Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard discusses the Nuer tribe located on both sides of the Nile River south of the juncture with the Sobat and Bahr el Ghazal and on both sides of these tributaries (3). They belong to the Nilotic group in East Africa. The Nilotic group of peoples is an ill defined cultural area which when the book, The Nuer was written had not been well studied. The Nuer are a collection of tribes which have no central form of government (5). At times the tribes, the largest political organization of these people, occasionally form themselves into loose federations.
Foremost, the Nuer are herdsmen of cattle. Cattle form their the primary basis of their livelihood and their wealth. They are essentially a pastoral people although they cultivate maize and millet on a greater scale than is usually realized (16). Horticulture is considered to be a toil not willfully undertaken. It is only engaged in by the Nuer when they are forced to by poverty of stock. They will defend their cattle herds to the death and risk their own lives to steal their neighboring tribes cattle (16).
A love of cattle defines most of their social activities. The Nuer base their opinion of a person or tribe on the number of cattle that are owned by both parties. People without cattle are held in low opinion. Their wars and raids on the neighboring Dinka tribes are directed to stealing cattle and control of pasture (16). Each tribe of Nuer, each section of the tribe, and each subsection all control their own pasture and water supplies. Ownership of these natural resources are controlled by lineage and clan affiliation (16).
The importance of cattle to the Nuer can be shown in the way each individual calls himself. The men take on the name that refers to the form and color of their favorite oxen (18). Women are similarly called by the terms which refer to the cows that they milk. Young boys often are called by the name given to t...