Kalenjin people
 
|
|||
| Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,967,328[1] | |||
| Regions with significant populations | |||
|
|||
| Languages | |||
| Religion | |||
|
Christianity, traditional religion |
|||
| Related ethnic groups | |||
The Kalenjin are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting the Rift Valley Province in Kenya. They are estimated to number a little over 4.9 million individuals as per the Kenyan 2009 census numbers.[2]
Contents |
History [edit]
The Kalenjin are believed to have migrated to their present location from the South Sudan region around 2,000 years ago.
Until the early 1950s, the Kenyan peoples now known as the Kalenjin did not have a common name; they were usually referred to as the 'Nandi-speaking tribes' by scholars and administration officials, a practice that did not immediately come to a halt after the adoption of the common name 'Kalenjin' (cf. Evans-Pritchard 1965).
In the late 1940s and the early 1950s, several Nandi-speaking peoples united to assume the common name 'Kalenjin', a Nandi expression meaning I say (to you). Due to this effort, the peoples were transformed into a major ethnic group in Kenya. The adoption of the name Kalenjin also involved a standardisation of the different dialects of Nandi.
Demographics [edit]
According to the Kenya's 2009 census, The Kalenjin has a population of 4,967,328 people making it the third largest group in Kenya after the Kikuyu, and the Luhya.[3]
Language [edit]
The Kalenjin speak Kalenjin languages as a mother tongue. They belong to the Nilo-Saharan family.
Kalenjin also encompasses languages spoken in Tanzania (e.g. Akie) and Uganda (e.g. Kupsabiny). Due to this even broader use of the term 'Kalenjin', it is common practice in linguistic literature to refer to the languages of the Kenyan Kalenjin peoples as the Nandi languages.
Culture [edit]
As with some Bantu groups, the Kalenjin and other Nilotes in the Great Lakes region have through interaction adopted many customs and practices from neighbouring Southern Cushitic groups. The latter include the age set system of social organisation, circumcision, and vocabulary terms.[4][5]
In terms of subsistence modes, the Kalenjin have also traditionally practised livestock herding.
Subdivisions [edit]
There are several tribal groupings within the Kalenjin. The latter include the Elgeyo, Endorois, Kipsigis, Marakwet, Nandi, Pokot, Sabaot, Terik, Tugen and Sebei.
Athletic prowess [edit]
The Kalenjin have been called by some "the running tribe." Since the mid-1960s, Kenyan men have earned the largest share of major honours in international athletics at distances from 800 meters to the marathon; the vast majority of these Kenyan running stars have been Kalenjin. From 1980 on, about 40% of the top honours available to men in international athletics at these distances (Olympic medals, World Championships medals, and World Cross Country Championships honours) have been earned by Kalenjin. In recent years, Kenyan women have become a major presence in international athletics at the distances; most of these women are also Kalenjin. Amby Burfoot of Runner's World, stated that the odds of Kenya achieving the success they did at the 1988 Olympics were below 1: 160 billion. Kenya had an even more successful Olympics in 2008; documented in Toby Tanser's 'More Fire' book; How to run the Kenyan Way.
Notes [edit]
- ^ [Ethnologue]
- ^ Census: Here are the numbers. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ Census: Here are the numbers. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ Robert O. Collins, The southern Sudan in historical perspective, (Transaction Publishers: 2006), p.9-10.
- ^ A. Okoth & A. Ndaloh, Peak Revision K.C.P.E. Social Studies, (East African Publishers), p.113.
References [edit]
- Evans-Pritchard, E.E. (1965) 'The political structure of the Nandi-speaking peoples of Kenya', in The position of women in primitive societies and other essays in social anthropology, pp. 59–75.
- Entine, Jon. (2000) 'The Kenya Connection', in TABOO: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports And Why We're Afraid to Talk About It. http://www.jonentine.com/reviews/quokka_03.htm
- Omosule, Monone (1989) 'Kalenjin: the emergence of a corporate name for the 'Nandi-speaking tribes' of East Africa', Genève-Afrique, 27, 1, pp. 73–88.
- Sutton, J.E.G. (1978) 'The Kalenjin', in Ogot, B.A. (ed.) Kenya before 1900, pp. 21–52.
- Larsen, Henrik B. (2002) 'Why Are Kenyan Runners Superior?'
- Tanser, Toby (2008) '[1]'More Fire. How to run the Kenyan Way.
