The Nuba: an anthropological study of the hill tribes in Kordofan

Nadel, S. F. (Siegfried Frederick)

Book

The Nuba: an anthropological study of the hill tribes in Kordofan

Oxford University Press • London • Published In 1947 • Pages:

By: Nadel, S. F. (Siegfried Frederick).

Abstract
This book provides a systematic description of the culturally and linguistically diverse peoples living in the Nuba Hills. Although the ethnographic data pertains mostly to the Heiban, Otoro and Tira peoples, the author also explores the range of social and economic structures of the region by including comparable information from seven neighboring ethnic groups. The main aim is to compare the ten ethnic communities for variation and similarity in three broad cultural domains: kinship structure, clan system, and religious practices. The comparative data is enriched with a region-wide survey of specific themes, including: settlement patterns; economic activities; domestic group dynamics; traditional leaders; and the local effects of increasing integration into the colonial government and contact with Islam and ethnically Arab communities.

Topography and geology

Community structure

Community heads

Inter-community relations

Inter-ethnic relations

General character of religion

Shamans and psychotherapists

Revelation and divination

Offenses and sanctions

Form and rules of government

Puberty and initiation

Adolescent activities