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The Iteso (or people of Teso) are a
Nilotic The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...
ethnic group in
eastern Uganda The Eastern region is one of four regions in the country of Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts , the Eastern Region contained 32 districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in s ...
and
western Kenya After the 2013 general election, and the coming into effect of the new constitution, provinces became defunct and the country was now divided into 47 counties. Each county has its own government and therefore there is no central regional cap ...
. Teso refers to the traditional homeland of the Iteso, and ''
Ateso Teso (natively ''Ateso'') is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken by the Iteso people of Uganda and Kenya and some speakers are in South Sudan. It is part of the Teso–Turkana language cluster. According to the 2002 Uganda population and housing ...
'' is their language.


History


Origins

The exact origins of the Iteso remain unclear. Iteso oral tradition holds that they had migrated south from Sudan over centuries at some indeterminate time in the past. Others have proposed an origin in Ethiopia, while others think that the Iteso split off from the Karamojong.https://nalrc.indiana.edu/doc/brochures/teso.pdf If the last theory is true, this supposed split likely happened quite early considering the lack of similar cultural rituals and naming conventions between the two groups. However, there are notable cultural ties and linguistic similarities between the two groups; the word "Karamojong" literally means "the old ones who stayed behind."


Migration

It's believed there were two waves of migration. The first migration brought them to present day northeastern Uganda and western Kenya and was largely gradual and peaceful. The legendary hero Oduk and his wife Among'in supposedly helped the Iteso in this second migration to modern day Busia County circa 1500 AD, and by the 19th century, they controlled a vast swathe of territory. Their aggressive expansion drew them into conflicts with other already present ethnic groups. Oduk is credited with militarily organizing the Iteso and helping them defeat their rivals. However, their gains were reversed as neighboring ethnic groups allied with the British defeated them. Much of traditional Iteso culture and organization was lost when they were conquered by the
Ganda Ganda may refer to: Places * Ganda, Angola * Ganda, Tibet, China * Ganda, the ancient Latin name of Ghent, a city in Belgium Other uses * Baganda or Ganda, a people of Uganda ** Luganda or Ganda language, a language of Uganda * ''Ganda'' and "Ga ...
people in the 19th century; the language of the northern Ateso is markedly influenced by
Luganda The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...
due to this conquest. In contrast, southern Ateso has been influenced by the
Turkana language Turkana Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh is the language of the Turkana people of Kenya and Ethiopia. It is spoken in northwestern Kenya, primarily in Turkana County, which lies west of Lake Turkana. It i ...
.


British colonialism and independence

During the 20th century, the Iteso people underwent drastic changes in their lifestyles, transitioning from a pastoral lifestyle to prolific farmers. Many Iteso men travelled abroad to work in overseas British territories, such as Burma. In 1902, part of eastern Uganda was transferred to western Kenya, splitting the Iteso; despite this division, there's little cultural difference between the two. However, the two's economic and social paths have diverged greatly. At independence, Ugandan Iteso were wealthier, as they did not suffer from the economic marginalization Kenyan Africans did due to white settlers. However, the Kenyan Iteso did not suffer the same degree of political instability their Ugandan cousins have, and Kenya's more developed economic infrastructure allowed for Kenyan Iteso to overtake Ugandan Iteso in wealth. During
Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to ...
's first period of rule, many Iteso received army and administration posts, allowing them to gain relative prosperity, which they invested back into cattle herds. After
Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
was overthrown in 1979, the Karamojong acquired large amounts of arms, which they used to raid cattle from largely unarmed Iteso civilians; Iteso cattle herds were decimated, and many fell into poverty. During Obote's second period of rule, the Ugandan army was composed largely of the Iteso and Acholi. When
Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...
came to power, he disbanded a military unit meant to stop the Karamojong's cattle rustling and dismissed many Iteso, Acholi, and
Kumam The Kumam are a Nilo-Hamitic ethnic group of about 349,000 living mainly in the western areas of Teso sub-region and the south-east of Lango sub-region. The Kumam are an ethnic group of people found in Kaberamaido district, district in Eastern U ...
soldiers from the army for their previous service under Obote. These disgruntled soldiers, upon returning to their economically deprived homelands due to violent cattle raids, took up arms against the Museveni regime. The Teso insurgency lasted into the late 1980s, keeping the region undeveloped. In 1992, the conflict was brought to an end through the combined effort of the local initiatives, indigenous mediators, churches, and the Presidential Commission for Teso (PCT). This led to the creation of a war memorial near the Iteso capital
Soroti Soroti is a city in Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main City, commercial, and administrative center in curved out of Soroti District, one of the nine administrative districts in the Teso sub-region. Soroti City was immediately approved f ...
, and the installation of a Iteso king, Emorimor Papa Paphrus Imodot Edimu. While successful in ending the violence and mollifying Teso opposition to Museveni, the Teso sub-region remains one of the poorest regions in Uganda, and the Iteso feel politically and economically neglected, widely distrusting the Museveni administration.


Distribution


Uganda

In Uganda, the Iteso live mainly in
Teso sub-region Teso sub-region (previously known as Teso District) is a sub-region in Eastern Region, Uganda that consists of: * Amuria District * Bukedea District * Kaberamaido District * Kapelebyong District * Katakwi District * Kumi District * Ngora District * ...
, i.e., the districts of
Amuria Amuria is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Amuria District, in the Teso sub-region. Location Amuria is located approximately , by road, north of Soroti, the largest ...
,
Bukedea Bukedea is a town in the Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Bukedea District, and the district headquarters are located there. Location Bukedea is situated on the ...
, Butebo,
Kaberamaido Kaberamaido is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Kaberamaido District and is the location of the headquarters for the district. Location Kaberamaido is located approximately by road, nor ...
, Kapelebyong,
Katakwi Katakwi is a town in the Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Katakwi District and the site of the district headquarters. Location Katakwi is approximately , by ro ...
, Kumi,
Ngora Ngora is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main political, administrative, and commercial centre of Ngora District. Location Ngora is approximately , by road, southeast of Soroti, the largest city in the Teso sub-region. This is ...
,
Serere Serere is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the chief political, administrative and commercial town in Serere District, and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town. Location Serere lies in Serere District ...
and
Soroti Soroti is a city in Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main City, commercial, and administrative center in curved out of Soroti District, one of the nine administrative districts in the Teso sub-region. Soroti City was immediately approved f ...
, but are also found in Bugiri and Pallisa, as well as in the
Tororo Tororo is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Tororo District. History Tororo was garrisoned by the Uganda Army's Air and Sea Battalion during the Uganda–Tanzania War ( ...
and Busia districts. According to the 2014 Ugandan Bureau of Statistics report, the Iteso number about 2.36 million (7.0% of Uganda's population). Until 1980, they were the second largest ethnic group in Uganda; this share of the population likely decreased due to Teso fleeing from political instability and violence. Some Iteso contend that they are still the second largest ethnic group in Uganda, and this figure has supposedly been deflated to restrict the political power of the Iteso, as the national budget is distributed based on population.


Kenya

There are around 578,000 Iteso in Kenya, living mainly in Busia County, south of Mt. Elgon. They primarily inhabit two sub-counties, Teso North and Teso South, but can be found in Bugoma and Trans Nzoia County.


Economic activities


Farming

The Iteso are noted for their quick adoption of the ox plow in the early 1900s. Women farmed and foraged while men herded their cattle. Cotton is the primary cash crop among the Iteso. It's grown by both men and women in separate plots during the short rains. Another cash crop grown is tobacco. In the 1980s, Kenyan government-sponsored cooperative-ran cotton ginneries failed to pay for the cotton delivered by the Iteso and others. The Iteso then began experimenting with other cash crops like tobacco with the aid of loans from large agricultural companies. However, since the 1990s, the cotton industry has been partially revived.


Herding

Herding used to be the primary economic activity among the Iteso, particularly men. Cattle play a large social role among the Iteso, as they play a key role in negotiating
bride-price Bride price, bride-dowry (Mahr in Islam), bride-wealth, or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dow ...
and other important social events. When a father gives a son his own cattle, it signals the maturation of the son, able to manage his own estate and start his own family.


Culture


Cuisine

The staple food for the Iteso is finger millet ('''akima''') and sorghum (imomwa'''). During colonization, cassava was introduced by colonial authorities as a dietary supplement. They also consume pumpkins, wild berries, peas, groundnuts, and beans. Domestic and wild animal meat was consumed, alongside milk, butter, and fish. The cultural drink of the Iteso people is ajon''', a fermented brew made from dried finger millet (usually the ''emiroiti'' variety) that is commonly consumed in local ceremonies, social gatherings and important events. It can be consumed in a calabash, or a communal pot where participants sip the drink from long tubes. It is custom to keep a mother whose recently given birth confined to the home for three days, and afterwards, ''ajon'' is placed in the mouth of the infant. Some Christian Iteso criticize the customs surrounding ''ajon''. In the modern age, the production of ''ajon'' has become commercialized, and its production and sale are an important source of income for the families that specialize in making it.


Afterlife

According to oral tradition, the legendary Oduk was responsible for the Iteso practice of exhuming bodies from bushes after a number of years. The Iteso traditional religion holds that upon death, the body is separated from its spirit (eparait'''), which leaves to live in the bush. Ideally, the spirit will move further and further into the bush, but discontent spirits may return to bother the living, demanding offerings of food and drink. Exhuming the bodies after a few years is meant to 'cool' them, and make them more amenable to the living. Many Iteso are reluctant or even afraid to be buried in coffins, believing they cannot be 'cooled', and thereby suffocating the dead. Due to missionary influence, spirits of the dead have come to be associated with ''ajokin'', small creatures of the bush, and both have come to be associated with the devil.


Religion

Prior to European missionary efforts, the Iteso believed in an omnipotent god called Akuj (God who leaves above), and a God of calamity called Edeke.


Notable people

*
Jessica Alupo Jessica Rose Epel Alupo, commonly known as Jessica Alupo, is the ninth and current vice president of Uganda since 2021. She is a Ugandan politician, educator, and former military officer. She previously served in the cabinet of Uganda as minister ...
, Current Vice President of the Republic of Uganda * Anita Annet Among, Current Speaker of Parliament of Uganda *Fixon Okonye Akonya (Dr.), First Internal Auditor General, Chief of the Ikinomu Clan *
Jeje Odongo General Haji Abubaker Jeje Odongo is a Ugandan senior military officer and politician. In June 2021, he was appointed Uganda's cabinet minister for Foreign Affairs. He has previously served as Minister of Internal Affairs in the Cabinet of Ugan ...
, Current Minister of Foreign Affairs * Christine Apolot, Ugandan politician *
Sospeter Ojaamong Sospeter Odeke Ojaamongson is a Kenyan politician. He belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement and was elected to represent the Amagoro Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya in the parliamentary election of 2007. Early life Ojaam ...
, Kenyan politician *
John Bosco Ikojo John Bosco Ikojo (born 21 July 1974) is a Ugandan accountant, Finance expert and politician. He is the elected Parliament of Uganda, Member of Parliament for Bukedea County, Bukedea District, and a representative for National Resistance Movemen ...
, Ugandan politician *
Kevin Ojinga Kaala Kevin Ojinga Kaala is a Ugandan politician and woman member of parliament. In 2021, she was elected as a woman representative in parliament for Palisa district during the 2021 Uganda general elections. She is a member of the ruling National Res ...
, Ugandan politician * Mike Mukula, Ugandan politician *
Musa Francis Ecweru Musa Francis Ecweru (born 25 November 1964), is an accountant and politician in Uganda, the third-largest economy in the East African Community. He is the current Minister of State for Works and Transport (Works) in the Ugandan Cabinet where h ...
, State Minister for Works and transport in the Ugandan Cabinet *Nixon Kitimoi, Ugandan - Kenyan Investment Manager *Ocailap Patrick, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Uganda * Olubayi Olubayi, board member of Kiwimbi Organisation *
Patricia Apolot Patricia Apolot is a female Ugandan professional martial artist. She is the reigning Ugandan female kickboxing champion and also holds the World Kickboxing Federation International title, obtained in June 2015, by defeating Ivana Mirkov of Serbi ...
, Ugandan female professional martial artist * Proscovia Alengot Oromait, Ugandan politician. At age 19, she was the youngest Member of Parliament in Uganda and in Africa. * Silas Aogon, Ugandan politician *
Shaban Opolot Shaban Opolot (1924 – 6 March 2005) was a Ugandan military officer. He served as Uganda Army Commander from 1964 to 1966. Early life Shaban Opolot was born in 1924 in Namusi Nakaloke, Uganda. He could speak multiple languages, including Lug ...
, Ugandan military officer *
Ferdinand Omurwa Ferdinand Omanyala Omurwa (born 2 January 1996) is a Kenyan sprinter competing in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. In 2022, he won his first international championships, with victories in the 100 m at the Commonwealth Games, ...
, Kenyan sprinter * Peter Elwelu (Major General), Current Ugandan Deputy Chief of Defence Forces.


References

{{Authority control Ethnic groups in Uganda Ethnic groups in Kenya Nilotic peoples Teso people