village elders that have taken care of their health, fertility and coexistence. They did not even dare to change anything in their architectural design of tukuls, rounded and womblike huts for fear of offending anyone or anything and in order for everything to remain as it was and in perfect equilibrium with everything that exists.
The Nubas have evidently been far more attracted to innocence and purity than to Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek or Roman enterprise. Even today they do not have any urge to reach for the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
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The majority of the Nuba--those living in the east, west and northern parts of the mountains--are Muslims, while those living to the south are either Christians or practice traditional animistic religions. In those areas of the Nuba mountains where Islam has not deeply penetrated, ritual specialists and priests hold as much control as the clan elders, for it is they who are responsible for rain control, keeping the peace, and rituals to insure successful crops. Many are guardians of the shrines where items are kept to insure positive outcomes of the rituals (such as rain stones for the rain magic), and some also undergo spiritual possession.
Because of their unique culture and overall poor job at conformity, both the Muslim and Christian Nubas face the most fierce persecution found in Sudan. On the other hand, those Nuba who are Christians are most likely the strongest believers in Sudan, and the Christian leaders are the boldest to be found in the country. At the same time, however, Nuba Muslims are probably the least accessible people, not only in Sudan but in all of Africa Once they are reached with the Gospel, however, they are very open to receiving and accepting it.
Their main motto has always been: whatever you do, do it as beautifully as you can. But before deciding to do it, first ask yourself what will it bring to the people, animals and even vegetables and waters and to the whole environment
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