Shilluk

Member of a Nilotic people living in the flat grassland on both sides of the River Nile in Sudan. Cattle are their wealth and, although much millet is grown, not enough is harvested to meet the demands of a relatively dense population.

The Shilluk live in hamlets under the authority of a headman. Their king is regarded as a reincarnation of Nyikang, the Shilluk culture hero, who is closely connected to the Christian concept of God, and whose spirit is everlasting. The king is responsible for the moral and material well-being of his people, and is, by tradition, put to death if he grows weak or senile.