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between the 1600 and 1700 AD as a single group. When they reached the area around the modern Kenyan-Ethiopian border, they are said to have fragmented into several groups including those that became
Turkana, Toposa, and the Dodoth. The group that became known as the Toposa continued to present-day southern Sudan; the Dodoth settled in Apule in the northern part of present-day Karamoja. The Turkana settled in Kenya where they remain to this day and today's Jie of Uganda are thought to have split from them, moving up the escarpment into today's Kotido District. The main body continued southwards, reportedly consisting of seven groups or clans who settled in today's southern Karamoja, eventually merging to become the three clans now existing: the Matheniko in the east around Moroto mountain, the Pian in the south and the Bokora in the west. However, a significant sized group went west and formed the Iteso, the Kumam, and the Langi. It was this group who were said to have used the phrase "the old men can walk no farther".
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This ensures that the man will be strong enough to care for and protect his wife. After a successful match, the dowry negotiations are allowed to commence. In an instance where the young man is unable to defeat the woman in the wrestling match, he will not be considered by his people to be a man and will often leave to marry a woman from a different people-group where a test of strength is not required. If a non-Karamojong man desires to marry a
Karamojong woman, he is also required to go through this ceremony.
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among their close neighbours, the Jie. However, the
Karamojong system is flexible enough to contain a build-up of tension between generations over a cycle of 50 years or so. When this can no longer be resolved peacefully, the breakdown in order leads to a switch in power from the ruling generation to their successors and a new status quo. The next changeover is expected around 2013, and we should by now know if the prediction was accurate. [Dyson-Hudson, Neville (1966),
58:
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area; in 2000, it was estimated that the
Karamojong people had between 100,000 and 150,000 weapons. In December 2000, the Ugandan government passed the Disarmament Act that offered iron sheets and plows in exchange for the weapons. The Karamojong were resistant to the idea; fewer than 10,000 weapons were ever recovered.
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The
Ugandan government has attempted to disarm the Karamojong but they have been reluctant to give up their weapons due to a need to defend themselves against cross-border cattle raids. The Department for Karamoja Affairs was established by the Ugandan government to address the special needs of the
230:
It is said that the
Karamojong were originally known as the Jie. The name Karamojong derived from the phrase "ekar ngimojong", meaning "the old men can walk no farther". According to tradition, the peoples now known as the Karamojong Cluster or Teso Cluster are said to have migrated from Abyssinia
354:
due to frequent cattle raids. This is because cattle are an important element in the negotiations for a bride and young men use the raids as a rite 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
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As both a rite of passage into manhood, as well as a requirement for engagement, a young
Karamojong man is required to wrestle the woman he desires to marry. If he is successful in winning the wrestling match against the woman, he is now considered to be a man and is permitted to marry the woman.
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The dominant feature of
Karamojong society is their age system, which is strictly based on generation. As successive generations have an increasing overlap in age, this leads logically to a breakdown of the system, which appears to have occurred after rules were relaxed in the nineteenth century
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The
Karamojong have been continually discriminated against in the modern era, first for resisting British colonizers in what is now Uganda, and in the late 20th and 21st centuries and for maintaining underdeveloped villages compared to more urban parts of the country. Then-Prime Minister
251:, the people and the language have the convenient prefixes ŋi- and ŋa- respectively. Lack of a prefix indicates the land where they live. All the above-mentioned branches from Ateker speak languages that are mutually intelligible. The
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This is a traditional dance that involves jumping and body shaking performed by the
Karimojong people in North Eastern Uganda on functions including weddings, calamity cleansing.
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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.
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187:, occupying an area equivalent to one tenth of the country. According to anthropologists, the Karamojong are part of a group that migrated from present-day
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288:, where for 3–4 months in a year, they move their livestock to the neighboring districts in search of water and pasture for their animals.
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274:, which has social and cultural importance. Crop cultivation is a secondary activity, undertaken only in areas where it is practicable.
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The availability of food and water is always a concern and affects the Karamojong's interaction with other ethnic groups.
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cluster. The other branch, called Ateker, migrated westwards. Ateker further split into several groups, including
655:"Get the Gun": Human Rights Violations by Uganda's National Army in Law Enforcement Operations in Karamoja Region
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to develop," advocating for the Ugandan government to effectively abandon their fellow countrymen.
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in southern Sudan all of them together now known as the "Teso Cluster" or "Karamojong Cluster".
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Free range cattle grazing in Karamoja North in reference to one of the causes of Cattle Raids
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around 1600 A.D. and split into two branches, with one branch moving to present day
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The Karamojong have been involved in various conflicts centered on the practice of
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Indigenous Peoples: An Encyclopedia of Culture, History, and Threats to Survival
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ethnic group. They are agro-pastoral herders living mainly in the north-east of
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Karamojong traditional dance have remarkable and has stood the taset of time.
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The Karamojong live in the southern part of the region in the north-east of
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605:"The Karamojong traditional culture | The Karamojongs | Kidepo Valley Park"
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The Karamojong are in constant conflict with their neighbors in Uganda,
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The Pastoral Continuum: The Marginalization of Tradition in East Africa
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of the region, the Karamojong have always practised a sort of pastoral
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Decentralized Governance of Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa
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Reconciliation(s): Transitional Justice in Postconflict Societies
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528:"Karamojong People | Uganda Cultural Tourism | Safaris Uganda"
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239:, a species of gecko described in 2023, is named after them.
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482:"National Population and Housing Census 2014 - Main Report"
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698:"Karamoja no-longer needs to be waited for to develop"
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World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples
143:. Their population is estimated at 475,000 people.
16:Nilotic ethnic group native to northeastern Uganda
304:, Clarendon Press, Oxford. Spencer, Paul (1998),
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308:, Clarendon Press, Oxford (pp. 99–119).]
150:Pokot Settlement in Eastern Karamoja in Uganda
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371:famously said in 1963 "We shall not wait for
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675:. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 177.
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658:. Human Rights Watch. 2007. pp. 4–21.
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174:Sukas from Karamoja on display in Moroto
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158:Karimojong girls in Northeastern Uganda
34:The annual Karamojong cultural festival
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748:UGPulse.com articles on the Karamojong
696:Ntungwerisho, Colman (June 25, 2019).
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435:Williams, Victoria R. (2020-02-24).
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50:Regions with significant populations
551:Friis-Hansen, Esbern (2017-07-12).
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135:. Their language is also known as
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669:Quinn, Joanna R. (2009-04-01).
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195:to form the Kalenjin group and
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441:. ABC-CLIO. pp. 540–543.
330:Two Karamojong children (2009)
267:activity of the Karamojong is
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753:everyculture.com - Karamojong
480:Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
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219:in present-day Uganda, also
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584:Kidepo Valley National Park
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247:Related to Turkana: in the
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629:"Uganda. The art of dance"
557:. CABI. pp. 123–127.
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499:"Population Composition"
355:with the acquisition of
1045:Ethnic groups in Uganda
793:Ethnic groups in Uganda
720:"A Journey In The Dark"
141:Nilotic language family
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203:in present-day Kenya,
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609:Achieve Gorilla Tours
603:kawlaw (2021-10-25).
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236:Lygodactylus karamoja
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105:Related ethnic groups
578:polly (2017-09-14).
526:polly (2019-11-05).
718:Chamberlain, Mark.
359:by the Karamojong.
302:Karimojong Politics
295:Social organization
249:Karamojong language
139:and is part of the
79:Karamojong language
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633:www.southworld.net
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215:, Karamojong, and
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682:978-0-7735-7673-5
564:978-1-78639-076-9
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95:Christianity
19:Ethnic group
348:South Sudan
277:Due to the
1034:Categories
919:Karamojong
639:2024-01-11
614:2024-02-13
589:2024-02-13
537:2024-02-13
411:References
265:livelihood
125:Karimojong
121:Karamojong
23:Karamojong
834:Bafumbira
729:April 28,
703:April 28,
335:Conflicts
272:livestock
263:The main
73:Languages
511:7 August
506:ubos.org
463:"Uganda"
379:See also
373:Karamoja
243:Language
189:Ethiopia
89:Religion
1019:Wahinda
1004:Songora
969:Nubians
949:Lugbara
864:Bunyoro
859:Baruuli
854:Banyole
849:Banyala
839:Baganda
395:Buganda
282:climate
269:herding
259:Culture
201:Turkana
179:History
129:Nilotic
68:371,713
45:475,000
984:Oropom
964:Masaba
894:Hororo
874:Dodoth
869:Busoga
829:Aringa
824:Ankole
809:Adhola
679:
561:
445:
385:Acholi
225:Toposa
209:Dodoth
197:Maasai
185:Uganda
133:Uganda
127:are a
110:Other
64:Uganda
61:
1014:Tooro
999:Sebei
994:Samia
989:Pokot
979:Nyoro
974:Nkole
939:Lango
934:Kumam
929:Konjo
914:Kakwa
909:Kadam
889:Gwere
844:Bagwe
804:Acoli
502:(PDF)
485:(PDF)
390:Lango
357:AK47s
352:Kenya
253:Lango
217:Kumam
205:Iteso
193:Kenya
1009:Teso
959:Madi
944:Logo
924:Kiga
879:Gisu
819:Amba
814:Alur
731:2023
705:2023
677:ISBN
559:ISBN
513:2023
443:ISBN
405:Teso
400:Gisu
350:and
279:arid
223:and
221:Jiye
119:The
954:Luo
904:Jie
213:Jie
123:or
1036::
899:Ik
722:.
631:.
607:.
582:.
530:.
504:.
465:.
419:^
343:.
211:,
207:,
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617:.
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567:.
540:.
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487:.
451:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
