KERIO VIEW
People of the Kerio
| A Keiyo grandmother |
The Keiyo, Marakwet, Pokot and Tugen peoples are linguistically and culturally related to each
other; they are part of the larger Kalenjin group.
Traditionally nomadic pastoralists who wandered down the Nile and Omo valleys from the
North, many hundreds of years ago, they have now largely changed to settled agriculture.
Exceptions are groups in Pokot District and parts of the Kerio Valley who are more traditional in
all aspects of life.
Throughout the region, the local people are friendly, welcoming, and usually try to be helpful to
visitors. Occasionally, in Pokot, there can be inter-tribal conflict arising from cattle-raiding; but
this rarely effects visitors except in indirect ways.
The Keiyo and Marakwet
Undoubtedly the most unique thing about the Keiyo and Marakwet people is the way they used
their patrilineal clan system to exploit the great diversity in altitude, climate and vegetation that
characterises their lands. Each and every clan has its own strip of land, its own ridges and
valleys, stretching from the highlands to the lowlands more than 1000m below. Each has its
portion of the Kerio river (endo), each its gently rising valley floor (soiwo), it's foothills (lagam),
it's ascending slopes (masop), it's escarpment (tumoo) and it's section of forest and highland
plateau (tenng'unin). This system ensures all families could benefit from all the agro-climatic
zones throughout the year.
The Marakwets went further to exploit and develop an irrigation system bringing water from the
high Cherangani Hills down to soiwo and endo.
The Pokot
The Pokot, the most northerly of the tribes, are a very interesting group. They can be divided
into the “Highlands Pokot” (the Pi Pa Paks) and the “Plains Pokot” (the Pi Pa Tiks).The former
are a large group found in the west of their region, cultivating the slopes and valleys of the
northern Cherangani Hills. Their customs are more closely those of the larger Kalenjin group,
such as practicing circumcision ; they share much in common with their southern neighbours,
the Marakwets, including practicing irrigation in some areas, such as the Tamkal Valley.
The Plains Pokot --- or pastoral Pokot ---- are a hardy people who live a very traditional way of
life in a harsh and challenging environment. They have adopted many of the cultural practices of
their neighbours to the northwest (Karamajong) and north (Turkana). Despite this, they do not
get along with them at all and there are frequent violent clashes. The Turkana are aggressive
expansionists and they and the Pokot are competing for scarce water and grazing for their
animals. On top of that, both groups have a tradition of cattle raiding; a tradition that the
warriors have to acquire cows to get the wealth to marry.
The plains Pokot are noted for their personal body decoration. The women use a lot of brass
ornaments; but even the men use brass and copper as indicators of their age set (an alternation
of Tukoi and Nyimur — zebra and rock).
It is surprising, given their significant cultural differences, particularly those relating to
circumcision, that the Pi Pa Tiks and the Pi Pa Paks regard themselves as one cohesive group
---but they do and language and marriage continue to unite them.
The Pokot have been a proud people. They were called the “Suk” by the Maasai and the
Colonial government. In colonial times they would be proud to pay their “hut tax” immediately
in one lump sum --- not like the highland cultivators who were always begging to pay in
installments. The Pokot used a derisory term “chepleng” for their hoe-wielding neighbours. But
climate-change and the new ways of the world are against them and they often find themselves
facing starvation. They, and indeed all pastoralists, will have to adapt to survive.
The Tugen
To some extent the Il Chamus have inter-married with the Tugen people (or Kamasia), who
inhabit the valley lands to the south of Baringo, the Tugen Hills and, in the Kerio Valley, the
eastern side of the Kerio river. The Tugen have found it difficult to maintain the pastoral way of
life due to a self-perpetuating cycle of events involving high temperatures, low rainfall and
seasonal lack of grazing in the valleys, and seasonal herding of animals into the hills where
rainfall is high but the soils thin and rocky. Result: serious erosion ---- so even less grazing land
the following year. They are now placing more emphasis on agriculture and terracing in the hills
and keeping sheep and goats in the lowlands. However, no true Tugen can forget his heritage.
Every family has at least a few cows in the homestead or in a not-too-distant field, as milk is an
important part of the diet. Bride-price or dowry is still negotiated in terms of cows, heiffers and
bulls.
The Tugens have produced some notable athletes; undoubtedly Paul Tergat, the marathoner, is
the most famous of them.
other; they are part of the larger Kalenjin group.
Traditionally nomadic pastoralists who wandered down the Nile and Omo valleys from the
North, many hundreds of years ago, they have now largely changed to settled agriculture.
Exceptions are groups in Pokot District and parts of the Kerio Valley who are more traditional in
all aspects of life.
Throughout the region, the local people are friendly, welcoming, and usually try to be helpful to
visitors. Occasionally, in Pokot, there can be inter-tribal conflict arising from cattle-raiding; but
this rarely effects visitors except in indirect ways.
The Keiyo and Marakwet
Undoubtedly the most unique thing about the Keiyo and Marakwet people is the way they used
their patrilineal clan system to exploit the great diversity in altitude, climate and vegetation that
characterises their lands. Each and every clan has its own strip of land, its own ridges and
valleys, stretching from the highlands to the lowlands more than 1000m below. Each has its
portion of the Kerio river (endo), each its gently rising valley floor (soiwo), it's foothills (lagam),
it's ascending slopes (masop), it's escarpment (tumoo) and it's section of forest and highland
plateau (tenng'unin). This system ensures all families could benefit from all the agro-climatic
zones throughout the year.
The Marakwets went further to exploit and develop an irrigation system bringing water from the
high Cherangani Hills down to soiwo and endo.
The Pokot
The Pokot, the most northerly of the tribes, are a very interesting group. They can be divided
into the “Highlands Pokot” (the Pi Pa Paks) and the “Plains Pokot” (the Pi Pa Tiks).The former
are a large group found in the west of their region, cultivating the slopes and valleys of the
northern Cherangani Hills. Their customs are more closely those of the larger Kalenjin group,
such as practicing circumcision ; they share much in common with their southern neighbours,
the Marakwets, including practicing irrigation in some areas, such as the Tamkal Valley.
The Plains Pokot --- or pastoral Pokot ---- are a hardy people who live a very traditional way of
life in a harsh and challenging environment. They have adopted many of the cultural practices of
their neighbours to the northwest (Karamajong) and north (Turkana). Despite this, they do not
get along with them at all and there are frequent violent clashes. The Turkana are aggressive
expansionists and they and the Pokot are competing for scarce water and grazing for their
animals. On top of that, both groups have a tradition of cattle raiding; a tradition that the
warriors have to acquire cows to get the wealth to marry.
The plains Pokot are noted for their personal body decoration. The women use a lot of brass
ornaments; but even the men use brass and copper as indicators of their age set (an alternation
of Tukoi and Nyimur — zebra and rock).
It is surprising, given their significant cultural differences, particularly those relating to
circumcision, that the Pi Pa Tiks and the Pi Pa Paks regard themselves as one cohesive group
---but they do and language and marriage continue to unite them.
The Pokot have been a proud people. They were called the “Suk” by the Maasai and the
Colonial government. In colonial times they would be proud to pay their “hut tax” immediately
in one lump sum --- not like the highland cultivators who were always begging to pay in
installments. The Pokot used a derisory term “chepleng” for their hoe-wielding neighbours. But
climate-change and the new ways of the world are against them and they often find themselves
facing starvation. They, and indeed all pastoralists, will have to adapt to survive.
The Tugen
To some extent the Il Chamus have inter-married with the Tugen people (or Kamasia), who
inhabit the valley lands to the south of Baringo, the Tugen Hills and, in the Kerio Valley, the
eastern side of the Kerio river. The Tugen have found it difficult to maintain the pastoral way of
life due to a self-perpetuating cycle of events involving high temperatures, low rainfall and
seasonal lack of grazing in the valleys, and seasonal herding of animals into the hills where
rainfall is high but the soils thin and rocky. Result: serious erosion ---- so even less grazing land
the following year. They are now placing more emphasis on agriculture and terracing in the hills
and keeping sheep and goats in the lowlands. However, no true Tugen can forget his heritage.
Every family has at least a few cows in the homestead or in a not-too-distant field, as milk is an
important part of the diet. Bride-price or dowry is still negotiated in terms of cows, heiffers and
bulls.
The Tugens have produced some notable athletes; undoubtedly Paul Tergat, the marathoner, is
the most famous of them.
| A Keiyo warrior |
| Pokot singers |
