The Ateker dance during teh cultural festival in Soroti.
The Ateker group refers to the Karimojong of Uganda, Toposa of South Sudan, Nyangatom of Ethiopia, Turkana of Kenya, Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, Iteso of both Uganda and Kenya, the Langi of Uganda, Kakwa of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and the Kumam of Uganda.
The Ateker have a rich cultural heritage, with a history dating back to their migration from the Horn of Africa around Djibouti and Ethiopia hundreds of years ago.
Their dispersion took them to sovereignties now defined by the scramble and partition of the African continent by European colonialists in the 1880s.
Commonalities
The Ateker venerate the cow, with some practicing nomadic pastoralism. They are also hunters, sharing similar dances, common beliefs, marriage rites, clan names, and common intonations in their speeches.
Despite being divided by sovereign states, the Ateker people have broken these barriers and descended on Soroti City in droves, braving the rain to be part of a historic gathering opened by President Museveni on November 26.
As visitors from Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Ethiopia surged past security barricades toward Soroti Sports Ground from their hotels, their cultural regalia proved a spectacle. They drew patients from Soroti Hospital, who thronged the fence to glimpse the colorfully bedecked Nyangatom from Ethiopia.
Rolling back colonialism
The Ateker reunion, under the theme of celebrating shared heritage and forging a path toward peace, prosperity, and cultural renaissance, is the first to be held in Uganda. Among the Iteso, the word "Ateker" mainly refers to the clan or tribe, while among the Turkana, it literally means a distinct group with shared customs, laws, and shared ancestry.
The same word among the Kumam and Langi refers to clan and tribe.
Stephen Ojacor, the deputy information minister for the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU), said the Ateker reunion was proof that colonial boundaries cannot deter people with the same cultural heritage from advancing values of brotherhood. “We thank the government for the financial support to host fellow Ateker people from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and the Kakwa from DR Congo.
“Apart from Ethiopians and the Maasai from Tanzania, the rest of the delegates outside Uganda traveled by road from their countries. That alone shows the commitment that the Ateker still attach to their culture,” the deputy information minister said.
Ojacor said the participants from the neighboring countries were all cleared by Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender to enter Uganda without passports. He said the clearance was based on the President's instruction and overseen by the Vice President, who coordinated the organization.
The story of the Ateker reunion is one that has been ongoing in Kenya and Ethiopia for a couple of years now. Mr. Peter Adei, one of the respected Karimojong cultural leaders, said the reunion shows the eagerness and commitment among the Ateker people to their shared culture.
Mr Adei mentioned that, like the previous gatherings at Lodwar in Turkana in Kenya and another in Ethiopia, particularly under the Tobongu-ore phrase translated as "comeback home," the ongoing reunion in Soroti is a testament that the Ateker have shared values that cannot be separated by colonial boundaries.
He explained that the Ateker in South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia have largely remained pastoralists, whose nomadism has over the decades been supplemented by subsistence farming of grains and legumes.
He also noted that apart from the Langi, the Iteso, and the Kumam—who, despite holding the cow so close to their culture, especially for marriage purposes, have since turned to a settled way of life from the time they dispersed from Karamoja—there is virtually little that divides the Ateker people. "We all believe in totems, and interestingly we share identical clan names and widely venerate cattle as the center of our daily lives," Mr Adei explained.
Origins
Mr Adei stated that central to the Ateker people is their main dispersal point, referred to as Abyssinia, in present-day Ethiopia, where the Ateker people are believed to have originated. Other scholars suggest the first dispersal was in present-day Djibouti.
From Ethiopia, the Ateker followed the River Nile and settled in present-day South Sudan, where some became known as the Toposa. Others moved towards Lake Turkana in present-day Kenya and became known as the Turkana.
From the Toposa, some moved towards present-day DR Congo, earning the name Kakwa, while others dispersed further. Those who moved towards present-day Masailand in Kenya and Tanzania were known as the Maasai, while those who moved to Uganda, settling mostly in northeastern Uganda, became known as the Karimojong, Iteso, Langi, and Kumam, based on their migration dynamics at the time.
Today, the exact population of the Ateker people remains unspecified but mysterious due to their settlement across borders. However, census figures indicate that the Langi stand at 2.5 million (2024 census), the Iteso at 3.1 million, and the Karimojong at 1.4 million. The Toposa of South Sudan are estimated to be between 226,000 and 533,811, the Maasai of Kenya at 1.1 million (2019 census), and the Maasai in Tanzania, who settled around Mount Kilimanjaro, at 430,000.
Peace caravans
Mr Emmanuel Imana, the peace ambassador in the Turkana government in Kenya, stated that the Ateker reunion is the first in Uganda but has been convened in Kenya and Ethiopia for a couple of years now. Each year, peace caravans are held to calm the Ateker communities whenever they get into loggerheads over shared resources like water and grazing rights.
"As the Ateker people from Turkana, we are here to strengthen the peace and also ensure our posterity, cultural values, and other values that we hold dear," Mr Imana explained.
The annual Ateker reunions are overseen by the Ateker patron, Mr Haile Mariam Dessalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
Mr Imana added that the organizers hope to extend the move to Teso and Lango to help preserve cultural heritage, foster peace, and promote prosperity through tourism and cross-border events. He noted that many shared aspects, including names and intonations in their speeches, bond the Ateker people.
Opportunities for trade and unity
Papa Paul Sande Emolot, the Emorimor of the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU), emphasized that the Ateker's shared ancestry, which crisscrosses borders, is proof that outside their cultural norms, they have the opportunity to use their numbers for business purposes. By doing so, he stated, the Ateker people will not only grow their local economies but also the economies of the various countries in which they are settled.
“For the Ateker people of Uganda, we now have a golden opportunity to trade with each other. All we need are formal approvals from the various countries where we are settled,” the Emorimor said.
Papa Emolot urged the Ateker people to focus on unity rather than division. With respective governments addressing challenges like shared water resources among the Karimojong and Turkana and improving road connectivity, the Ateker can prosper. “I am so delighted that the government and various non-state actors have played an instrumental role in bringing tranquility. With peace at hand, our Ateker community is living side by side with each other,” he remarked.
Hosting the reunion
Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo, also the woman MP for Katakwi District, confirmed that the idea of Uganda hosting this year’s Ateker reunion began in 2022 when she met former Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn. She shared her desire for Uganda to host the ceremony, which was later approved by the elders.
Ms Alupo expressed her hope that this Ateker festival continues on a rotational basis to include Uganda. She highlighted that Ugandan delegates had previously participated in similar reunions in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Mr Haile Mariam Dessalegn, the patron of the Ateker people, highlighted their kingship and cultural tradition. Known for their strength and deep connection to the land, he urged the Ateker people to cherish the values that have guided them for centuries.
He emphasized the importance of respecting elders and accommodating children in dialogues, adding, “Our past should be treasured as our responsibility.”
Looking ahead
Mr David Pulkol, a respected Ateker elder, declared that the era of division is no more. "The people who had been divided by physical boundaries are once again drinking from one cup," he said. With peace and unity as common goals, the Ateker people are poised to harness opportunities within their reach for trade and prosperity.
