The Dinka are a tribe that live in southern Sudan, primarily around the swamps of the Nile basin. They are closely related to the Nuer tribe, who also live in the same area. The Dinka are primarily pastoralists and subsistence farmers; they grow and harvest their food crops in keeping with the rain patterns and move their herds around based on the seasons. Benson accordingly describes how life follows the harvest season in Dinka land: Most of the boys’ time before the war was taken up by herding their animals.

The history of ethno-religious conflict in Sudan directly affected the Dinka and Nuer tribes. Traditionally, the Dinka and the Nuer have both practiced animist religions. The Dinka religion features numerous ancestral spirits, and God (Nhail) is an important part of their daily lives. The Nuer pray to a spirit associated with the sky with numerous representations and symbolizations in material forms, usually related to nature. Both of these southern tribes opposed the Khartoum-based government’s attempt to convert the entirety of Sudan to Islam. In 1983, when Sharia law was imposed throughout the country, these southern tribes rebelled, resulting in the Second Sudanese Civil War (See: Background). The war created the Lost Boys of Sudan, the tens of thousands of Dinka boys who were displaced from their homes.