Tugen People

The Tugen are a sub tribe of the Kenyan Kalenjin people. They fall under the highland ''nilotes'' category. They occupy Baringo County and some parts of Nakuru County and Elgeyo Marakwet County in the former Rift Valley Province. Daniel Arap Moi, the second president of Kenya (1978–2002), came from this sub-tribe. The Tugen people speak the Tugen language. The Tugen population was 197,556 as of 2019.

Culture

Tugen is more diverse in culture and language than other Kalenjin subtribes. It is divided into Arror, Lembus, Torois and Samor. There is also small division of the tugens more specifically in mogotio region, former koibatek district; into pogoor,kebeen and kakimoor/kamoor.Aror and Samor follow Tugen circumcision rites and Lembus,Torois,kebeen,pogoor and kamoor follows Nandi circumcision rights. Aror have a strong connection with Marakwet people while Samor, pogoor, kebeen, lembus, torois and kamoor have connections with keiyo and Nandi. The Lembus and Torois later disowned that they are Tugen and won court case. The only subdivision that claims to be tugen are the arror, samoor, ogoor and kamoor unlike what is claimed by the lembus. Under population census 2019 they were counted separately.

History

The oral traditions of the Tugen indicate three areas of origin located north, west and east of remaining Tugen homelands. The bulk of the population originated from the west, from Sumo, which is located between Mount Elgon and Cherangany Hills. The northern and eastern migrations came from Suguta ( Lake Turkana) and Koilegen (Mount Kenya) and brought with them non-Kalenjin speaking people from northern Kenya and the highlands to the East of the Rift Valley, respectively. Folklore states that some Tugen are remnants of Masaai pastoralists.Kiptala, S. J, The Origins of the Tugen of Baringo County and their practice of Indigenous Education; A historical perspective, Kabarak University,

Demographics

The Tugen are subdivided into two subgroups known as Arror and Samor:
* Arror live in the Highlands of Kabartonjo and the lowlands of Kerio Valley (Barwessa) and Lake Baringo of North Baringo District.
* Samor who live in Kabarnet,Sacho, Ewalel,and Kapropita in Central Baringo district. This is the group from which the second president of Kenya, Daniel Toroitich Aarap Moi comes.
Initially Lembus and Torois was part of Samor.
* Lembus Who mostly live in Eldama Ravine constituency, Mogotio constituency, Nakuru constituency, Tenges ward and part of Keiyo
* Torois Who mostly live in Baringo South and Mogotio Constituencies, Baringo County.

Culture

Religion

Traditionally, like other Kalenjin people, the Tugen prayed to Asis (symbolized by life giving force, the sun). Other attributes to Asis are Chepokipkoyo (God of harvest), Cheptengeryan (God of love), and Cheponamoni. Most have converted to Christianity. Islam flourished in major town. Tugens are now moving back to the original Asisianism spirituality

Age-sets

Tugen social organisation centres on the age set, or ipindo. The seven age-sets (''ipinwek'') are rotational, meaning at the end of one age-set new members of that generation are born.

Some Kalenjin peoples, include an age-set called Maina. However, among the Tugen, this age-set is extinct. Legend has it that the members of this ''ipindo'' were wiped out by the purko and ilkisongo maa subtribes during the loikop civil war among the maa tribes,it is said that the maina ageset aided the ilaikipiak maasai subtribe but most maina were driven and drowned in now lake nakuru while others were driven downwards the menenagai escarpment where they met their fate,few surivived to tell the tale. To avoid a recurrence, the community decided to retire the age-set.

''Ipindo'' was given out at initiation. By simple arrangements, there ought to be one ''ipindo'' between father and son. For example, a ''korongoro'' cannot beget a ''kipkoimet''. Tugen don't consider a woman to have an age-set, hence she can marry any age-set except her father's. The Tugen say ''ma tinyei ipin Korgo,'' meaning they can marry any age-set, but they have their own age-set such as ''chesiran'', ''masinya'', and ''chepigwek''. Age-sets:

*Chumo
*Sawe
*Korongoro
*Kipkoimet
*Kaplelach
*Kipnyigei
*Nyongi

Age sub-set (''siritie'')

In each age-set, initiates are bundled into ''siritie'' or what can be understood as a 'team'. There are three ''siritoik'' in an age-set (''ibindo'') namely:

*Chongin
*kapchepsuei
*Barnot (youth)

Initiations

Tugens are very diversified in terms of the types of initiation ceremonies. Female circumcision was abolished decades ago. Male initiation would graduate a male from boyhood into warrior status called (muren). After the warriorhood stage there was a ceremony called kuletap eito where the senior warrior class would be graduated into elder class. The women then during the precolonial period would similarly undergo kuletap kweet ceremony to achieve elderly class.

Around 1930-1940s, the influx of nandi tradition and customs reached the tugenland, and most of the tugens especially from baringo south, mogotio, nakuru adopted the nandi initiation ways while the tugens from baringo central and north retained their old ways.

Notables

* Daniel Arap Moi
* Gideon Moi
* Benjamin Chesire Cheboi, the first governor of Baringo County
* Paul Tergat world marathon champion
* Reuben Chesire - politician, businessman, farmer

References

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Kalenjin
Ethnic groups in Kenya
Baringo County