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The Nuer People of Southern Sudan — Part 3
Cow’s milk and sorghum (millet) are the staples of the Nuer diet. Maize (corn), okra and sesame are also cultivated. Milk is viewed as necessary for children; families temporarily without milk can usually get it, or a lactating cow, from a relative. In areas closer to rivers, fishing helps to bridge the hunger gap at the end of the dry season. The Nuer also eat the meat of their cows but not as much as you might think, slaughtering their cattle more for ritual and religious ceremony than for food. They are highly adapted to their environment. I run the risk of romanticizing the Nuer, but I have to say it: The Nuer are tough, resilient and highly resourceful. They would have to be, to survive for thousands of years in this harsh environment.
Below: Sorghum, a Nuer staple
Below: An elderly woman prepares sorghum porridge. The bowl is a hollowed out gourd.
Below: A mother and her child stand on their homestead, amidst their maize (corn) crop.
Below: The flower of the okra plant.
Below: Babies and small children are carried in baskets weaved by their mothers.
Below: Women sweep the ground every morning with straw brooms.
Below: A very popular game (that I can never remember the name of). Photo Credit: Negar Adib
Below: Homemade Splint
Below: The Nuer are exceptionally tall, even the children are tall. This is the only bicycle I saw in Lankien.
Below: Coke can car: Child’s toy made out of an empty coke can.
Below: Tukul under construciton, a marvel of engineering using local resources.
