Iteso Clan groups in Uganda and Kenya
Iteso Clan groups in Uganda and Kenya: The Iteso community is the Nilotic ethnic group in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. “Teso” refers to the traditional homeland of the iteso and Ateso is their language. The Iteso people are divided into 9 clans; however, today 6 major clans are in existence, such as Ikaruwok, Ikatekok, Igoria, Inomu, Ikomolo, Irarak, and Iworopom, and there are also existing sub-clans in the region.
The Iteso clan is a network of families who have discovered their ancestry in a specific setting place. The Teso clan is the second largest ethnic group in Uganda. Traditionally, each clan had a head member of the clan called “apolon ka ateker.” According to the tradition, the papa of the clan was designated and chosen from other elders at a cheerful ceremony locally known as “airukorin” and was normally a brave, neutrality and intelligent person.
The initiation ceremony involves opening up and cleaning roads that have been intentionally blocked and bushy. Traditionally, the apolon ka ateker was very much respected and honored by the clan members. And each clan meeting was known as “Etems” and was organized to settle conflict. Each village community was known as Eitella, while the leader was called Eitella Arwon. An eitella consisted of several clans and each clan had a leader known as Rwot.
The iteso were bound by strong ties of kingship; members of the same ancestry regarded themselves as brothers and sisters and always formed their own settlements. Marriage among the same or within the same clan was considered a norm because they believed that the fellow clan member was considered your brother and sister.
And each clan group is associated with the specific names for a name, identifying the clan and the land of origin of that person. In Teso, any person without a clan name is considered a bond slave. The iteso also had an age system, “aturi,” and each age system consisted of men of the same age and each age set was formed at the time of initiation.
Iteso clan groups in Uganda and Kenya: Ikaribwok; this clan is the largest clan among Iteso, also known as ‘Ikaruok’ or ‘Ikarebuok.’ These are battle-hardened warriors or fighters. History says this clan group of people were the military warriors who fought the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the romans and the Arabs. Their brave and brilliant skills in battles made them the army to provide security for the Iteso. The word ‘ikaruok’ refers to people who make sounds of victory after winning a battle.
Iteso Clan groups in Uganda and Kenya: Irarak clan; this is the second largest clan group of migrants whom they have said to have come from Ethiopia. According to the history, these itunga were gatherers (ikerarak) of wild fruits and highly skilled animal hunters to feed the Iteso. Their great father was called Ojuruta, who was well-known as a great hunter and their women were known to be exceptionally good at fishing. The historians say members of this clan were found telling stories about their past hunting and fruit gathering.
Iteso clan groups in Uganda and Kenya: Ikatekok; this is the third largest clan among the Iteso. These people are good at mediating (aitikokokin or aipur) conflicts between people, families and clans over grazing land, waters, food, war loops, pasture, care of orphans and discipline of those who disrespect the cultural norms. The word ‘ikatekok’ comes from the Atesot word ‘aitikokin.’ Being good mediators, they also became good administrators who ensured discipline and conformity to the cultural norms of the Iteso and punished errant members.
Ikomolo; the ikomolo were said to have been brought from intermarriage between the Iteso and the Luo ethnic nationalities and they were known for food cursing. That is why they are called ikomolo (child of omolo). They are people well-known for food cursing. Based on the belief people have about them, “if they ate the first fruits of a certain tree, that fruit would make all the fruits bitter.” That is why we hear of some of them called ikomolo ‘amug’/’ituol’ (ikomolo who do not want to see live gourds in their live plants)
Inomu, these are the strong traditional medicine tribes in Teso. They were medical practitioners of human health especially treating bone and muscle diseases. They were the great pediatricians who could find solutions to the human health of the entire clan and they were minding a lot in the bone and muscle pain. They would perform all methods of medical procedures that were aimed at the management of fractured bones, sprained bones and muscles.
They were the Iteso pediatricians to whom people with sprains, fractures and muscle pains go for massage and bone fixing. They are experts in all wild medicinal plants and their parts that treat a range of ailments. To date, the inomu still practice traditional medicine, especially the orthopedic treatment
Igoria: The Iteso of the Igoria clan were good at art and building. They are impartially very good at crafts and carpentry work and their women are good specialists in roofing grass huts. Locally, their name ‘Igoria’ is deep-rooted from the name of a small bird called a hooded finch in English. This bird is smart, humble, and organized and makes smart and good nests. They make smart and nice nests
Ikuruka clan; these were mainly farmers. The historian believed this clan was organized okori in the second migration of iteso who opted to domesticate goats and cattle as well, transfer fruits they found in the bushes home to be planted, and they were settled subsistence farmers who supplemented their vegetarian diet with hunted wild game. The iteso foods emalakany, ecadoi, eboo, emaido, akokob, amukeke, emagira/edek, emuna, agaria, ka aikiring, and esudud are also known as well-built bodies. Among other clans to thrill while on Uganda cultural tours
A traveler on a Ugandan cultural tour to Teso regions will get an opportunity to interact with different clan groups in the region. You will also get to know different norms and beliefs of each clan and know the real history associated with the clan groups.
Iteso traditional Marriage
Marriage among the Teso people is recognized from two points of view. First and foremost, the consort comes in conjunction as a convention between two heterogamous clans; secondly, traditionally, both the men and women enter into polygamous marriage. Secondly, most Teso people, both men and women, enter into polygamous marriages; however, this practice has reduced in the early colonial periods.
As one man could marry about 4 or more women who would pay respect to their husband, divorce was a rare thing since whenever a divorce happened, the parents of the girl were required to return the bride wealth that was paid when taking the girl from their parents. The Iteso people speak the Nilotic language and are further divided into two branches, the Teso-speaking people and the Karamajong group, such as the Turkana, Jie, and Karamojong, as well as the Dodoth in Uganda and Kenya.
The Iteso people are believed to have originated from Sudan over some years back, although their movement is not yet known. Some literature has assumed that the Iteso originated from the Sudan and further moved to Karamajong, then loitered, continuing in the south direction. This was believed to be a lack of similar cultural names and rituals, like the Karamajong, that made them migrate. Locally, most of the Iteso clan names are mixed with the Bantu-speaking people and the Nilotic and others are mixed with the Japadola of Tororo due to their migration.
Traditionally, the parents of the spouses could organize marriage for their children even without their agreement. Besides, the boy could openly negotiate with the desired girl and if, conversely, the girl accepts the boy’s marriage proposal, she would inform her mother secretly and she would move away to begin helping the boy in his house. Traditionally it’s considered a norm by the girl’s clan if she goes to stay with the man without the clan’s knowledge.
As soon as the preparations and agreed date are made, the people from the boy’s clan would visit the girl’s family for an introduction as an agreement for the payment of the bride price would be agreed upon. Thereafter, the bond will be officially allowed after paying the bride price following the traditional wedding.
Traditionally the Iteeso marriage involves taking of items such as , cattle, goats, chicken, soap, “gomus” for the girls’ aunties and mother, a stool, and a stick for men
Traditionally, the child was raised and monitored by the entire clan and not a particular family. Following approval of the cows, one day was arranged on which the cows would be taken to the girl’s home and traditionally it was the same day on which the girl would be escorted by her aunt to the boy’s home to start taking care of her husband.
Childbirths and designation.
Traditionally, the Itesots had a folkloric love and belief when naming their children. Among Iteso, there are three forms of birth, such as the single child, twins, and the spiritual birth. According to them, the first two types were seen to be normal but the spiritual birth was believed to be in the form of air or water.
Way back a child could be given names according to the occurrence of the season in which it was born, like during a famine, harvest or drought, and at times based on a particular day of the week or the time at which it was born, which can be morning, afternoon, or evening. On the pain that was felt by the mother during pregnancy.
The newborn baby would be proposed to the clan by conducting the traditional ritual ceremony called “etale” as a warm welcome to be a member of the clan, usually after the child has been given the name. Normally, this ceremony was only restricted to members of the clan only but some clans would allow outsiders to participate.
The roads and the paths leading to the home where the ceremony was being carried out were placed with boundaries to prevent the outsiders from entering. They had a belief that the outsiders would use their evil eyes to initiate on the child. This ceremony involved a lot of eating and drinking. The food was made up of millet, not mixed with cassava and unsalted peas with groundnut paste and oil. The use of pots was forbidden; only calabashes called “Adere” were used for drinking local brew called “ajon.”
Death
According to the tradition, the Iteso community didn’t take up death as an obvious issue. They believed that Death was connected to ancestral spirits and witchcraft. Whereby immediately a person died, a witch doctor would be asked to check the cause of death. The dead person was bathed in the courtyard and wrapped in abangut (backcloth) and thereafter it was buried.
The body of a woman was made to lie on its right side, as that of a man was made to lie on its left side. It was traditional to bury a dead body with objects needles or razorblades to put off cannibals who wished to use their witch magic to excavate the dead body from the graves. There was a belief that if the dead had a needle for example, it would say that it was still busy sewing its clothes and therefore decline coming out of the grave in case it was called upon by a cannibal.
Travelers on Uganda cultural tours to the Teso region will give you a reason to embark on a cultural exploration of the Teso people, one of the ethnic groups in eastern Uganda. You will also visit traditional Teso settlements called “etogo” and gain insights into their agricultural practices and rural way of life. Also, you will engage in various activities like farming, basket weaving, or traditional food preparation, experiencing the cultural practices firsthand and also interact with the local community members and learn about their customs, tradition and folklore.
