SARA

cluster of peoples living on the fringe of the southern Sudan, especially in the northwestern regions of the Central African Republic and the south-central area surrounding Sarh, south of Lake Chad in Chad. They include the Gula, Kara, Kreish, Nduka, Ngama, and Sara proper. The Sara peoples all speak Central Sudanic languages of the Chari-Nile branch of the Nilo-Saharan family, and their material culture shows evidence of Sudanic influence. Subsistence is primarily through hoe cultivation; taro, yams, and sweet potatoes are the main staples. Cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens are raised, as well as small horses. Headmen aided by bodies of elders normally superintend autonomous village communities, each of which is composed of a separate exogamous clan. Polygyny is practiced. Initiation of the young occurs every seven years for a duration of two months. For boys this is a period of hardship and painful scarification; those who refuse to submit are believed to offend their ancestors and are killed with a spike thrust through the head.