The Nuer people live mostly in Southern Sudan, in the Upper Nile Province around the junction of the Nile River and the Bahr el Ghazal and Sobat River, and extend up the Sobat across the border into Ethiopia (Jenkins). The center of the Nuer area is around Lake No. The Nuer are believed to be descended from a distinct race of people who arose at the time cattle were introduced into the area, and oral tradition indicates that the Nuer moved east of the Nile only during the last 200 years. They began an active migrations in the 1800s, and as they moved eastward, they pushed the Anuak people further east into Ethiopia. During this period, many Dinka people were incorporated into the Nuer community, and Atuot and Nuer traditions indicate origins with the Dinka in what is known as Western Nuerland. All three groups are considered by some to be of the same ethnic group. Tradition says these three groups separated over disputes over cattle ownership. The Nuer are tall and dark, and their culture and that of the Dinka are similar. The Nuer call themselves Naath, meaning "human beings." They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia (Nuer).
Cattle are the most important possession for the Nuer (Jenkins; The Dinka). Their life depends on cattle and Nuer men will risk their life to defend them or to raid their neighbor's cattle. The worldview of the Nuer is built around the herds and prestige is measured by the quantity and quality of the cattle a man owns. Their love for the cattle extends to men and women taking the names of their favorite oxen or cow, and they prefer to be greeted by their cattle names. The Nuer refer to their cattle according to the color markings on their coats, and there are twelve separate words for the unique pattern groupings commonly referred to. Cattle are owned by the family, and they are tended to by the men, but milked by the women under the control of the hea...