The Karimojong, their Beliefs and The Supreme (Spirits and God)
Introduction
I will base the discussion of this essay
on some of the basic aspects or features pertaining to the Karimojong tribal
life, in relation to the supreme reality from which their life flows. The
Karimojong are the Central Plains Nilotes who currently live in the
North-eastern part of Uganda. Karamoja consists of different groups of people,
which in this case I refer to as larger clans. From the northern part, are the Dodoth,
Jie, Teuso (Iik), and the Labwor; in the central are the Matheniko
in the same district with the Tepes who originally belong to Kalenjin
group of people. Within the same vicinity of the central are the Bokora,
and Nyakwai (originally of Luo origin). In the south are the Pian
(which includes Chekwii of Namalu), and the Pokot at the extreme
boarder to Kenya.
Nature has blessed Ngikarimojong
with a semi-arid climate; it is therefore for this reason that the Karimojong
do not practice agriculture in a large footing like the rest of the Ugandans.
Nevertheless, on the perspective of survival their exploration leans against
cattle. On the general dimension, therefore, the life of the Karimojong
revolves around the parameters of Pastoralism which is the basic activity. We
therefore discover that even the religious beliefs, understanding of the ‘Akuj’
Deity, of the people are especially geared to the pastoralist and a very slim
extent to agricultural way of living.
Belief in God
For all Africans if not all human beings, the question of
life and death is what ignites an appeal to the reality that is above all human
beings. It can be an appeal to the world of “countless spirits” as John Samuel
Mbiti puts it, or to the departed ancestors. These two phenomena according to
the Karimojong are not easily and satisfactorily explainable simply because
they are Pragmatic people. A village is there because women built the huts and
men fenced it. A herd is there because a man assembled it. Sons are there
because they were produced by a man and woman. What about formulating a baby in
the in the womb? These therefore, raises the questions of ascertaining the origin
of the one who gave our ancestors life, the one who alone can control rain or
hold the sky, the one who efficiently manages calamities on animals and people,
the one who makes the moving sun to rise, set and again makes it appear the
next day, the one who is above the spirits and knows all about death. The
Karimojong believe in the spirits of the dead ‘ngitai angikatwuak’ who
live somewhere beyond or in the sky, in what is called ‘Lore apolon’ big
village. In this way there is a belief in life after death, which acknowledges
the reality that there is a supreme being who grants it. It is therefore; with
this background that Christianity finds a softer landing in the Karimojong
traditional religion. It eventually gives it vocabulary of ‘Akuj’ to
refer to this Ultimate cause or deity.
On making a critical survey and
considering in a comprehensive way the life of the Karimojong, religion is a
main factor which permeates the very nature of their being. In the strict sense
of this reality, the “sacred” is the centripetal force within which all the
activities, whether good or bad, of the Karimojong revolve. During cultivation
which is practiced in a small scale for food purpose, the community looks
towards the sacred for rain. The elders offer sacrifices of oxen under the
sacred tree called ‘akiriket’ also a name for the gathering, on the
behalf of the entire community asking the mighty one for rain. This rain serves
the purpose of not only making the crops grow, but more need fully for pasture
and water for the animals, which saves them the trouble of moving for long
distances in search for these precious gifts.
The help of God is not forgotten or taken
for granted during initiation rites for both men asapan and women akiwor
a ngapesur. These are moments of consecration and acknowledgement of their
manhood and womanhood. Therefore being an important moment in the life of those
involved and the society, the blessings of the deity ‘Akuj’ are invoked.
Sacrifices are the obvious requirements for the ceremony. The chyme got from
the entrails of the animal is smeared on the fore head and the chest of the
newly initiated youngsters. As the elder does the smearing, he recites the
ancient tenable of blessing and beckoning the help of God on the initiated.
This is to enable grow as responsible members of their families and the
society. There is facing Apule is place of origin. It is a sacred place
which is a symbol of life for the Karimojong.
The spirits (spirits of nature)
There exist some inexplicable facts
surround the life of the Karimojong. For instance, you are hunting with a
friend, lightening strikes you and leave the other undamaged. Or while passing
through a sand bed on a river, you are sacked in to the quick sand, or you
break a twig from a tree near a well known rock and it takes you up and you
stay there for days. These occurrences are not even explainable
scientifically. According to the Karimojong they distort the Karimojong
concept of God. They are regarded as works of the spirits, as Novelli puts forward
“they are explained as interventions of powers which we can call spirits,
mysterious like God, but different from him. While God, as any human father,
gives good things and bad alike, but always for known or presumably known
reasons. The spirits do for no plausible reasons but do it to punish human
beings” [1]. The Karimojong categorize spirits
according to the cause. There are no special names for spirits, a spirit is
called by the way it manifests itself. For instance spirit of lightening is
called ‘ekipye’ meaning lightening which kills. Christianity rejects the
idea of numerous spirits and looks at them as destroying creation. In this way,
it continues to strengthen the Karimojong ideal about these spirit beings.
The spirit of the dead
As already made clear in the beginning of
this easy, it is the question of life and death that ignites the people’s
appeal to ‘Akuj’ the supreme reality or deity. To the Karimojong it is
very vital because association does not stop after death. When a person
dies, the Karimojong believe that he goes to ‘Lore apolon’ meaning to
the big village, to live with the other spirits. Augusto Pazzaglia puts it this
way “when a person dies, people say God has taken him away, he has entered the
earth. He has gone to the big village. He has gone with the other spirits”. We
can single out two realities here;
- First, it is recognized that ‘Akuj’ has taken that person never to return to the earth again. Meaning that God has called this person to himself , and Christianity makes it very clear as it says, we have been called by God to enjoy glory of the saints in light, of which this glory is heaven ‘nakuj’ in the sense of the Karimojong ‘lore apolon’ somewhere beyond the sky.
- Secondly the spirits leaves the physical body which is either buried for the case of the elders or thrown away to the bush. The spirit ‘etau’ therefore leaves the earth and lives among the other spirits who continue to keep a “close connection with their living relatives and friends. These materialize in visits made by them to the huts of their dear ones” [2]. In the same way Christianity believes that when we die our souls go back to their creator and unite with him forever and ever. We keep close association with the saints, asking them to intercede for us. We remember them in our prayers as the Church gives special dates for commemoration of some of their lives.
The elders; the friends of God and the friends of the people
The elders ‘ngikasikou’ are the
senior generation who have survived and have lived for a long time. They have
seen, they can testify what life is. With regard to the relationship with God,
the elders are conceived as the “the repositories of the two most important
factors in the life of the pastoralists, that is to say, experience and good
connection with God. The first, acquired during the long years of their
existence, and proved valid by the fact that they successfully managed to reach
a mature age with their family and their herds. The second is, in some way
implicit in the first, because no experience, good it may be, can have success
without the favorable help from God” [3]. The
relationship between the people and God is concretely cemented by the elders
who have been known to God. They intercede for the community, Dyson Hudson
points out “the elders’ most important characteristic in Karimojong eyes is an
ability to intercede with the deity for assistance…to control the environment
for the benefit of the community as a whole” [4].
Another important sacred role of the
elders is to initiate the young. They are designated to perform this pragmatic
aspect mirrored in the social organization of the Karimojong. They believe that
their grandfathers handed to them the responsibility of taking care of the
community; in the same way do they commend the responsibility to the upcoming
generation. If it was handed to them by their grandfathers, then who handed to
their grandfathers this responsibility? It is the deity ‘Akuj’!
Christianity has a lot of influence in this aspect, that ‘Akuj’ is the
originator of all things, seen and unseen. The Karimojong now have a conception
that what is yet to be seen is already created by God.
The transmission of power
When the elders or the ruling generation
diminishes by natural death or disease, to the point that they can no longer
defend the village, the warriors begin to pressurize their fathers to hand over
power of decision making to them. The “main rite that indicates the passing of
power and consecration of the new group is that of the braking of the rear
thigh-born of the sacrificed ox” [5]. This
ceremony is called ‘akidung amuro’ which is literally translated as the
division of the thighs of the ox. The thigh born is the barrier between these
two groups, and the one passing on the power is the one that strictly breaks
it, dissect and consume the meat. The ceremony takes place in ‘Nakadanya’
North–west of Moroto. Many attend this ceremony in exception of women. It is
said that during this ceremony, all the fire is put off in the whole region.
When the ceremony is over, the fire that was used to roast the sacrificed ox is
the one that will again light up the region in dedication of the new ruling
group to God ‘Akuj’. Therefore the elders who have handed power do not
rule again, but their words are given attention and paramount consideration.
Bruno Novelli in his book “Aspects of the Karimojong Ethnosociology”
noted that the last handing over of power took place in October 1956. The
Karimojong have not forgotten this crucial moments more so with the coming of
Christianity which affirms a practice like this. A vivid example is the
consecration of the leaders of the Church like priests and bishop, who lead the
people of God. When they are consecrated they are made elders of the
congregation, and the rite of ordination binds them to it.
Rites
The Karimojong being religious gurus have
a series of rites which govern and somehow define their way of living. They
range from individual, family, communal, and clanic rites, to the rites of
cycle of life, and to the rites of Pastoral and agricultural life. Due to the
interest of time, I will enumerate them as in Bruno Novelli’s “Karimojong
Traditional Religion: A Contribution”;
- Under the umbrella of individual, family, communal, and clanic they include; ceremony for initiation of ‘amuron’(diviner), the cure of a sick person by ‘amuron’, ceremonies for various sicknesses, ceremony for rainbow, ceremony in order to receive the blessing of the elder, the blessings of parents when their children leave for the dry season kraals, blessings for the coming back of a person after long absence, ceremony for a person who disappeared, ceremony in times of pestilence and epidemic like ‘akoro’ (hunger) or ‘eron’ (famine), thieves, sacrifice to avert outward events, ceremony to honour elders called ‘ekipeyos, and the ceremony to redress the infringement of exogamy.
- Under the rites of the cycle of life are the rites of birth and marriage, they include; ceremony for pregnancy and deliverance, naming of the children, ceremony of the birth of a handicapped child, twins, and the ceremony of the stick ‘ekeat’ (special one for women in the circle of marriage), the ceremony of elopement, choice of the cattle ‘akidwar’, transfer of animals to the bride’s family ‘eloto’.
- Under the rites of pastoral and agricultural life, they include; driving of animals to their enclosures, fertility of animals, feasting of the elders ‘akitocol’, communal killing of name-oxen, blessing of hoes and seeds, ceremony of late rain, against one who holds rain, ceremony against birds and harvest time. There are also rites of initiation which will be discussed briefly because of their importance.
Rite of initiation
Many authors who have written about the
Karimojong rite of initiation have given a say about female initiation called ‘akiwuor’,
this is perhaps to give room for inclusiveness that enables the Christian rites
of initiation to easily amalgamate with the traditional ones. This can be for
easy understanding of Christianity, which does not exclude women, among the
natives. No wonder the authors are missionaries! We should therefore note that,
the Karimojong strictly give an upper hand to the male initiation called ‘asapan’
than that of women because it insignificant.
Asapan “Is not merely
the slaughter of an animal for a feast, but a sacred, religious occasion, where
the death of the victim is the instrument for the consecration of the
initiands” [6]. Ben Knighton continues to elucidate
very clearly in the mind of a Karimojong that “the sense of threatened rivalry
for religious allegiance is only compounded by the fact that nearly all the
baptized informants are also initiated at some later date, and come to value
that initiation….in other words the spiritual condemnation of such sacrificial
practices has rebounded because the mass of the Karimojong have accepted the
rite of normal Christian initiation without it affecting their cultural rights” [7] he continues to explain that any
attempt to reject this practice by regarding them pagan is a European
lack of appreciation of the goodness, irreducibility and inevitability of
the African tradition. The Christian rites of initiation like baptism,
Eucharist, and confirmation can be related with this since their goal is one.
Symbolism
Water is one of the most important symbols
among this pastoralist people. It is a scarce resource and very precious among
the Karimojong. Water among the Karimojong is paradoxical. It is essentially a
blessing from God and at same time can destroy life. However destructive it can
be, it is to a greater percentage good with its badness embedded in it. For
instance, when a person is dreamt of by the diviners or any other person that
he/ she is going to face a calamity, water is sprinkled to cleanse off the bad
spell. In the same way an elder can use water to curse a disobedient youth. In
olden days water was used together with a sacrificed animal. When Christianity
peeped in people can use water alone without an animal. This is because they
have observed and adopted how Church people do.
Rituality
Sacrifices, ‘amuronot’ (singular),
‘ngamuronisia’ (Plural) have a very high spiritual dimension according
to the Karimojong people. They are done in sacred grove called Akiriket whose
trees are never cut. The assembly that meets there to perform rituals is also
called by the same name. sacrifices in this shrines are offered to the ‘Akuj’-
God, “the non personalized deity of the Karimojong, occupying the regions of
the above, manifested in the sun, moon, stars, and the sky itself, and
utilizing on occasions ‘spirits’(wind, lightening) as the agents of purpose.
The deity is the creator of all things, and in its gifts lie equally prosperity
and disaster according to the material condition it causes to transpire in the
world. Though manifested in nature, the deity controls it and may alter natural
conditions at will” [8] as presented by Dyson-Hudson in his
work on the Karimojong.
The greatness of God in controlling nature
can be reflected in the Karimjong sayings like God is Great ‘epol Akuj’.
The sacrifices are offered to God in prayer and in thanksgiving;
- In prayer as to ask the deity for the good things like rain, that is a source of life for both humans and the animals, for good fortune, children and in the special way to cleanse one if he has killed an enemy.
- In thanksgiving as to thank him for good harvest, enough rain, the prevailing prosperity. Sacrifices are offered by initiated elders who sit in rings while at the shrine, those others who are not yet initiated can also participate but passively.
We relate these sacrifices with the
sacrifice of the Holy mass in Christianity. The elements found especially
commemoration of the sacrificial lamb, are not that very different in practice
from what the Karimojong do. This makes Christianity to easily be grasped by
the traditional people. In our liturgy some of the aspects of practice have
been Christianized, people refer the Church as ‘Akiriket’ because what
happens in there is a reflection or in the strict sense a commemoration of the
sacrificial lamb that was slain for the sake of human kind, as the ‘amuronot’
is slain for the good of human life and survival in the community. It is
survival because it is a society craving to live in the hard conditions. There
is ‘Akigat’ in the shrine, a special moment to ask from God. It is very
beautiful that in our liturgy of Moroto and Kotido dioceses, this aspect is
specially remembered and it is done in the mode of a shrine, it may slightly
differ due to the incorporation of the elements of this western religion.
Conclusion
The Karimojong still adhere concretely to
their traditional religion and culture. Christianity as much as it has
influenced it has not dismantled the subtle elements in it. Ben Knighton in the
introduction of his book “The Vitality of the Karimojong Religion”
agrees with this fact. He writes “the traditional African religion of the
Karimojong, despite the multiple external influences of the twentieth century
and earlier, has remained at the heart of their culture as it has changed with
time”. With this brief survey of the Karimojong religion, we discover that
culture as well is a living witness of religion and continues to influence it
from different dimensions.
NICHOLAS IWUALA
REFERENCES
NOVELLI, Bruno. (1999). Karimojong
Traditional Religion: A Contribution. Comboni Missionaries: Kampala.
NOVELLI, Bruno. (1988). Aspects of
Karimojong Ethnosociology. Verona: Italy.
KNIGHTON, Ben. (2005). The Vitality of
Karimojong Religion: Dying Tradition or Living Faith. ASHGATE.
PAZZAGLIA, Augusto. (1982). The
Karimojong: Some Aspects. Bolonga: Italy.
MBITI S.J., (1969). African Religions
& Philosophy. Heinemann: London.
[1] Karimojong Traditional Religion, p. LVII
[2] Karimojong Traditional Religion, p. 20
[3] Karimojong Traditional Religion, p.42
[4] The vitality of the Karimojong Religion, p.178
[5] The Karimojong: some aspects p. 97
[6] The Vitality of the Karimojong Religion, p.162
[7] Ibid p. 162
[8] Karimojong Traditional religion, p 42
