Homeland of the Nuer

    In continuation from my last post about the history of the Nuer people, in this segment I've researched some information about the homeland of the Nuer. Primarily landlocked, they are living on the central/eastern side of South Sudan almost on the border of western Ethiopia. 

-Territorial Map of South Sudan (Credit to OCHA)-

Landscape:

Now that we know where the Nuer live, onto the landscape of their homeland. South Sudan as well as the Nuer's territory is mainly plain interrupted every so often by hilly areas with thick equatorial vegetation and savannah. The Upper Nile flows throughout the majority of the Nuer's territory.

Wildlife:

The wildlife matches the rest of Africa, very broad. Mammal's occupy most of the lands. For example; lions, leopards, and cheetahs as well as elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, hippopotamuses, warthogs, and numerous varieties of antelope, such as gazelles, elands, and hartebeests. Chimpanzees, baboons, and monkeys are found in the forests. As for reptiles, mainly made up of crocodiles and various species of lizards. Birds, I will get to at a further date under their own topic.

As shown is a White Eared Kob.


Economy:

    The Nuer economy is based on a combination of, in order of importance, cattle herding, horticulture, fishing, and collecting wild foods. "Cattle are the Nuer's most cherished possession, an essential food supply as well as the most important social asset"; as mentioned in my previous post. The Nuer have begun to trade, but it is difficult due to long-distance travel to acquire the goods, and because of the lack of security, such travel is limited to men.

Concluding on this topic; Stay tuned for my next post discovering the world of the Nuer. 




Amum, P.; Eves, H.E. (2009)."BEAN Bushmeat Fact Sheet: Boma National Park Assessment, Southern Sudan. Bushmeat-free Eastern Africa Network".

Jok, Jok. "Nuer." Encyclopedia of World Cultures Supplement. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Feb. 2014

Cultural and Territorial History: The Nuer

    As I said in my previous introduction post, I would be doing some research on the history of the Nuer tribe. Avery popular tribe east of the Nile River, the Nuer people possessed quite a bit of land before the Turks conquered the Sudan in the 1800’s. So to give you just a bit of information to get you hooked on my adventure. Lets explore the existence of the Nuer.

    There are many tribes in South Sudan. The Dinka, who make up almost a quarter of South Sudan’s population of around 9 million, have historically had territorial altercations with the Nuer. The Nuer (also known as the "Nei Ti Naath" (meaning the original people)) are a confederation of tribes in South Sudan and Western Ethiopia. The two have always had very similar lifestyles from the beginning. The Nuer began actively migrating east across the Nile in the mid 1800’s, during which many Dinka were incorporated into the Nuer community. As the Nuer people began to migrate, they also ran into a problem with other migratory people.

    Before the Turkish occupation in the 19th century, the tribal boundaries remained relatively isolated by natural borders. As the Turks occupied South Sudan, the territorial boundaries made it seem as if the South Sudan was already a state. For the first time all the tribes in South Sudan were subject under the same government. The next major chapter in Sudan’s colonial history was the conquest of the country by the British in 1898.
    The conquest brought an increased influence of Christianity and European culture to the region. The British viewed the South Sudan as useless territory, but later realizing the Nuer territory could be used as a major trade route. So in other words, the Nuer were seeing many bits and pieces of culture from all over Eastern Africa and Europe.

    Out of the territorial history, on to cultural background. Several interesting components of their lifestyle involve the cattle they have to care for, the men living as herdsman who direct cattle to other areas in Sudan, as the Nuer tribes depend upon the cattle for obvious reasons such as meat and milk. Cattle are basically gold to the Nuer. besides from using the cattle in everyday life, the Nuer also plant vegetables when the weather allows them to stay in an area long enough without migrating to better growing conditions. Cattle are also offered in religious rituals. They are passed down through the family lineage.

From what seems bizarre to us, the Nuer's rituals can also represent age transitions for males in the tribe. Boys will cut lines in their face with arrow tips to represent the movement from childhood to manhood. Cattle would be exchanged between a man and woman's father as an offering for marriage. The Nuer are a very cultural diverse people. Other groups, tribes, and lineages in Africa have similar cultural representations. 

Next I will be exploring the homeland of the Nuer. Stay tuned.





1996 "War Threatens African Tribe's Centuries-Old Cattle Culture". Christian Science Monitor.

1992 "The Cattle of Money and the Cattle of Girls Among the Nuer", 1930-83. American Ethnologist.

Introducing The Nuer

    Throughout the duration of my exploration, many topics will come arise every week while I discover different aspects of the Nuer. From their history, the birds that dwell in their region, and cultural survival. The Nuer is concentrated in South Sudan, with some representatives also found in southwestern Ethiopia. The Nuer language is a Nilotic language closely related to the speech of the Dinka and Atwot. Oral traditions indicate that the Nuer have moved east of the Nile River only during the last 200 years. Just some facts to stay interested on and to follow along with my journey. Many topics will come arise as I explore this foreign tribe, so stay tuned.