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E.E. Evans-PritchardThe Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People
E.E. Evans-PritchardNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1940A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Key Figures
E. E. Evans-Pritchard (The Author)
Edward Evans Evans-Pritchard (usually referred to as E. E. Evans-Pritchard) was a noted British anthropologist whose work in the first half of the 20th century helped establish the field of social anthropology. He is associated with the cultural-analysis model known as structural functionalism (developed by A. R. Radcliffe-Brown), which posits the development of stable functions in societies as an effect of the complex interconnections between tradition, ritual, politics, kinship, and other social systems.
Evans-Pritchard came to the forefront of social anthropology circles upon the 1937 publication of Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande. This work, which focuses on another people group who, like the Nuer, live on the northern edge of sub-Saharan Africa, gained attention due to its relativistic and nonjudgmental approach to Azande customs. Whereas previous works of colonialist anthropology would have assumed the falsity of Azande cultural beliefs regarding causation and the relationship between the natural and supernatural, Evans-Pritchard’s work refrained from such reflexive judgments. The positive reception of this work led to his commission from the government of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to conduct anthropological surveys among the Nuer, one of the most populous and culturally dominant people groups in central Sudan (now northern South Sudan).
Evans-Pritchard’s extensive work with the Nuer culminated in the publication of three volumes on Nuer culture from 1940 to 1956, of which The Nuer is the first. Evans-Pritchard’s career in North Africa was noted not only for its anthropological research, but also for his military service, as he was instrumental in the organization and leadership of irregular regiments of Indigenous African soldiers. After World War II, he continued his research and publication while serving as a professor of anthropology at Oxford University, a post he held for the remainder of his career. He also served as president of the Royal Anthropological Institute and was honored with a knighthood in 1971.
Nhial
Nhial is a young man who attached himself to Evans-Pritchard on the occasion of the latter’s first expedition into Nuerland. Evans-Pritchard was having difficulties being accepted on his initial encounters with the Nuer, who largely appeared to ignore or resent his presence. He had little success in finding someone who would talk to him, answer his questions, and from whom he could learn the language until Nhial joined him.
With Nhial’s presence, Evans-Pritchard was able to make contacts with other Nuer youths as well, and even though many others in Nuer society still avoided him, he was able to learn the language and certain aspects of the culture from Nhial and the other youths. Nhial again served as Evans-Pritchard’s assistant on later survey expeditions, and his cultural knowledge continued to smooth the way for Evans-Pritchard’s acceptance. Eventually, Evans-Pritchard was able to take up life within a Nuer village, and from that position observe Nuer culture from the position of a relative “insider.”
Leopard-Skin Chief
The leopard-skin chief is not an individual person, but an office within Nuer society. This position is held by a man who is old enough to have earned significant respect, and he is marked by the leopard-skin he wears. While not a “chief” in a conventional sense—insofar as there are no chiefs or ruling individuals in Nuer political arrangements—the leopard-skin chief nonetheless fills an important role in Nuer culture.
The leopard-skin chief’s function is to serve as an authoritative arbiter in disputes. As a non-political mediator respected by all levels of Nuer society, he is able to step into arguments, feuds, and legal discussions and render a binding opinion on the matter. It is important to note, however, that the leopard-skin chief has no independent authority to force disputes to come under his arbitration. He only exerts his influence when the opposing sides have both agreed to come under his mediation and abide by the results. The role of the leopard-skin chief thus enables Nuer society to function on an egalitarian basis, providing a non-political way to preserve harmony between opposing tribal segments.
Prophet
Like the leopard-skin chief, the prophet is not an individual person in Nuer society, but an office which can be held by multiple individuals, concurrently or in succession. The prophet (in Nuer, guk), is a person who is believed to be possessed by one of the sky-spirits (who in Nuer religion are regarded as sons of the sky-god). The prophet is widely revered and holds significant influence in Nuer culture. The function of prophets is centered around religious and ritual acts, but Evans-Pritchard sees in their influence an embryonic judicial office developing. They also serve as symbolic figureheads of Nuer solidarity, standing as a centering representation of Nuer identity.
The prophets appear to be, however, a relatively recent development in Nuer society, the widespread influence of their role only attributed to the period of living memory at the time of Evans-Pritchard’s survey. Some scholars have suggested, therefore, that the role of the prophet may owe its development to the spread of Mahdism (a form of Islamic messianism) in late 19th-century Sudan. If prophets existed in Nuer culture before that time, their roles and influence were likely much more locally bound.
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