The lives and the cultural ways of the Nuer people have been changing rapidly in the wake of colonization and the subsequent modernization in the Nile region. The effects of these changes have been felt most significantly on the manner in which goods have been circulated amongst the Nuer people, and the effects this circulation has had on the interrelationships within the tribe, as well as the overall cultural practices.
Since the 1980s, the Nuer have been using money, and yet the exchange of money is not significant to the people because it does not have any self generating capacity, as is associated with the most revered of social, cultural and economic symbols of the people – the cattle. Money is also considered sterile in the Nuer culture,
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Cattle have also had an important role to play in the politics of contact between the Nuer people and their neighbors. Cows have remained the primary source of food to the people for a long time and therefore many generations of Nuer – especially before the 1930s, have been wholly occupied in the care, exchange and sacrifice of their cattle. These animals are also important as social assets because they play an important role in all ceremonies and rituals and are a part of all their folklore. As the primary source of milk, meat, leather and dung. Young men were united with cattle to confer upon them the life of an ox. A man, who died without an heir, would collect cattle for him so that his spirit could marry a ghost wife and produce heirs. A woman, who was infertile, would be designated a social man, who was free to take a wife to produce children for her. The people with large number of cattle were considered to be the most powerful in a tribe, because cattle dominated the tribe’s economy. Therefore, circulation of cattle among people within the tribe dictated kinship and lineage, and the accumulation of cattle was a sign of wealth and power. Since their cows live with the Nuer people, they become an important part of the family. The emotional, social, economic and religious value of cattle prevented their sacrifice, unless the sacrifice was being made to please the Gods and ancestral spirits. Since they dominated daily actions of the people, they are a constant focus of attention. Food could be bartered for purchasing cattle, and usually when a household had surplus food, it would convert that into cattle through barter. Cattle have also been important to the way in which the Nuer reacted to the state and other political authorities. The
There are many cultures throughout the world, which may be far apart and yet still have similarities. Two of those such cultures, the Basseri, that live in Iran, and the Nuer, whom live in Sudan, have their differences, but also have some similarities. Many of the differences and similarities come from their subsistence strategies and the social and political organization of their societies. With the regions of the world, both the Basseri and the Nuer live in, they’ve had to adapt to the environment they live in along with the limitations imposed by that environment.
Since the beginning of time, mankind began to expand on traditions of life out of which family and societal life surfaced. These traditions of life have been passed down over generations and centuries. Some of these kin and their interdependent ways of life have been upheld among particular people, and are known to contain key pieces of some civilizations.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
Although they do eat/grow crop it is very little. Milk is one of the main foods of the Nuer. Both cultures sacrifice animals to heal souls. The Hmong believe in the dab as the evil spirit, the Nuer believe in the evil eye. The evil eye is a person with supernatural power who causes damage to people who look at them.
For Nubians also use stories from their past and their heritage as a way of preserving their past, their memories, their habits and customs, and how life used to be back home before the building of the High Dam. While tracing what made the Nubian community unique, the Nubian literature aims at not only providing them with a record of that life of theirs back in Nubia before the loss of their homeland, but also mythically reterritorializing them by giving them a part of their home with them in their reservations as well as helping them to hold onto their ever-present dream of a return to their life by the banks of the River
The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz’s “The Way We Wish We Were”, David Brooks’ “One Nation Slightly Divisible” and Margaret Atwood’s “A Letter to America” are all essays about different American cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are about “ideal families”, “ideal lifestyles, and a “ideal country.”
In America, the existence of so many different cultures and religions can inadvertently cause one religion to impose its values upon another religion. In Grace Paley’s “The Loudest Voice”, however, the school system directly imposed Christianity onto Shirley Abramowitz and other non-Christian students in the school. Teachers in the school tried to enforce Christianity onto the non-Christian children whenever and whichever way possible. The major illustration of this attempt of “brainwashing” was the production of a Christmas play performed mostly by Jewish students. This was an obvious attempt by the school to try to force the other students to learn the value and history of the Christian religion.
In the text, “The American Cultural Configuration” the authors express the desire of anthropologists to study their own culture despite the difficulty that one faces attempting to subjectively analyze their own society. Holmes and Holmes (2002), use the adage “not being able to see the forest through the trees” (p. 5) to refer to how hard it is for someone to study something they have largely taken for granted. The Holmes' article focuses predominately on paradoxes within our own culture, many of which we don't notice. In a paradox, two contradicting statements can appear to be true at the same time. This essay looks at two paradoxes commonly found in everyday life: the individual versus the family and religion.
There has been much debate over whether hunting and gathering is an economic practice for subsistence or whether it is a way of life- a cultural practice. Subsistence methods can rarely be separated from culture- cultural aspects grow, over a span of many years, around the methods people use to survive. Subsistence methods and culture are not mutually exclusive. There are occasional variations depending on the group, location, and time period in question, but this is mostly the case. To illustrate this, examples can be made of Bushmen communities in and around Southern Africa as well as some groups in other parts of the world, in reference to the spiritual beliefs they hold and the art they produce.
The Na’vi’s attitude and orientation to the land is seen to be borrowed and revered. They live in harmony with nature and revere every live eve...
The political economy of kinship in Paleolithic societies are different than the political economy in today’s society. This is because of three distinct differences on how things in the kinships are dealt with. They are how we deal Power or who is king of the castle. Marriage Customs such as divorce and when it is ok to get married. The last is child-bearing like how the child was raised and what children did growing up. Nisa is a !Kung woman in Paleolithic society that I will use to compare here political economy of kinship to mine.
The Minangkabau culture is very distinct, in that they are commonly known for having the “largest and most stable matrilineal society in the world”. (Golden, 151). The Minangkabau have more than four million people who reside in West Sumatra (Stark, 1) area and have a well-established trading system with other parts of Indonesia. They are a great contributor to the trading system and have been able to influence others with their culture. Even with having a matrilineal system, it is the males who take the chief role in the society. The male’s role is another reason why the commercial industry is so successful. In the end it is adat that governs the Minangkabau culture.
The invention of money was a major improvement in peoples’ lives. In the past, people usually had to travel all day to find the person who is willing to exchange their goods. In addition, the goods people want to exchange did not have the standard value of measurement. This led to unequal exchanges. Furthermore, it is not convenient to carry heavy goods from one place to another for an exchange. To solve these issues, money will be the only solution. Later, people tend to develop money from cowry shells to credit cards for the convenience and to improve their society.
The small African village located on the bank of the river Niger has a story of its own, that only the old and wise are able to des...
The Maasai People from Kenya represent a pastoral society. They rely on the taming and herding of livestock as a means for survival. Those responsible for herding livestock are the Maasai warriors and boys, especially during drought season. They had cattle, goats and sheep as their livestock. I did notice a social transformation in their society. Each individual has their job to complete daily. For example, the women formed the houses, milked the cattle, cooked for the family and supplied them with water. The men made the fence around the Kraal and secured the society and the boys were responsible for herding livestock. These multiple duties, commanded by the elderly, eventually started emerging to new and different customs such as trading with local groups. This was