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Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic group
Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of humans whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or presumed.Ethnic identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness and the recognition of common culture, linguistic, religion, human behaviour or Race traits, real or presumed, as indic...
s mainly in southern Sudan
Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba, Sudan as its capital city. Under the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with Sudan, the south has been given a large degree of autonomy and the chance to vote for full independence in 2011 after six years of home rule....
, Uganda
Uganda

The 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....
, Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
, and northern Tanzania
Tanzania

Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south....
, who speak Nilotic languages
Nilotic languages

The Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area between southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding....
, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages
Nilo-Saharan languages

The Nilo-Saharan languages are a hypothetical group of African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari River and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet....
. These include the Kalenjin
Kalenjin

Kalenjin is an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya. The Kalenjin population is estimated at roughly 3 million....
, Luo
Luo (family of ethnic groups)

The Luo are a family of ethnolinguistically affiliated ethnic groups located in an area that stretches from Southern Sudan, through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania....
, Ateker
Ateker

Ateker or Atekerin is a common name for the closely related Jie, Karimojong, Turkana, and Teso peoples and their languages. Itung'a and Teso have been used among ethnographers, while the term Teso-Turkana languages is sometimes used for the languages, which are of Eastern Nilotic languages stock....
, Dinka
Dinka

The Dinka are a group of tribes of south Sudan, inhabiting the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile, Sudan regions....
, Nuer
Nuer

The Nuer are a confederation of tribes located in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. Collectively, the Nuer form one of the largest ethnic groups in East Africa....
, Shilluk
Shilluk

The Shilluk prefer to be known as Chollo, rather than the more widely known term, Shilluk, and their language as dhok-Chollo, dhok being the Chollo word for mouth....
 and the Maa-speaking peoples
Maa languages

The Maa languages are a group of closely related Eastern Nilotic languages spoken in parts of Kenya and Tanzania by more than a million speakers altogether....
 – all which are clusters of several ethnic groups.

The terms Nilotic and Nilote were previously used as racial classifications, based on now widely discarded perceptions. These terms are now foremost used to distinguish "Nilotic people" from their ethnic neighbours (mainly Bantu
Bantu languages

The Bantu languages constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo languages family. This grouping is deep down in the genealogical tree of the Bantoid grouping, which in turn is deep down in the Niger-Congo tree....
 speaking people), based on ethnolinguistic affiliation.






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Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic group
Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of humans whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or presumed.Ethnic identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness and the recognition of common culture, linguistic, religion, human behaviour or Race traits, real or presumed, as indic...
s mainly in southern Sudan
Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba, Sudan as its capital city. Under the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with Sudan, the south has been given a large degree of autonomy and the chance to vote for full independence in 2011 after six years of home rule....
, Uganda
Uganda

The 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....
, Kenya
Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
, and northern Tanzania
Tanzania

Tanzania , officially the United Republic of Tanzania , is a country in East Africa that is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south....
, who speak Nilotic languages
Nilotic languages

The Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area between southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding....
, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages
Nilo-Saharan languages

The Nilo-Saharan languages are a hypothetical group of African languages spoken mainly in the upper parts of the Chari River and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet....
. These include the Kalenjin
Kalenjin

Kalenjin is an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya. The Kalenjin population is estimated at roughly 3 million....
, Luo
Luo (family of ethnic groups)

The Luo are a family of ethnolinguistically affiliated ethnic groups located in an area that stretches from Southern Sudan, through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania....
, Ateker
Ateker

Ateker or Atekerin is a common name for the closely related Jie, Karimojong, Turkana, and Teso peoples and their languages. Itung'a and Teso have been used among ethnographers, while the term Teso-Turkana languages is sometimes used for the languages, which are of Eastern Nilotic languages stock....
, Dinka
Dinka

The Dinka are a group of tribes of south Sudan, inhabiting the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile, Sudan regions....
, Nuer
Nuer

The Nuer are a confederation of tribes located in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. Collectively, the Nuer form one of the largest ethnic groups in East Africa....
, Shilluk
Shilluk

The Shilluk prefer to be known as Chollo, rather than the more widely known term, Shilluk, and their language as dhok-Chollo, dhok being the Chollo word for mouth....
 and the Maa-speaking peoples
Maa languages

The Maa languages are a group of closely related Eastern Nilotic languages spoken in parts of Kenya and Tanzania by more than a million speakers altogether....
 – all which are clusters of several ethnic groups.

The terms Nilotic and Nilote were previously used as racial classifications, based on now widely discarded perceptions. These terms are now foremost used to distinguish "Nilotic people" from their ethnic neighbours (mainly Bantu
Bantu languages

The Bantu languages constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo languages family. This grouping is deep down in the genealogical tree of the Bantoid grouping, which in turn is deep down in the Niger-Congo tree....
 speaking people), based on ethnolinguistic affiliation. Etymologically, the terms Nilotic and Nilote (also spelled Nilot) derive from the Nile Valley, specifically the Upper Nile and its tributaries, where most Sudanese Nilo-Saharan-speaking people live.

Linguistic divisions

Linguistically, Nilotic people are divided into three sub-groups:
  • Eastern Nilotic
    Eastern Nilotic languages

    The Eastern Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic languages subfamily of Nilo-Saharan languages; they are believed to have begun to diverge about 3,000 years ago, and have spread southwards from an original home in Equatoria in the far south of Sudan....
  • Southern Nilotic
    Southern Nilotic languages

    The Southern Nilotic languages are spoken mainly in western Kenya and northern Tanzania . They are generally divided into two groups, Kalenjin languages and Omotik-Datooga languages, although there is some uncertainty as to the internal coherence of the Kalenjin branch....
  • Western Nilotic
    Western Nilotic languages

    The Western Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic languages subfamily of Nilo-Saharan languages....


Ethnic divisions

Nilotic people constitute a large part of the population of Southern Sudan
Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan is located in Africa with Juba, Sudan as its capital city. Under the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement with Sudan, the south has been given a large degree of autonomy and the chance to vote for full independence in 2011 after six years of home rule....
. The largest of the Sudanese Nilotic people are the Dinka
Dinka

The Dinka are a group of tribes of south Sudan, inhabiting the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile, Sudan regions....
, which includes as many as twenty-five ethnic groups. The next largest group are the Nuer
Nuer

The Nuer are a confederation of tribes located in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. Collectively, the Nuer form one of the largest ethnic groups in East Africa....
, followed by the Shilluk
Shilluk

The Shilluk prefer to be known as Chollo, rather than the more widely known term, Shilluk, and their language as dhok-Chollo, dhok being the Chollo word for mouth....
.

The Nilotic people in Uganda include the Luo group
Luo (family of ethnic groups)

The Luo are a family of ethnolinguistically affiliated ethnic groups located in an area that stretches from Southern Sudan, through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania....
 (Acholi
Acholi

Acholi is an ethnic group from the districts of Gulu District, Kitgum District and Pader District in northern Uganda , and Magwe County in southern Sudan....
, Alur
Alur

Alur may refer to:*Alur people of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.*Alur, Afghanistan, a town in AfghanistanAlur may also refer to several Panchayat and villages in India,:Andhra Pradesh::*Alur village in Nizamabad District::*Alur village in Rangareddi District::*Alur village in Anantapur District:Karnataka...
 and Jopadhola
Jopadhola

The Jopadhola or Badama are an ethnic group of Uganda. They live Tororo District in southeastern Uganda and comprise about two percent of the country's total population....
), the Ateker
Ateker

Ateker or Atekerin is a common name for the closely related Jie, Karimojong, Turkana, and Teso peoples and their languages. Itung'a and Teso have been used among ethnographers, while the term Teso-Turkana languages is sometimes used for the languages, which are of Eastern Nilotic languages stock....
 (Iteso
Iteso

The Iteso, plural 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 District, Soroti District, Kumi District, Katakwi, Pallisa, Bukedea, Kaberamaido and Tororo....
 and Karamojong
Karamojong

The Karamojong or Karimojong, are an ethnic group of agro-pastoral herders. They live in the southern part of Karamoja region in the north-east of Uganda, occupying an area equivalent to tenth of the country....
), and the Lango
Lango

The Lango people live in Lango sub-region in the central area of Uganda, north of Lake Kyoga. Lango Sub-region comprises the districts of Amolatar District, Apac District, Dokolo District, Lira District and Oyam District....
 and Kumam
Kumam

The Kumam are a Ugandan ethnic group of about 150,000 living mainly in Kaberamaido as well as the western areas of Teso sub-region, and the south-east of Lira District....
.

In Kenya, the Nilotes are often categorised into three subgroups:
  • The Plain Nilotes, who speak Maa languages: the Maasai
    Maasai

    The Maasai are an Indigenous peoples 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 African ethnic groups internationally....
    , Samburu
    Samburu

    The Samburu are an ethnic group in north central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels....
     and Turkana
    Turkana

    Turkana may refer to:* Turkana people of Kenya* Turkana language of Kenya* Lake Turkana in Kenya* Lake Turkana National Parks* Turkana District in Kenya...
  • The River lake Nilotes: the Joluo (Kenyan Luo), who are part of the larger Luo
    Luo (family of ethnic groups)

    The Luo are a family of ethnolinguistically affiliated ethnic groups located in an area that stretches from Southern Sudan, through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania....
     group
  • The Highland Nilotic or Kalenjin, which includes several smaller groups: Elgeyo
    Elgeyo

    The Elgeyo are an ethnic group that is part the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of nilotic origin. They live near Eldoret, Kenya in the highlands of the Keiyo District....
    , Keiyo, Kipsigis
    Kipsigis

    The Kipsigis was a pastoralist ethnic group in Kenya, speaking the Kipsigis language.Currently the community practises farming and they are famously known for growing Kenyan "green gold" - tea....
    , Marakwet
    Marakwet

    Marakwet is a corruption of Markweta. It is a sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin group with an estimated population of 200 000. It is made up of the sub-dialects Almoo, Cherangany , Endoow, Markweta , Sombirir and Kiptaani who presently predominantly live in Marakwet District in the Rift Valley Province, Kenya Province of Kenya....
    , Nandi, Pokot
    Pokot

    The Pokot people live in the West Pokot District and Baringo Districts of Kenya and in eastern Karamoja in Uganda. They speak P?koot language, language of the Southern Nilotic languages language family....
    , Sabaot, Terik, and Tugen
    Tugen

    Tugen may also refer to Tugen Hills in KenyaThe Tugen are a branch of the Kalenjin community and they occupy the districts of Baringo and Koibatek in Rift Valley, Kenya....