Who Are The Shilluk People?

Who are Shilluk people? The Shilluk are proud, self-sufficient and one of the tallest people in the world, with the average man measuring 182.6 cm. They practice a hierarchical system of leadership and are the only tribe in Sudan that still has a king who is the ultimate authority.
They are also known for their intensive crop farming and animal husbandry system and are the third largest ethnic group in South Sudan.
In this video, we will take you on a journey to the Shilluk kingdom, a territory of the Shilluk people, where we will look at the various aspects that define the people.
Origin of the Shilluk Kingdom
The origin of the Shilluk Kingdom remains a topic of controversy. According to myths, the ancestors of Shilluk, led by their influential leader Nyikang, migrated to the present region centuries ago.
It was stated that Nyikang's father, Okwa, married two women, Nyakayo and Ongwak, who bore him several children, of which Nyikang was one of them. While some considered Nyikang to be the eldest son of Okwa, others thought his brother Duwat was older.
After Okwa, their father, died, Nyikang and his brother wanted to succeed him, leading Duwat to assume leadership of his late father's monarchy eventually. Angered by his brother's actions, Nyikang refused to acknowledge his position and decided to migrate.
Before he left, Duwat threw a stick at him, indicating that he could not return to the land. Nyikang travelled for days and settled around the Sobat region, where he founded the Shilluk Kingdom. He married and had a son, and his descendants proliferated to become the present-day Shilluk people.
Around the 1650s, the authority of the Shilluk kingdom peaked, and the Reth introduced a trade monopoly in collaboration with other leaders. The looting escalated after the people suffered a drought disaster, which destroyed their crops in 1684.
The Shilluk began to lose its power when Muhammad Ali, the leader of Egypt, started a political move to conquer the Sudan Empire in 1820. The Turkish-Egyptian troops, also called the Othman Empire, eventually deposed the Funj Sultanate of the Sudan monarchy.
Subsequently, the Shiluk kingdom became a target for raiders, lost their political relevance and control of the White Nile and their kingdom was destroyed by the Othmans.
Customs and Traditions of the Shilluk
The Shilluk kingdom is organized into clans. Despite the flexibility of inter-tribal marriages, the clans remain unchanged and continue to reproduce themselves. Each Clan has a prominent role in this kingdom, such as building ritual shrines and undertaking repairs that affect the community.
Within the Shilluk clan, men are perceived as 'Lords' over women, and the initiation of boys into adulthood is a highly celebrated and elaborate ceremony conducted within the community. Boys who participate in this ceremony are recognized as men ready to own their farms and prepare for marriage.
The Shilluk marriage custom is similar to the customary practice of numerous tribes on the African continent, where the union of a man and a woman is carried out through the exchange of bride-wealth cattle provided by the groom's relatives to the potential bride's family.
Expectations are high that the bride's family will receive at least ten animals, including cows, oxen, and bulls, as bride-wealth cattle. After the wedding feast, the groom returns to his father's hamlet to establish a home with his new wife.
When a new wife becomes pregnant, preparations are for her to return home to give birth. It is due to their belief that her initial family is better equipped to prepare her for motherhood.



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