The Ketebo people are an

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

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.Ketebo tribe petition E. Equatoria for ethnic recognition

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The Ketebo are inhabitants of Bira which is the land of the Ketebo. Bira which was a Ugandan Protectorate until 1925 and was transferred to Sudan’s administration in 1926. The Ketebo are sometimes referred to by the Didinga as "Loceha/Loceka". The Ketebo live in Bira, which is one of the Payams of Kidepo County, Torit,

Eastern Equatoria State Eastern Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 73,472 km². The capital is Torit. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and Namorunyang states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 Febru ...

of South Sudan. They are one of the smallest and least known tribes in South Sudan. The Ketebo in Uganda are called Mening, which is also one of the smallest tribes in Uganda. The population of this ethnic group is over 45,000. Bira is the land of the Ketebo which include; Lofus, Madial, Lorum, Lotome, Lojilingare, Arata, Nakoringole, Lonyili, Kamulach, Tulel, Ofi, Natedo, Nahitahapel (Ihapelmoru), Naurkori, Lochorangichokio, Lokudul, Napeyase, Ogeng, Tongoborei, Kalabe (Apoka), Irobi, Narus, Koryang, Tomoodo, Koryang, Losigiria, Irobi just to mention a few. The Ketebo people are also found in Lotukei in Budi County. The Ketebo clans include the following: Akafuo, Amening (Ikuruha or Black Crow), Ametere, Fatuol, Ibilei, Icarai, Igago, Ikai (Lightening), Ikorom, Ingebe, Kitimo, Kurumo, Lohutok (white chest crow), Lokuti, Lonyili, Lomiru, Melong, Moliro (squerial), Ongeja, Omiro and Ngiriwo

Language

The Ketebo speak Oketeboi and Lokathan languages. The predominant language they speak today is Oketeboi with some mixture of Dongotono.

History

In Uganda, the Ketebo or Mening lived in the area of what is now

Kidepo Valley National Park Kidepo Valley National Park is a national park in the Karamoja region in northeast Uganda. Kidepo is rugged savannah, dominated by the Mount Morungole and transected by the Kidepo and Narus rivers. Location Kidepo Valley National Park is loc ...

since 1800, but it was gazetted as a game reserve by the British colonial government in 1958. The purpose was both to protect the animals from hunting and to prevent further clearing of bush for

tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...

-control. After the eviction of the resident people and the resultant

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

, the Ketebo people were forcefully relocated to other areas within Bira such as Napotpot, Kalo Kudo, Namosingo, Loriwo and Naurkori in South Sudan. This is cited in contemporary park management as an example of the unacceptable consequences of not taking community needs into account when designating reserves.

Economic activities

The Ketebo people were previously pastoralist in nature but due to change in climate and external influence from the neighbouring communities they are now practicing cultivation systems, with sorghum, maize and sesame as the main crops during the growing season (April to August). Bira is isolated and inaccessible. The nearest health centers are in Ikotos, away, and Karenga in Uganda away.

References

Ethnic groups in South Sudan {{SouthSudan-ethno-group-stub