Shilluk
|
Shilluk portrait circa 1914 |
The
Shilluk are a major
Nilotic ethnic group of southern
Sudan, living on the west bank of the
Nile around the city of
Malakal. They are the third largest minority ethnic group of South Sudan, after the
Dinka and their neighbors the
Nuer. They are led by a king (
reth) considered divine, who traces his lineage back to the
culture hero Nyikang, and whose health is believed to affect that of the nation; . Their society was fairly hierarchical, with castes of royals, nobles, commoners, and slaves. Like most Nilotic groups,
cattle-raising formed a large part of their economy; however,
agriculture and
fishing were more significant than usual, and most were sedentary. Most Shilluk have converted to
Christianity, while some still follow the traditional religion. The Shilluk stayed on the sidelines for most of the
Second Sudanese Civil War, but were engulfed in fighting during 2004.
Their language, the
Shilluk language, belongs to the
Luo branch of the
Western Nilotic subfamily of
Nilo-Saharan.
*
Refugees International about the Shilluk*
The Shilluk: Postwar challenges
