21A.100 Prof. howe More on the nuer 1. Ghost Marriage: a woman is married to a dead man Among the Nuer, this kind of marriage is almost as frequent as marriage a living man b. A living man is found to physically father a child for the dead man. tO understand this, one must distinguish between i. The genitor- biological father ii. The Pater-legal father c. This often takes place when a man is killed in a feud. Bloodwealth payments are used to pay the brideprice far the dead mans marriage The point is to fulfill the dead mans lineage ii. The children of the dead man may eventually avenge him, despite the payment of bloodwealth d. In this way, bride wealth and blood wealth are fluid and tied together ina cycle e. Sudan is not the only place where this happens. In France, if a man and woman are engaged, but the man dies, the woman can still legally marry him and have the legal benefits of the union Woman Marriage: if a woman is barren, she may assume the legal role of a man She will marry a woman and use a genitor to father children 3. So kinship is constructed, not simply natural
21A.100 Prof. Howe More On The Nuer 1. Ghost Marriage: a woman is married to a dead man a. Among the Nuer, this kind of marriage is almost as frequent as marriage to a living man b. A living man is found to physically father a child for the dead man. TO understand this, one must distinguish between: i. The Genitor – biological father ii. The Pater – legal father c. This often takes place when a man is killed in a feud. Bloodwealth payments are used to pay the brideprice far the dead man’s marriage. i. The point is to fulfill the dead man’s lineage ii. The children of the dead man may eventually avenge him, despite the payment of bloodwealth d. In this way, bride wealth and blood wealth are fluid and tied together ina cycle. e. Sudan is not the only place where this happens. In France, if a man and woman are engaged, but the man dies, the woman can still legally marry him and have the legal benefits of the union 2. Woman Marriage: if a woman is barren, she may assume the legal role of a man. She will marry a woman and use a genitor to father children 3. So kinship is constructed, not simply natural
his system is imposed on seemingly natural patterns b. Despite their patrilineal descents, the Nuer see maternal kinship as much more natural The father has to overcome his children's natural connections to ii. A man uses payments of cattle to his wife's lineage to establish his connection with and rights in his children c. In the US we are hung up on genetic connection. We see it as completely natural New reproductive technologies are changing our ideas of relations and kinship 4. Struggles Within Kinship Systems a. For the nuer To be a full man you must have cattle to exchange or sacrifice Initiation makes a man out of a boy 2. symbolically breaks his connection with his mother i1. To be a woman, you must have children to manipulate the system b. Men struggle with their wives because the system creates"normal pi 1. If a man can marry two wives, those children are natural competitors King Lear- classic story of children struggling with parents over Inheritance and power
a. This system is imposed on seemingly natural patterns b. Despite their patrilineal descents, the Nuer see maternal kinship as much more natural i. The father has to overcome his children’s natural connections to their mother ii. A man uses payments of cattle to his wife’s lineage to establish his connection with and rights in his children c. In the US we are hung up on genetic connection. We see it as completely natural. i. New reproductive technologies are changing our ideas of relations and kinship 4. Struggles Within Kinship Systems a. For the Nuer: i. To be a full man you must have cattle to exchange or sacrifice 1. Initiation makes a man out of a boy 2. symbolically breaks his connection with his mother ii. To be a woman, you must have children to manipulate the system b. Men struggle with their wives because the system creates “normal” problems i. If a man can marry two wives, those children are natural competitors ii. King Lear – classic story of children struggling with parents over inheritance and power
c. In America, we tend to think of children as a fulfillment of parents dream All sorts of ambivalence in this, as we saw in Number Our Days ii. Power though degrees and earning potential 5. Struggle Within the Larger Group Spears: EP noticed that this material objects had great meaning It's an everyday tool, everyman has one Nuer men never go anywhere without their spear iii. It's an extension of the person iv. It's always held in the right hand Essay by hertz, a student of Mauss, on the difference between left and right hands, called"The Right Hand 2. The right side has significance to the Nuer: they deform the horns of their ox to the left they often tie up their left arm for months so that is not used as much as the right hand 3. Symbolic and moral distinctions between left and right sides seem to be a universal v. Nuer spears are individually owned vi. Every lineage has a spear name vii. The Spear is often used to sacrifice animals 1. an ox sacrifice is the best, a goat is next best, and a cucumber may stand in during lean times 2. Four ste a. Tie up the animal
c. In America, we tend to think of children as a fulfillment of parents dreams i. All sorts of ambivalence in this, as we saw in Number Our Days ii. Power though degrees and earning potential 5. Struggle Within the Larger Group a. Spears: EP noticed that this material objects had great meaning i. It’s an everyday tool, everyman has one ii. Nuer men never go anywhere without their spear iii. It’s an extension of the person iv. It’s always held in the right hand 1. Essay by Hertz, a student of Mauss, on the difference between left and right hands, called “The Right Hand” 2. The right side has significance to the Nuer: they deform the horns of their ox to the left, they often tie up their left arm for months so that is not used as much as the right hand 3. Symbolic and moral distinctions between left and right sides seem to be a universal v. Nuer spears are individually owned vi. Every lineage has a spear name vii. The Spear is often used to sacrifice animals 1. an ox sacrifice is the best, a goat is next best, and a cucumber may stand in during lean times 2. Four steps: a. Tie up the animal
b. Concecrate it with ashes c. Recite an invocation d. Kill the animal b. Sacrifice is a huge symbolic act i. Often used to 2. fend off intrusion by the spirit world 3. repay for homicide 4. fight off an illness sacrifice is not used to increase crops or cattle The ritual of killing an animal empowers all sorts of things in social life. Its an all-purpose symbol, can be varied according to circumstance 1. In a case of incest, where someone marries a person too closely related. an ox is sacrificed and cut in half to symbolically separate the familial bond between the two people 2. This is also done at funerals to separate the ghost from its thly life 3. To end a feud all males involved attack the ox and cut apaI 4. To appease the crocodile spirit, the animal is sacrificed rver
b. Concecrate it with ashes c. Recite an invocation d. Kill the animal b. Sacrifice is a huge symbolic act i. Often used to: 1. get rid of danger 2. fend off intrusion by the spirit world 3. repay for homicide 4. fight off an illness ii. sacrifice is not used to increase crops or cattle iii. The ritual of killing an animal empowers all sorts of things in social life. It’s an all-purpose symbol, can be varied according to circumstance. 1. In a case of incest, where someone marries a person too closely related, an ox is sacrificed and cut in half to symbolically separate the familial bond between the two people 2. This is also done at funerals to separate the ghost from its earthly life 3. To end a feud, all males involved attack the ox and cut is apart 4. To appease the crocodile spirit, the animal is sacrificed at the river
iv. Animals also function in place of people v. It's important to use an ox, a castrated male, rather than a bull 1. An ox is symbolic of being a full Nuer male 2. the castration of the ox symbolizes being a socialized moral male 3. Uninitiated males are called"bull boys vi. Almost every ox is destined for sacrifice it is thought that an ox will be angry if it is not sacrificed vii. Every male can, and is expected to, make a sacrifice-very egalitarian 6. EP and Nuer Religion a. EPs book on Nuer religion reflects heavily on what was going on in EPs own spiritual life EP had converted to Catholicism. like a number of Oxford professors l1. Part of a very intellectual form of Catholicism b. The book was an attempt to show the existence of religion in the absence of a church or organizing body Radcliffe-Brown saw religion as some kind of support for society 1. saw religion as a kind of failure of thought, moving away from science 2. Other 20 century British anthropologists analyzed religion in terms of its function
iv. Animals also function in place of people v. It’s important to use an ox, a castrated male, rather than a bull 1. An ox is symbolic of being a full Nuer male 2. the castration of the ox symbolizes being a socialized, moral male 3. Uninitiated males are called “bull boys” vi. Almost every ox is destined for sacrifice 1. it is thought that an ox will be angry if it is not sacrificed vii. Every male can, and is expected to, make a sacrifice – very egalitarian 6. EP and Nuer Religion a. EP’s book on Nuer religion reflects heavily on what was going on in EP’s own spiritual life i. EP had converted to Catholicism, like a number of Oxford professors ii. Part of a very intellectual form of Catholicism b. The book was an attempt to show the existence of religion in the absence of a church or organizing body i. Radcliffe-Brown saw religion as some kind of support for society 1. saw religion as a kind of failure of thought, moving away from science 2. Other 20th century British anthropologists analyzed religion in terms of its function
EP showed that Nuer religion worked like any other religion 1. had a high religious sensibility 2. many spirits were all variations on God as a whole(very much in line with Catholic beliefs 3. implicitly counters the idea that this kind of thinking is Itive a. Example: The Nuer often call twins"birds". It seems silly at first, but there is a theological conception at work. Birds have multiple eggs and are very closely connected with the spirit world. It actually a very sophisticated metapho
ii. EP showed that Nuer religion worked like any other religion 1. had a high religious sensibility 2. many spirits were all variations on God as a whole (very much in line with Catholic beliefs) 3. implicitly counters the idea that this kind of thinking is primitive a. Example: The Nuer often call twins “birds”. It seems silly at first, but there is a theological conception at work. Birds have multiple eggs and are very closely connected with the spirit world. It is actually a very sophisticated metaphor
