karamajong home stedsIn the towering Morungole Mountains 2,749m, there lies one of the native tribes of Uganda – the Indigenous Karimojong whose rich history and traditions have always been of interest to the travelers on safaris in Uganda.
The indigenous Karimojong are notably to be in a population range of 10,000 – 11,000 people known to have occupied the far north east of Uganda far back before the inception of other ethnic tribes that apparently dominate the country and the region at large.
To the south of Kidepo Valley National Park which is among the famous Uganda safari sites, the indigenous Karimojong have identified a home. Typically mountainous intercepting the extensive plains of Karamoja, the Morungole Mountains are far beyond the ordinary. They present a complete scenic environment that mesmerize the travelers on safari in Uganda. Surprisingly it is in these rare landscapes that the native tribes of Uganda like the Indigenous Karimojong call home.
The Indigenous Karimojong lived a hunter culture thriving on the extensive wildlife that that filled the area that was to be gazetted as a National Park in the 1960s. The Pokot cattle keepers also became a big threat to the Indigenous Karimojong as they kept cattle that were prone to raids and this combined with government interference prompted this native group to extend to the raised lands of Morungole Mountains where they are explored on tours in Uganda.
They derive the name indigenous from the fact that they were initial settlers in the area. They are believed to have sloped from the highlands of Ethiopia in the north east of Africa. The exploration to the indigenous Karimojong in their present residence is far from ordinary. The experience involves a whole day hike traversing the steep landscapes of the mountainous terrain. It is a whole day in depth exploration to the traditions, the past and present of these people. The views of the Kidepo flats, the towering South Sudan Mountains and the hills of Lomej combine to derive a remarkable encounter of a life time on tour in Uganda.
The cultural traditions of the indigenous Karimojng such as their habit of using 5 – 10 bee hives as bride wealth other than cattle differing from most of Uganda’s cultures, the staying of young children with their grandmothers or with each other, the polygamy practice and their general life are unique to explore while visiting this tribal group.
Apparently the indigenous Karimojong are bee keepers and cultivators having abandoned cattle rearing to avoid raids from the large groups that came in later. They are endangered because of their reducing population and the trail to their current land was established by the US Forest department making them to stand an opportunity to earn from their heritage and uniqueness.