Nuer|Nuer Tribe Tour|Nuer People|Nuer Cultural Tour| Nuer Tradition| South Sudan tours

Nuer, Nuer Tribe Tour, Nuer People, Nuer Cultural Tour, Nuer Tradition, South Sudan tours

NUER PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudan is blessed with over 64 tribes, speaking different ethnic languages and English, Arabic as their uniting languages in their cities, and the Nuer tribe is one of them.

The Nuer tribe is the second largest group in South Sudan and is also Nilotic. The Nuer had a white army who derived their name from applying white ash on their bodies to act as insect repellent. Originally the white army consisted of armed youth and was established to protect the Nuer people's cattle from other Raiders. After South Sudan's independence, the white army resisted giving up their weapons due to a lack of confidence in the SPLA’s ability to protect them which led to the SPLA trying to confiscate their cattle and unsuccessfully destroying their economy. The Nuer accounts for 16% of the population of South Sudan. Enquire from here...

The Nuer are a pastoral tribe in the area covering the greater Upper Nile. They live along the Nile and its tributaries in the dry season and during the rainy season, they move away from the river banks to avoid the floods of the Nile. The Nuer tribe is rich in cultural ethics and norms that guide their behaviors. Naath removes the 4 incisors and 4 lower canines as a sign of maturity for 'dholni' (children) of both sexes.

The Nuer people receive facial markings (called gaar) as part of their initiation into adulthood. However, initiation into 'wut' (adulthood) which is usually cutting 5 to 6 parallel lines across the forehead is undertaken among dhol (boys) of the same age, which like in other Nilotic groups form them into a 'rich (age set).

They used to make scars across their main foreheads. The marks are of six lines. The matter of the scars of the forehead, the scar marks are made in the forehead of the man to make him be known to the people that he is a Nuer by the tribe. these marks represent some informal constitutional articles. "They are in form of law, plus traditional rules and customs as well as the law of kinship, the meaning of the scar-marks. "The first mark denotes that you should not bother yourself with the small children. You must know that you have reached the age of manhood. The second scar mark signifies that you must not be afraid of anybody. You must know that you are an adolescent and not dependent on your parents.

The third scar mark advocates that you should not steal or make any mistakes, which means you must avoid scandalous things. You must participate in the defense of the public and you must handle the family or deal well with the household. The fourth scar mark advocates that you should not just eat in any place and you must be an honorable young man. The fifth scar mark signifies that you should not be greedy or gluttonous or covetous The last and sixth scar mark advocates that you should not make or commit adultery with the wife of another man or with girls who are related to you especially the ones that have some blood relations. It is incest taboo and causes death or disgrace to the defaulters. All these laws are introduced to the boys who have received their head scar marks after the initiation. After they are initiated, the old man comes up to address them.

Before the boys receive the scar marks, some oxen or bulls are slaughtered for sacrifice to God. During the slaughter of the oxen, an old man and another elderly man make a very big ceremony as a wedding praying to God that nothing should happen to the boys who are going to receive the marks. In fact, many prayers are conducted because sometimes death may occur during the marking event. Sometimes the markings can cause much bleeding leading to the death of the boy being initiated. If it happens to one boy suddenly there is no charge, no condemnation. It is just like an operation in the hospital, somebody who does the operation is regarded as a doctor who is making an operation on the patient. If a patient happens to die, the doctor is not charged to pay compensation because he was trying to save the patient's life. The man who marks is well trained in this experience. If anything occurs, nobody can charge him to pay compensation. But it is very rare to happen. It is put into Nuer law and blessed. The people pray much to God. They believe that the Almighty God gives them these marks, due to the civil wars that happed in south Sudan the government discourages tribes to practice this marking. Enquire from here...

The Nuer (Naath) people are extremely religious people whose beliefs can be summarized by the word Kuoth (God). “Kuoth (God) is an all-encompassing God associated with the sky, but is always present in all things, living and dead, and is also associated with many spirits; and the spirit form of Nuer tradition.” In the Nuer culture, Kuoth (God) “supplies explanation for phenomena which cannot be explained in everyday life.” Because it is accepted without question, the Nuer have difficulty explaining Kuoth (God) because of “its abstract nature and the fact that it’s used to generalize the spirits of who possesses people.” Kuoth (God) is always given the role of the creator and is said to be the origin of the ancestors.

The Nuer people, however, were traditionally sophisticated enough to adhere to the concepts of “aliveness” which include the notion of a soul or spirits residing in the object. They treat the objects they consider animate as if these things had a life, feeling, and a will of their own, but “did not make a distinction between the body of an object and soul that could enter or leave it.” The reverence that Nuer people in South Sudan grant to deceased relatives is based on believing that in dying, they have become powerful spiritual beings or “even admittedly less frequently to have attained the status of gods.” This is usually based on the belief that ancestors are active members of society, and still interested in the affairs of their living relatives.

The cult of ancestors is certainly common although not universal and has been particularly well documented in many African societies. In general, “ancestors are believed to wield a greater authority, having special powers to influence the course of events or to control the well-being of their living relatives.” They are often considered as the “intermediaries between the supreme God, the people and they can communicate with the living through dreams and by possession.” The attitude toward them is one of mixed tear and reverence and If neglect, the ancestors in heaven may cause diseases, drought, famine, and misfortunes. Instantly in the Nuer societies, “propitiation, supplication, prayer and sacrifice” are the various ways in which the living can communicate with their ancestors. Ancestors' worship is a strong indication of the value placed on the household, and of the strong ties that exist between the past and the present. “The beliefs and practices connected with the cult help to integrate the family to sanction the traditional political structure, and encourage respect for the living elders.”

The Nuer’s dearest possession is cattle. Life at the earliest time depends on cattle and the Nuer always risks their life to defend the animals when external enemies come to take them. Their traditional worldview usually is that of a Herdsman, and prestige is measured by the quantity and quality of the cattle owned. “Both men and women take the names of their favorite oxen or cows in the ritual of honor and most typically prefer to be greeted by their “cattle names.” While the Nuer people usually engage in agricultural pursuits, the care of cattle is the only labor they enjoy as a part of agricultural practices. It is said that conversation on virtually any subject “usually inevitably involves a discussion of cattle.” In this way, it is easy for people to understand why cattle play an important part in the Nuer’s religion, daily activities, and ritual ceremonies. Cows are usually dedicated to the ghosts of the lineages of the owner and any personal spirits that may have possessed them at any time. The cattle usually become something of an extension of the family for the Nuer in traditionally setting. “The Nuer establishes contact with those ghosts and the spirits by rubbing ashes along the back of oxen or cows dedicated to them through the sacrifice of cattle.” There is no important Nuer ceremony of any kind that is completed without such a sacrifice in Nuer Land. Cattle in the traditional setting were used to buy everything from food to bride, and to pay for anything from personal debts to fines.

Many aspects of the Nuer culture are sometimes similar to the cultural aspects of the Bible’s Old Testament people which include the feature of their social structure, the kinship reckoning and the extended family aspects of marriage, divorce, the rite of passage, and even religious concepts of God, spirits, sin, and sacrifice. In the spiritual beliefs of a Nuer culture, “women who are having their menstrual period cannot drink milk, visit the cattle area or eat food that had been cooked in kettle used for boiling milk because doing so would be harmful to the cattle.” If the child suffers from vomiting immediately after the villages have been visited by strangers, they are suspected to be the cause of the sickness. But “standing up a certain type of green grasses near the back door of hut usually prevents harm from coming to a sick person within the houses.” Contact us from here...

Culture is very important for the Nuer people in South Sudan. Gender roles have traditionally been well-defined. “Men always tend to care for cattle and were the warriors fighting neighboring societies for land use, cattle, and out of a sense of pride in their tribe and abilities.” While women managed the household and “make most decisions regarding the rearing of children,” The men play their role of war and war-related concern in the field. Besides that, the idea of home includes both men and women; “without a man, there is no home and without a woman, there is no home.” In most cases, “women are often consulted on the issue of public affairs and play an important role in mediating the disputes, be it community dispute or family dispute.”

Marriage concept is usually an ultimate goal in the life of Nuer men; women and are the primary ambition of all children. “Marriage among the Nuer is brought about by payments of bride-wealth, and by the performance of certain ceremonial rites. The rite cannot take place without payments, but the transfer of cattle does not by themselves bring about the union.” Both are necessary and they are processed in the connected movement towards the full establishment of the union. “Each enforces, and reinforces the other.” The bride’s people “can enforce by holding up the rites, put pressure on the bridegroom’s people to make the payments and also the bridegroom’s people can reinforce by withholding the cattle, induce the girl’s family and kin to advance the ceremony.” First, one pedal is pressed down, and then the other as the marriage is propelled to its appointed end. It is often clear that payments should reach a certain point before a certain rite is held, and the performance of the rite is usually in the recognition of the transfer of cattle, an estimate of 40-100 cows depend on the quality of the girl (education and beauty). Contact us from here...

The new social ties of conjugality and affinity are made stronger by each payment and each ceremony so that a marriage which is insecure at the beginning of negotiations becomes surer with every new payment and rite; both sides by, the giving; “the receiving of 40 cows and by joint participation in the rite become more deeply committed to bringing about the union.” Therefore, a marriage that has reached the final rite may be regarded as a “stable union and will generally prove to be so.” Generally, girls are marrying around the age of seventeen, eighteen, and above. If the man impregnates a girl, “he is expected to marry her and he is sometimes likely to find himself subject to the girl’s family raiding his land, properties, and taking his cattle by force.” Most marriages in Nuer Land are always intertribal marriages. “Men tend to marry women who are within visiting distance of their village, but they are strictly forbidden to marry women to whom he is even distantly related because doing so will cause incest which is a dead cultural relations’ disease. After the couples agree to marry, “the announcer usually goes to the villages, singing and dancing to inform the people about the coming celebration. The first day of celebration is always declared to both sides and preparation will take place for three months to four. Marriage in Nuer culture has many ceremonial steps. These ceremonies include betrothal, wedding, and consummation.

A betrothal ceremony is necessary, but it is sometimes possible to proceed at once to the full wedding ceremony, and “this is usually done when a bridegroom is a rich man with plenty of cattle, and when the bride is a girl who has passed the usual traditional age of marriage.” Usually, the betrothal ceremony is held in the rainy season and the wedding in the following windy season. If there is a longer interval, it is “generally due to the immaturity of the bride.” The holding of the betrothal ceremony always means that “the marriage is provisionally agreed upon by both sides.” The transfer of cattle to the bride’s family of the betrothal is always from “three to ten head for further acknowledgment of this understanding.” Before the ceremony takes place, it has always been agreed upon how many cattle should eventually be handed over to the bride’s family. Contact us from here...

In most instance, the wedding day is one of the important events that also take place some weeks later, and in the meanwhile, there is always the further discussion of a bride-wealth; not only in the home of the bride’s father but also in the home of her senior uncle who is responsible for the negotiations on the mother’s side. The uncle’s claims are usually less flexible and there cannot be many disputes about them. So it sometimes happens that “they are settled provisionally in the father’s byre, and that the final discussion will be with the uncle himself who might live far away and sometimes the issues are left until after the wedding or until after the consummation ceremony is done.” Usually, there has always been an urgent need from both sides because they want to complete the marriage without undue delay and release the girl to her new husband.

In most instances, “the bridegroom’s people want their wife and the bride’s people want their cattle so that they can finalize marry in a short period of time.” They might not even include or care to use the cattle of the betrothal for this final purpose because these are only on the pledge and if negotiation breaks down, they have at once to be returned (cows) back to the owner without any cow remaining behind. At this time, the marriage is usually still not yet considered to be completed until the consummation ceremony and the birth of the couple’s first child. After this, “the wife is given the name newlywed and is given her own hut ( from her parents) along with other various gifts such as cooking sets, butter, and other special things to care of her husband who usually come in distant to meet her in her father’s home.”

In the Nuer traditional culture, arrangements are made to hold the wedding on a certain day. In the homestead of the bride, they usually make many foods, wine (beer), two oxen are usually killed and in the homestead of bridegroom there is always much rejoicing. “Men and women play, chanting poems in that night before they go to the wedding center on the next day.”

Early in the morning, the bridegroom’s kin discusses the situation in his father’s byre. Most of the time, they know what “outstanding claims are likely to be advanced because they know the persons on the other side who stand in those relationships to the bride, and to which beasts are due by the custom.” They usually run over quickly in the morning, the herds, and assign particular beasts to meet probable claims from the girl’s relative ranging from Father, Cousin, uncle, brothers, and the mother. “A marriage concluded without all those concerns and dowry means humiliation and even dishonor to the wire.”

Divorce can also be granted for several reasons such as “drunkenness, sexual and temperamental incompatibility and unfriendly relationship with the mother-in-law, adultery; barrenness and impotent.” In South Sudan, when the woman divorce, child custody typically goes to the males (the problem of gender balance). If the husband and wife are having a lot of crises, “the members of the extended families, both men and women will discuss the situation. The wife usually goes to her parent’s house and the husband usually will remain home and his relatives will then meet with the male relatives of the wife’s family to further discuss the situation and determine a course of action.” In most of the case, the husband and the wife will follow the recommendation made by both the relatives and the elders of the other family who are invited during the discussion. Contact us from here...

On the other hand, one of the critical events that also take place in the Nuer traditional culture is the “cutting of six tribal scars/marks on each side of the forehead.” This cutting of scars is a transition of childhood to adulthood or is way of qualifying a boy for manhood and he is then able to fight in the battles. At the time of cutting, the boys always remain motionless while this is occurring for two reasons. First, “the girlfriend of the boy attends to see how brave the boys act during that period of intense suffering, and showing fear would subject the boy to ridicule insult and ignorance from the society.” Second, the cut could be made uneven, “bearing a permanent sign that the boy flinched while they were being cut.” After they all finish, the mothers of the boys will dance and the big cow (bull) is always killed to show that we have a young man. In the preparation for the ceremony, “all hair is shaved off, all clothing is removed and all ornaments are discarded from the boys.” This ritual is usually performed on a group of boys at one time to allow them the comfort and companionship of each other.

The Nuer people have many traditional things that they considered as important for their life, and they value this traditional system and community value that guards them through their lives. Nuer people traditionally value things that are not considered important in other parts of the world as important to them. One of the most important things is the burial of a dead person. The burial process for Nuer is another important ceremony. After the death of a Nuer man or woman, “a grave is unceremoniously dug, and the person is buried as quickly as possible. Grave-digging privileges are given to the other relatives of the deceased persons,” and only family members attended the burial at that movement. Graves are always dug on the left side of the person’s hut. All the ornaments are always removed from the person and the body is placed in the grave facing west. At this point, no ritual occurs at the gravesite. A few days after the burial, “the ritual expects of the family make a sacrifice asking the ghost of the deceased person not to bother the living family members.” The mourning period always lasts until the mortuary ceremony which happens several months after the death of the person.

In general, the period of mourning lasts five to six months for a man, but only two to three months for a woman or a child who died for natural death. During this time, “all hairs are shaven off and no bodily ornaments are worn unless the person was murdered because Nuer do not mourn much for a man who is murdered, knowing that they will revenge.” The primary purpose of the mortuary ceremony is always to finally sever the ties between the dead and the living, and also to prevent the misfortune from happening to the alive relatives. Contact us from here...

The Nuer people are strongly known in Sudan for their social order and community value. The traditional system is the only one thing that Nuer beliefs the most than the other things. The community is ruled by people selected through the election, but the leader must have certain characters that he might be known for before he becomes a leader. Leaders emerge in the community after demonstrating leadership qualities and gaining the respect of the other community members. In many Nuer villages, people are always generous to each other, but “any request which has an overtone of an order can quickly anger them.” Friends must have an obligation to be hospitable to each other. Hospitality offered by one friend must be returned by the other at a later time. Relative age is of great importance in interpersonal relations in society and group clubs. Every person is in categories in terms of age set which is an association made up of equal in age. Therefore, the Nuer always considered their culture, lineages, or kinship system as the best among the best cultures in the world according to their view of others’ cultures. If we do not end here we may need several pages to write about Africa's youngest nation, but it would be cool to Enquire here to Join our South Sudan Expedition.

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