WISE AFRICAN LIVING (The Karamojong way of life By Ojoki Jiponi)

Karamojong is one of the tribes in Uganda; they live in west Nile districts of Uganda.

Their economic life is based on cattle keeping, and the number of cattle per person ranges from five hundred to one thousand or more. They don’t mind of the quality but on the quantity. For one to have many heads of cattle, you have to raid the neighbors. That is why they are not friendly with their neighborhoods such as Acholi, Teso, and Lango and among other cattle keeping tribes of Uganda.

Their social life is that, the cattle they keep is what they depend on for food, they mix blood, milk and even cow dung as their food. To get the blood from the cow, they only spear one cow at ago to get blood then that cow is left for some period of time before blood is sucked from it. They like sleeping in grass thatched houses and hides and skins are their mattresses. When comes to sickness, traditional medicine is what they go for and one will rather die than to sell one cow to go to the hospital.

When comes to marriage, a boy may marry only when he has proved his capability by going to the bush and comes with animal. After that he is given a girl to marry. Hides and skins is what they wear to cover just some part of the the body.

Politically, the Karamojongs are troublesome. They like attacking neighbors and their national cake is cattle. They are neither soldiers nor rebels but they are the only tribes with the guns. The government has in several occasions tried to disarm them but they are still strong. They want nothing from the government but feel should be armed just for raiding their neighbors.