The Nuer people mostly lived in Southern Sudan and their culture is very similar to that of the Dinka who live to their west (Holtzman, 2000).
The Nuer culture has been forced or influenced to change by various factors. Introduction of western civilization led to a civil war due to collision between those who believed and still held on to traditional culture and those who had embraced the western culture (Holtzman, 2000).
Another factor was that of cattle rustling (Holtzman, 2000). The Dinka and Nuer communities stole cattle from each other and in the process, killed each other. Traditionally, this was considered to be a spiritual pollution and some sort of cleansing was to be performed by an earth priest before eating or drinking (Holtzman, 2000). Thus the Nuer were forced to flee from Sudan and become refugees in both the United States and neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (Holtzman, 2000).
From what I have learnt, the change in the Nuer traditional culture has been for the better since opportunities like job opportunities have been created, something which would have been impossible if they were still living in Sudan (Holtzman, 2000). Many have also vowed to go back to Sudan and try changing the traditional culture for the betterment of their community (Holtzman, 2000).
If I was in charge of the Sudan government, I would try and introduce programs to educate the Nuer community on the advantages of cultural change for the advancement of the country as a whole. I would also sit down with their respective elders and discuss on ways of finding lasting solutions concerning their civil war due to cattle rustling.
By this, Sudan would once again be a safe haven for all.
Reference
Holtzman, Jon. (2000). Nuer Journeys, Nuer Lives: Sudanese Refugees in Minnesota. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.