Kwoth, spirit or God, the single creative divinity of Nuer religion in South Sudan, together with the lesser kuth, refractions or manifestations of Kwoth associated with the sky, with clans, or with particular afflictions, rather than independent gods in their own right. Nuer religion centres on cattle, sacrifice and a spoken relationship with Kwoth conducted through invocation rather than image or temple. It was documented in the mid twentieth century by British anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard, whose account of Nuer religion remains a foundational text in the anthropology of religion.
Facts
Structure
Structure of the PantheonA supreme creator above a working order of intermediary powers 1 Divine HeadshipA single sovereign god rules the others 1 Succession Between Divine GenerationsOne divine generation; no succession between generations is recorded 1 The Creator and the Ruling GodsThe creator of the world also rules the pantheon 1 Attestation
Era of AttestationHeld from the beginning in the tradition's own terms; documented in the outside record from the 19th century, with the fullest account made in 1956 1 Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Cult
Principal Cult CentreNo single centre. Observance is held at the cattle byre and by the lineage, and the ox carries the sacrifice 1 Organisation
Membership of the PantheonEvery place, clan and lineage adds its own 1 How Mortals Enter the PantheonAncestors and founders become objects of cult 1 Sources
Primary SourceOral tradition held within Nuer lineages, with the ethnography of E. E. Evans-Pritchard published in 1956 1 Connections
Associated With
Its own cited description places Nuer religion in South Sudan.
Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
This source names Sudan directly: "divinity of Nuer religion in South Sudan, together with the lesser kuth, refractions or manifestations of Kwoth associated with the sky, with clans, or with particular afflictions, rather than..."
Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
Sources
1. Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.