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Some Features and Forms of Nuer Sacrifices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2012

E. E. Evans-Pritchard
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Extract

In this article I give an account of some features and forms of sacrifices among the Nuer of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. It is intended to fill a gap in a series of articles designed to cover various aspects of the religion of this people. The central act of Nuer religious ritual is sacrifice, and all their sacrifices have this in common, that they are a means of making contact with spiritual beings. Those of which I speak more particularly in this article have further in common that they are made when a misfortune has happened or threatens and with the purpose of propitiating whatever spiritual being is responsible for it, though the sense of propitiation may be more marked in some sacrifices than in others and may combine with other elements in various configurations of meaning.

Résumé

LES GENRES ET CARACTÉRISTIQUES DES SACRIFICES PARMI LES NUER

Cet article donne un exposé de plusieurs des sacrifices des Nuer du Soudan anglo-égyptien et des circonstances particulières dans lesquelles ils sont pratiqués.

Le sacrifice est le fait principal des rites des Nuer et tous les sacrifices constituent les moyens d'entrer en rapport avec les esprits. Les sacrifices sont offerts pour conjurer l'infortune menaçante, ou pour dissiper les effets de la maladie ou autres désastres qui sont déjà survenus; ils forment une partie des cérémonies se rattachant aux naissances, aux manages et eux enterrements. Habituellement, l'objet du sacrifice doit être du bétail, préférablement un bœuf, mais parfois de la bière, du lait, du tabac, des perles, ou autres menus objets peuvent être substitués. Dans le cadre du concept général de sacrifice, l'auteur fait remarquer un nombre d'idées subsidiaires qui sont indiquées par des mots divers employés pour les formes ou les occasions spécifiques de sacrifice. Ainsi, il existe une idée de substitution lorsqu'on a l'espoir que les esprits accepteront l'objet sacrificatoire à la place de l'offreur; de compensation ou de dédommagement pour une dette envers Dieu; de purification de la souillure encourue par suite de maladie ou de mort: de tels sacrifices sont accompagnés d'un rite d'aspersion lorsque l'objet sacrificatoire et les participants sont aspergés rituellement; il y a également l'idée d'échange: en offrant un sacrifice, un homme établit un droit sur l'esprit qui doit y faire honneur en lui accordant quelque avantage. L'auteur signale que Tun des mots employés pour ‘sacrifier’ peut être traduit par ‘acheter’ et qu'il est employé, en effet, actuellement, dans le sens d'acquérir des marchandises par achat ou troc.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , April 1951 , pp. 112 - 121
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1951

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References

page 112 note 1 ‘The Nuer Col Wic’, Man, 1949Google Scholar; ‘Nuer Totemism’, Annali Lateranensi, 1949Google Scholar; ‘Burial and Mortuary Rites of the Nuer’, African Affairs, 1949Google Scholar; ‘Nuer Curses and Ghostly Vengeance’, Africa, 1949Google Scholar; ‘Two Nuer Ritual Concepts’, Man, 1949.Google Scholar

page 113 note 1 A curious error has crept into the account of Nuer religion written by my friend Mgr. Mlakic, S. (The Messenger, 1945-1944)Google Scholar. He says that when an ox killed in a sacrifice its heart has to be fixed on the ground with a wooden hammer. The error is probably due to Mgr. Mlakic having composed his account from notes written by boys at his mission, for the word loc, simply as written and without spoken, might mean ‘heart’ or, as in this context, ‘cattle peg’.

page 114 note 1 The Rev. Father Kiggen, J., Nuer-English Dictionary 1948, p. 167Google Scholar. I think also that to translate, as he and Stigand (Stigand, C. H., A Nuer-English Vocabulary, 1923, p. 19Google Scholar) do, the verbal form as ‘to sacrifice’ is to give it too inclusive a meaning. It is a part of a sacrificial rite, not the sacrifice itself. Miss Huffman, Ray (Nuer-English Dictionary, 1929, p. 27Google Scholar ) in translating lam ‘to curse’ or ‘to imprecate’ is, on the other hand, giving it too exclusive a meaning. Lam is a formal, ritual, address which may contain prayers, but is not necessarily a prayer; which is spoken at sacrifices, but is not itself the sacrifice; and which may take the form of a curse or imprecation, but only in special circumstances. The word seems to have much the same meaning in Dinka. Dr. Mitterrutzner, J. C. (Die Dinka-Sprache, 1866, p 253Google Scholar ) gives ‘to curse’, ‘to propitiate with sacrifice’, ‘to sacrifice’, and ‘to pray’. Nebel, Father A. (Dinka Dictionary, 1936, p. 96Google Scholar) translates it ‘to invoke God or spirits’ and ‘to curse’.

page 118 note 1 Kiggen, Father J., op. cit., p. 148Google Scholar ; Stigand, C. H., op. cit., p. 16Google Scholar ; Miss Huffman, Ray, op. cit., p. 24Google Scholar However, Miss Huffman gives the noun-form: kuk kwoth, sacrifice. Nebel, Father (Dinka Dictionary, 1936, p. 87Google Scholar ) translates the same word in Dinka: to pay salary, price; pagare il salario, prezzo.

page 119 note 1 Coriat, P., ‘Gwek, the Witch-Doctor and the Pyramid of Dengkur’, Sudan Notes and Records, 1939. P. 237.Google Scholar

page 120 note 1 Op cit., p. 145.

page 120 note 2 Nebel, Father A., Dinka Dictionary, 1936, p. 38Google Scholar: col, col nhom, to pay, atone; pagare, espiare; Dinka Grammar, 1948, p. 141Google Scholar: atone, cool, acol.

page 120 note 3 Father Kiggen gives a further meaning, and one unknown to me, for the word: ‘to adore’, e.g. kiethko kuoth, we adore God; ciek kithe coude, the wife adores her husband.