The
Karamojong or
Karimojong, are an ethnic group of agro-pastoral herders. They live in the southern part of
KaramojaKaramoja sub-region is a region in northeastern Uganda comprising the five districts of Abim, Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Nakapiripirit. Kaabong is on the northeastern borders to Sudan and Kenya, and is home to the Kidepo Valley National Park, Nakapiripirit is the most-eastern one, bordering Mount...
region in the north-east of
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
, occupying an area equivalent to tenth of the country. Their language is also known (in English usage) as Karamojong or Karimojong, and is part of the Nilo-Saharan language group. According to anthropologists, the Karamojong are part of a group that migrated from
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
around 1600 A.D.
The
Karamojong or
Karimojong, are an ethnic group of agro-pastoral herders. They live in the southern part of
KaramojaKaramoja sub-region is a region in northeastern Uganda comprising the five districts of Abim, Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Nakapiripirit. Kaabong is on the northeastern borders to Sudan and Kenya, and is home to the Kidepo Valley National Park, Nakapiripirit is the most-eastern one, bordering Mount...
region in the north-east of
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
, occupying an area equivalent to tenth of the country. Their language is also known (in English usage) as Karamojong or Karimojong, and is part of the Nilo-Saharan language group. According to anthropologists, the Karamojong are part of a group that migrated from
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
around 1600 A.D. and split into two branches, with one branch moving to present day
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
to form the Kalenjin group and
MaasaiThe Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa, they are among the most well known of African ethnic groups...
cluster. The other branch, called Ateker migrated westwards. Ateker further split into several groups, including
TurkanaTurkana may refer to:* Turkana people of Kenya* Turkana language of Kenya* Lake Turkana in Kenya* Lake Turkana National Parks* Turkana District in Kenya* the fictional world of Turkana IV in a Star Trek Next Generation episode...
in present day Kenya,
ItesoThe Iteso or Teso people are an ethnic group in Uganda and Kenya . They are the second largest ethnic group in Uganda, living mainly in Teso sub-region, i.e., the districts of Amuria, Soroti, Kumi, Katakwi, Pallisa, Bukedea, Kaberamaido and Tororo. In Kenya they live in Teso District.Teso is the...
, Dodoth or Dodos,
JieJie might refer to:* Jie of Xia, last ruler of the Xia Dynasty of China* Jie , tribe in the Xiongnu Confederation in the 4th and 5th centuries* Jiedao, subdistrict, an administrative division in China...
, Karamojong, and
KumamThe Kumam are a Ugandan ethnic group of about 150,000 living mainly in Kaberamaido district as well as the western areas of Teso sub-region, and the south-east of Lango sub-region....
in present day Uganda, also Jiye and
ToposaToposa is an ethnic group in Sudan. They speak Toposa, a Nilotic language. Many members of this ethnicity are Christians. The population of this ethnicity possibly exceeds 100,000. Peace with the Buya, another ethnic group has been facilitated by the Galcholo Community Based Rehabilitation...
in southern Sudan all of them together known as the "Teso Cluster" or "Karamojong Cluster".
In the Karamojong language the people and the language have the convenient prefixes ŋi- and ŋa- respectively, lack of a prefix indicating the land / place in which they live. All the above mentioned branches from Ateker speak languages which are mutually intelligible to a greater or lesser degree. (The
LangoThe Langi live in Lango sub-region , north of Lake Kyoga. Lango Sub-region comprises the districts of Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Lira and Oyam...
in Uganda are also ethnically and genetically close to the ŋiKarimojong, evidenced by similar names among other things, though they adopted a dialect of the Luo language).
The main livelihood activity of the Karamojong is
herdingHerding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those...
livestockLivestock are one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food or fiber, or labor...
, which has social and cultural importance. Crop cultivation is a secondary activity, undertaken only in areas where it is practicable. Due to the
aridA region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
climateClimate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time...
of the region, the Karamojong have always practised a sort of pastoral
transhumanceTranshumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock over relatively short distances, typically to higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with the people necessary to tend them...
, where for 3-4 months in a year, they move their livestock to the neighbouring districts in search of water and pasture for their animals. The availability of food and water is always a concern and has an impact on the Karamojong's interaction with other ethnic groups.
The Karamojong have been involved in various conflicts centered on the practice of cattle raids. The Karamojong are in constant conflict with their neighbours in Uganda,
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
and
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
due to frequent cattle raids. This could be partly due to a traditional belief that the Karamojong own all the cattle by a divine right, but also because cattle are also an important element in the negotiations for a bride and young men use the raids as a right of passage and way of increasing their herds to gain status. In recent years the nature and the outcome of the raids have become increasingly violent with the acquisition of AK47s by the Karamojong. The Ugandan government have attempted to broker deals for weapons amnesties, but the number of cattle the Karamojong have wanted per gun has proved too steep for any meaningful agreement to be made.
The Karamojong were originally know as the Jie. The name Karamojong derived from phrase "Ekar ngmojong", meanig "the Old man can walk no farther" According to tradition, the group of people now known as the Karamojong are said to have migrated fom Abyssinia between the 1600 an 1700AD as a single group known as the Jie. When they reached the Kenyan Ethiopian border, they are said to have fragmented into several groups: The Turkana, Toposa, and the Dodoth. Of the three groups, the Turkana setled where they are now. The second group which became known as the Toposa continued strwaight to the present day Sudan. The third group, the Dodoth setled in Apule in northern part of the prsent day Karamoja. The main body continued southwards then on reaching the main territory now mainly occupied by the Jie, these main body are reported to have split into three groups and moved farther south: The Pia, the Bokora, and the Matheniko. the third body of three, the Matheniko went west and formed the Iteso, the Kumam, and the Langi. It was thes last group who travelled the farthest who are said to have used the phrase "the old man can walk no farther".
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