In 1986 tens of thousands of young boys with a traditional upbringing in the Dinka tribe escaped from the terror of civil war in southern Sudan into refuge in EthiopiIn 1991 they were forced to move on, this time through southern Sudan into northern KenyIn this article we present some experiences gained from relief work with this group during 1986-1994. We will summarize earlier reports and present findings from an interview study made in 1994, with the aim of contrasting the Western medical model of traumatic stress with the particular political and cultural context of the Dinkas of southern Sudan