Nuer Religion

The Nuer people, originally a subgroup of the Dinka people, migrated from the Gezira south into a barren dry land that they named Kwer Kwong. Centuries of isolation and influence from Luo peoples caused them to become a distinct ethnic group from the Naath. The Nuer and Dinka are the two largest ethnic groups in South Sudan. Population growth eventually led to raids and wars between these two groups. Cattle possess great symbolic, religious, and economic value and serve as bride wealth, given by a husband's family to his wife's family. The Nuer structure their entire culture around cattle, and cattle have historically satisfied all of their needs. As long as a girl marries a man with cattle, she is able to freely choose her husband. Nuers believe that God is the spirit of the sky, Kuoth Nhial (God in Heaven), the creator. Nuers also believe that God interacts with his creation through rain, lightning, and thunder. The rainbow is the necklace of God. The sun, moon, and other material objects are manifestations or signs of God. Spirits of the air are regarded as the most powerful of spirits subordinate to Kuoth Nhial. Nuers believe that when a man or a woman dies, the flesh, the life and the soul separate. The flesh is committed to the earth, while the breath, or life, goes back to God. The soul that encompasses human individuality and personality remains alive as a shadow or a reflection.