How The Shading Tree (Tim Atiep) got its name

Trees, bull names and people

The name of the Association, The Shading Tree or Tim Atiep comes from two sources. Sudan is a hot country and much business and local affairs are conducted in the shade of a large spreading fig or mango tree. These trees are often the focal point of a village or community and one will always find something going on there. The local court may be in session discussing the case of a stolen cow, or a woman may be sitting there with her pot of milk or honey beer for sale by the gourdful. There may be a group of children being given lessons and using the dusty ground as a copybook. Or someone may be stretched out having a snooze after a long walk from the next village. These trees therefore, are an important part of the community's life, providing cool shade and a place where the people, men, women and children can gather and discuss matters of importance. The name, The Shading Tree, is also a literal translation of the Dinka name, Tim Atiep given to the last British District Commissioner in the area in whose memory the Association is established. He spent much of the last 46 years of his life campaigning for a peaceful resolution to the problems which have beset Sudan since independence.

The name Tim Atiep is derived from a bull-name, Macar, meaning a black bull. All Dinka men have a bull-name as well as a given name and it is a very important part of his identity. Sometimes a nickname is coined, according to a persons bull-name and, perhaps, his occupation or character. The work of a District Commissioner required a lot of travel, often on foot or on horseback, and more often than not his work was conducted under a large shady tree. The shade of a tree is black, like Macar, the bull.

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