Kipsigis
Encyclopedia
The Kipsigis are a pastoralist ethnic group in Kenya
, speaking the Kipsigis language
. Currently the community practices farming and they are famously known for growing Kenyan "green gold" - tea
.
They are a sub-group of the Kalenjin
and originated in the Sudan
, moving into the Kenyan area in the 18th century. The current settlement of the Kipsigis is in the Rift Valley province of Kenya
.
The Kipsigis are the most numerous of the Kalenjin.The latest Census population in Kenya put the kipsigis at 1.972 Million speakers accounting for 45% of all kalenjin speaking people.They occupy the higlands of Kericho stretching from Timboroa
to Mara River
in the south, the west of Mau Escarpment
in the east to Kebeneti in the west. They also occupy, parts of Laikipia, Kitale
, Nakuru
, Narok
, Trans Mara District
, Eldoret
and Nandi Hills
.
The Kipsigis are considered to be the most exposed of the subtribes, though job opportunities and prominence diminished under Moi
due to tribal jealousy and fear by Moi of the educated Kipsigis. Education standards fell and general development failed and the people were subjected to political manipulation.
It is not uncommon to find the Kipsigis living in abject poverty compared to the Tugen
and Elgeyo
tribes, Moi's favourite subtribes of the Kalenjin. The Kipsigis were used as the electoral vote generators, but real development and enrichment went to Tugen and Keiyo, though they are less educated and live in arid lands. The Nandis faced the Kipsigis' plight to a lesser extent.
Most Kipsigis are known for humility, hardship endurance and their strong emotional expressions. They are also characterised as loyal and courageous people. The kipsigis are among the most hospitable and courteous ethnic groups of Kenya
.
Ever since, the Kipsigis has produced a large number of Kalenjin artistes including Joel Arap Kimeto and the late Kipchamba Arap Tapotuk among others.
Men undergo circumcision at an average age of 14 years. Traditionally, boys are housed in a 'menjo' next to a forest, or away from homesteads and fed there as they await their genitals to heal. During this period, they undergo three main traditional ceremonies:Kelab-eun,Tyenjinet and Kayaet.After the first ritual, the boys are allowed to go out in the forest for hunting using bows and wood-made-arrows. It's at this point in time that they master the use these weapons-essential in traditional warfare.
Christianity
has seen the three stages phased out and replaced with biblical teachings in a number of areas in Kipsigis land although the location of 'menjo' remains unchanged. Female circumcision used to be practised but is currently losing ground to Christian beliefs and government legislation.
The Kipsigis are a part of the Highland Nilotes group of People. Apart from the Kalenjin, the other tribe in this group is the Tatonga of Western Tanzania
. In their expansion Southwards, the Kipsigis and the Tatonga people reached presentday Shinyanga
Area in Western Tanzania only for the former group to return to the Kericho area before some went back again going Southwards but could only settle at Angata Barigoi in Trans mara next to the Tanzanian Border
Although the Kipisigis are traditionally pastrolists, pressure on land and high population have forced them to live both as farmers and pastrolists. According to history they are also believed to be originally of cushitic lineage, language being a good example of how this might be conceivably be true.
Community Organization
The word kokwet, derived from kok, a man's sitting place, is used to signify the neighborhood or primary community of 20 to 40 interrelated homesteads. Adult brothers tend to establish homesteads in different areas and thus the dozens of exogamous clans (ortinwek) are dispersed and intermingled. On the other hand marriages tend to be between nearby families, and neighborhoods become small networks of direct and indirect affinal relationships with a few further connections of direct agnation or common clan membership.
Strictly speaking kokwet refers to the occasional gatherings of homestead heads and junior men to make group decisions, settle local disputes, reprimand wrong-doers, celebrate communal work harvests, etc. Kokwet meetings are held some distance from the personal space of any particular homestead yard. The meetings are open and attendance consists of those men who have, or take, an interest in the matter at hand. Whether the issue arises out of domestic problems or breaches of the norms of public conduct, individual interests are expressed in terms of kinship. Senior men, with manifold connections to their neighbors, represent themselves at most meetings and dominate discussion. Some of the younger men who attend do so because of their connections; others come along as friends of their age-mates. Younger men speak only when their opinions or knowledge of a case are solicited. Women and children may be called to kokwet meetings to give evidence but otherwise to not attend.
Streams and rivers hinder interaction and local networks tend to develop on particular hillsides or higher ground. Thus although the composition of the group is slightly different in each instance, the large majority of men present are always close neighbors. Hence communities are spatial entities although they are not ultimately defined by topographical features. Similarly, place names refer more often to a past event or a significant natural feature within a community than to a naturally demarcated area. The referents of Kipsigis place names are neither hierarchically arranged nor mutually exclusive. The term koret, used to refer to a coherent land area of a few communities, and emet, used to refer to a wider region or even the land controlled by a whole tribe, are likewise indefinite. In short, the key to understanding Kipsigis spatial concepts beyond the personal space of homesteads is the realization that they are defined in terms of nodes or focal points and lack true boundaries.
The Kipsigis Clans
Here is a list of Kipsigis clans.
Kapcheboin
kaptuiyek
Kaparsingil
kapbecherek
Kapbororek
Kapkolwolek
Kipkendeek
Kapbomoek
Kapbarangweek
kobasisek
Kipsamaek
kapsoenik
kapmochoek
kaptotonek
kipintoek
chepkesek
kipbaek
kipcheromek
kipkeles
kapkechwoek
kapsoikoek
narachek
babasik
Kapmagu
http://www.unc.edu/~rdaniels/papers/riddle/riddleglossary.html
Kipsigis community are agriculruralist and are one of the tea growing communities in Kenya apart from the kisii and kuikuyu communities
they inhibit the larger Kericho district which has tea as the main economic activitie.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, speaking the Kipsigis language
Kipsigis language
Kipsigis is part of the Kenyan Kalenjin dialect cluster, commonly called Nandi . It is spoken mainly in the Kericho district of the Rift Valley Province in Kenya. The Kipsigis people are the most numerous tribe of the Kalenjin in Kenya...
. Currently the community practices farming and they are famously known for growing Kenyan "green gold" - tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
.
They are a sub-group of the Kalenjin
Kalenjin
Kalenjin is an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. The Kalenjin population is estimated at roughly 4.4 million. There are several smaller tribal groupings within the Kalenjin: Elgeyo, Endorois, Kipsigis, Marakwet, Nandi, Pokot,...
and originated in the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, moving into the Kenyan area in the 18th century. The current settlement of the Kipsigis is in the Rift Valley province of Kenya
Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Rift Valley Province of Kenya, bordering Uganda, is one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi.Rift Valley Province is the largest and one of the most economically important provinces in Kenya. It is dominated by the Great Rift Valley which passes through it and gives the...
.
The Kipsigis are the most numerous of the Kalenjin.The latest Census population in Kenya put the kipsigis at 1.972 Million speakers accounting for 45% of all kalenjin speaking people.They occupy the higlands of Kericho stretching from Timboroa
Timboroa
Timboroa is a town in southern Uasin Gishu District of Kenya, in the Rift Valley Province. In the civil violence of the aftermath of the 2007 elections, the town was completely destroyed. Timboroa was located just off of the A-104 motorway...
to Mara River
Mara River
The Mara River is a river in Africa, flowing through Kenya and Tanzania, and lies across the migration path of ungulates in the Serengeti/Masai Mara game reserves....
in the south, the west of Mau Escarpment
Mau Escarpment
The Mau Escarpment is a steep natural cliff approximately 3,000 m high, running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.-External links:...
in the east to Kebeneti in the west. They also occupy, parts of Laikipia, Kitale
Kitale
Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherengani Hills at an elevation of around . Its urban population was estimated at 220,000 in 2007....
, Nakuru
Nakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
, Narok
Narok
Narok is an town west of Nairobi that supports Kenya's economy in south-west Kenya, along the Great Rift Valley. Narok is the district capital of the Narok County and stands as the major centre of commerce in the district. Narok has a population of around 40,000 people, mostly Maasai...
, Trans Mara District
Trans Mara District
Trans Mara District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kilgoris. The district has a population of 170,591 and an area of 2,846 km²...
, Eldoret
Eldoret
Eldoret is a town in western Kenya and the administrative centre of Uasin Gishu District of Rift Valley Province. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2100 metres above sea level at the airport to more than 2700 metres in nearby areas...
and Nandi Hills
Nandi Hills, Kenya
Nandi Hills is a highland area of lush green rolling hills at the edge of the Great Rift Valley in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The scenic area is known for its tea estates, and is home to many world-renowned athletes, including Kipchoge Keino, Nandi Hills is a highland area of lush green...
.
The Kipsigis are considered to be the most exposed of the subtribes, though job opportunities and prominence diminished under Moi
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was the President of Kenya from 1978 until 2002.Daniel arap Moi is popularly known to Kenyans as 'Nyayo', a Swahili word for 'footsteps'...
due to tribal jealousy and fear by Moi of the educated Kipsigis. Education standards fell and general development failed and the people were subjected to political manipulation.
It is not uncommon to find the Kipsigis living in abject poverty compared to the Tugen
Tugen
Tugen may also refer to Tugen Hills in KenyaThe Tugen are a branch of the Kalenjin community and they occupy the districts of Baringo and Koibatek in Rift Valley, Kenya. Daniel arap Moi, the second president of Kenya was from the Tugen branch...
and Elgeyo
Elgeyo
The Elgeyo are an ethnic group that is part the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of nilotic origin. They live near Eldoret, Kenya in the highlands of the Keiyo District...
tribes, Moi's favourite subtribes of the Kalenjin. The Kipsigis were used as the electoral vote generators, but real development and enrichment went to Tugen and Keiyo, though they are less educated and live in arid lands. The Nandis faced the Kipsigis' plight to a lesser extent.
Most Kipsigis are known for humility, hardship endurance and their strong emotional expressions. They are also characterised as loyal and courageous people. The kipsigis are among the most hospitable and courteous ethnic groups of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Ever since, the Kipsigis has produced a large number of Kalenjin artistes including Joel Arap Kimeto and the late Kipchamba Arap Tapotuk among others.
Men undergo circumcision at an average age of 14 years. Traditionally, boys are housed in a 'menjo' next to a forest, or away from homesteads and fed there as they await their genitals to heal. During this period, they undergo three main traditional ceremonies:Kelab-eun,Tyenjinet and Kayaet.After the first ritual, the boys are allowed to go out in the forest for hunting using bows and wood-made-arrows. It's at this point in time that they master the use these weapons-essential in traditional warfare.
Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
has seen the three stages phased out and replaced with biblical teachings in a number of areas in Kipsigis land although the location of 'menjo' remains unchanged. Female circumcision used to be practised but is currently losing ground to Christian beliefs and government legislation.
The Kipsigis are a part of the Highland Nilotes group of People. Apart from the Kalenjin, the other tribe in this group is the Tatonga of Western Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. In their expansion Southwards, the Kipsigis and the Tatonga people reached presentday Shinyanga
Shinyanga
Shinyanga, also known as Shinyanga mji in the local Swahili language, is a city in northern Tanzania. The city is the location of the regional headquarters of Shinyanga Region as well as the district headquarters of Shinyanga Urban District...
Area in Western Tanzania only for the former group to return to the Kericho area before some went back again going Southwards but could only settle at Angata Barigoi in Trans mara next to the Tanzanian Border
Although the Kipisigis are traditionally pastrolists, pressure on land and high population have forced them to live both as farmers and pastrolists. According to history they are also believed to be originally of cushitic lineage, language being a good example of how this might be conceivably be true.
Community Organization
The word kokwet, derived from kok, a man's sitting place, is used to signify the neighborhood or primary community of 20 to 40 interrelated homesteads. Adult brothers tend to establish homesteads in different areas and thus the dozens of exogamous clans (ortinwek) are dispersed and intermingled. On the other hand marriages tend to be between nearby families, and neighborhoods become small networks of direct and indirect affinal relationships with a few further connections of direct agnation or common clan membership.
Strictly speaking kokwet refers to the occasional gatherings of homestead heads and junior men to make group decisions, settle local disputes, reprimand wrong-doers, celebrate communal work harvests, etc. Kokwet meetings are held some distance from the personal space of any particular homestead yard. The meetings are open and attendance consists of those men who have, or take, an interest in the matter at hand. Whether the issue arises out of domestic problems or breaches of the norms of public conduct, individual interests are expressed in terms of kinship. Senior men, with manifold connections to their neighbors, represent themselves at most meetings and dominate discussion. Some of the younger men who attend do so because of their connections; others come along as friends of their age-mates. Younger men speak only when their opinions or knowledge of a case are solicited. Women and children may be called to kokwet meetings to give evidence but otherwise to not attend.
Streams and rivers hinder interaction and local networks tend to develop on particular hillsides or higher ground. Thus although the composition of the group is slightly different in each instance, the large majority of men present are always close neighbors. Hence communities are spatial entities although they are not ultimately defined by topographical features. Similarly, place names refer more often to a past event or a significant natural feature within a community than to a naturally demarcated area. The referents of Kipsigis place names are neither hierarchically arranged nor mutually exclusive. The term koret, used to refer to a coherent land area of a few communities, and emet, used to refer to a wider region or even the land controlled by a whole tribe, are likewise indefinite. In short, the key to understanding Kipsigis spatial concepts beyond the personal space of homesteads is the realization that they are defined in terms of nodes or focal points and lack true boundaries.
The Kipsigis Clans
Here is a list of Kipsigis clans.
Kapcheboin
kaptuiyek
Kaparsingil
kapbecherek
Kapbororek
Kapkolwolek
Kipkendeek
Kapbomoek
Kapbarangweek
kobasisek
Kipsamaek
kapsoenik
kapmochoek
kaptotonek
kipintoek
chepkesek
kipbaek
kipcheromek
kipkeles
kapkechwoek
kapsoikoek
narachek
babasik
Kapmagu
External links
http://www.unc.edu/~rdaniels/papers/riddle/riddleglossary.html
Kipsigis community are agriculruralist and are one of the tea growing communities in Kenya apart from the kisii and kuikuyu communities
they inhibit the larger Kericho district which has tea as the main economic activitie.