The Tennet people are an ethnic group in South Sudan. Their language is also called Tennet. They speak Tennet. Their neighbours, the Lopit as well as the Lotuho, refer to them as Irenge, the name they called to Buya also. Tennet had adopted the culture of Lopit but they have their own traditional dances such as Lalu, Nyaliliya, Loduk and etc. Tennet people are multilingual, they can also speak Lopit, Lotuho, and Toposa. But they have maintained a strong ethnic identity, and among themselves, they continue to speak Tennet.
Location
The Tennet home area consists of ten villages in north of Torit in Eastern Equatoria state. Nine of the villages are entirely Tennet, but the fifth is partly Tennet and part Lopit. In 1994, the Tennet population was estimated at about 4,000 people.
Early history
The Tennet have an account of how they were once part of a larger group, which also included what are now Murle, Didinga, and Boya, the other members of the Southwest Surmiclanguage family. Members of a hunting party speared an oribi, but after cooking it, they drank the broth themselves instead of giving it to the elders according to custom. A disagreement arose, and in the end, they separated, splitting into four smaller groups. The other three groups have similar stories. Some estimates place this event in the early nineteenth century. The Tennet learned iron-working from the Bari people. However, during Sudan's civil wars, blacksmith activity decreased.
The Tennet people practice swidden agriculture. They grow sorghum mostly on the plains below the villages, but they also cultivate fields on the mountainsides. They raise cattle, which are the main measure of wealth and are used for bride wealth, and they also hunt, fish, and raise goats and sheep. However, they are primarily dependent on sorghum, and drought can cause severe food shortages.
Governance
The Tennet communities are governed by the ruling age set, called the Machigi Looch,. The Members of the Machigi Looch are young men who are old enough to participate in warfare. They make decisions, but they are also held accountable by the retired Machigi Looch, the elders. A new group of Machigi Looch is initiated about every twelve years.
Music
Tennet music is pentatonic which is "Rugumon". Carved flutes are common around the villages, and drums are used during dances.
