Nyangatom
Encyclopedia
The Nyangatom are a Nilotic
ethnic group
inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia
and southeastern South Sudan
. Numerically small and bellicose, they tend herds in a particularly inhospitable part of the disputed Ilemi Triangle
.
, their only friendly neighbours, in the extreme southeast of South Sudan. Their language is one of the Eastern Nilotic languages
, closely related to Karimojong, and Teso of Uganda, Toposa
and Turkana
; these languages together form the cluster of Teso-Turkana languages.
They are called by the pejorative exonym Bume meaning "the smelly ones" by their neighbours (all but one ethnic group in the region being their enemies) such as the Suri
and Turkana
in the Omo valley.
Since the 1990s they have been armed with automatic weapons from Ethiopia because of their dispute with the Turkana. They struggle to get water, as they have to dig wells, whereas other local ethnic groups just go to the rivers. Food is often scarce; the men herd animals, while doing this they must have guns (commonly used guns are AK-47
s, smuggled in from the Sudan) ready at all time, to protect their cattle from violent raiders which can strike at any time. While herding their animals the men live on a staple of milk and blood taken from their cows (without harming them seriously). Upon killing an enemy they scar themselves repeatedly to stop the bad blood from magically killing them. They are blessed and have their names changed when they kill.
The Nyangatom were in danger of displacement and or denial of access to grazing and agricultural land, by African Parks Foundation, also known as African Parks Conservation, of the Netherlands.
The Nyangatom were coerced into signing documents they could not read by government park officials. The documents said the Suri agreed to give up their land without compensation. The documents are being used to legalize the boundaries of the Omo National Park
, which African Parks has taken over. This process, when finished, will make the Nyangatom 'illegal squatters' on their own land. A similar fate is befalling the Mursi
, Dizi
and Surma
, who also live within the park.
463 houses were burned down in Nechisar National Park
on November 25, 2005, and people were evicted, after African Parks Foundation signed an agreement with the government to take it over.
The landloss threat ended in 2008 when African Parks Foundation withdrew from its lease of Omo and Nechisar National Parks in Ethiopia.
Nilotic
Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and southeastern South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. Numerically small and bellicose, they tend herds in a particularly inhospitable part of the disputed Ilemi Triangle
Ilemi Triangle
The Ilemi Triangle is an area of disputed land in East Africa. Arbitrarily defined, it measures between 10,320 and 14,000 square kilometers . Named after Anuak chief Ilemi Akwon, the territory is claimed by South Sudan and Kenya and borders Ethiopia...
.
Overview
The Nyangatom are related to the ToposaToposa
The Toposa are an ethnic group in South Sudan, living in the Greater Kapoeta region of Eastern Equatoria state.They have traditionally lived by herding cattle, sheep and goats, and in the past were involved in the ivory trade...
, their only friendly neighbours, in the extreme southeast of South Sudan. Their language is one of the Eastern Nilotic languages
Eastern Nilotic languages
The Eastern Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan; they are believed to have begun to diverge about 3,000 years ago, and have spread southwards from an original home in Equatoria in...
, closely related to Karimojong, and Teso of Uganda, Toposa
Toposa language
-External links:*...
and Turkana
Turkana language
Turkana is the language of the Turkana people of Kenya, numbering about 340,000.It is one of the Eastern Nilotic languages, and is closely related to Karamojong, Jie and Teso of Uganda, to Toposa spoken in the extreme southeast of Sudan, and to Nyangatom in the Sudan/Ethiopia Omo valley borderland;...
; these languages together form the cluster of Teso-Turkana languages.
They are called by the pejorative exonym Bume meaning "the smelly ones" by their neighbours (all but one ethnic group in the region being their enemies) such as the Suri
Surma people
Surma is a panethnicity residing in South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia. It includes the Nilo-Saharan-speaking Suri, Mursi and Me'en.-Overview:...
and Turkana
Turkana people
The Turkana are a Nilotic people native to the Turkana District in northwest Kenya, a dry and hot region bordering Lake Turkana in the east, Pokot, Rendille and Samburuto the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan and Ethiopia to the north...
in the Omo valley.
Since the 1990s they have been armed with automatic weapons from Ethiopia because of their dispute with the Turkana. They struggle to get water, as they have to dig wells, whereas other local ethnic groups just go to the rivers. Food is often scarce; the men herd animals, while doing this they must have guns (commonly used guns are AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s, smuggled in from the Sudan) ready at all time, to protect their cattle from violent raiders which can strike at any time. While herding their animals the men live on a staple of milk and blood taken from their cows (without harming them seriously). Upon killing an enemy they scar themselves repeatedly to stop the bad blood from magically killing them. They are blessed and have their names changed when they kill.
The Nyangatom were in danger of displacement and or denial of access to grazing and agricultural land, by African Parks Foundation, also known as African Parks Conservation, of the Netherlands.
The Nyangatom were coerced into signing documents they could not read by government park officials. The documents said the Suri agreed to give up their land without compensation. The documents are being used to legalize the boundaries of the Omo National Park
Omo National Park
Omo National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa; across the Omo is the Mago National...
, which African Parks has taken over. This process, when finished, will make the Nyangatom 'illegal squatters' on their own land. A similar fate is befalling the Mursi
Mursi
The Mursi are a Nilotic pastoralist ethnic group that inhabits southwestern Ethiopia. They principally reside in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, close to the border with South Sudan...
, Dizi
Dizi people
Dizi is the name of an ethnic group living in southern Ethiopia. They share a number of somatic similarities with certain culturally related peoples of south-western Ethiopia, which include the Sheko and Nao, the Gimira , the Tsara, the Dime, the Aari and certain sub-groups of the Basketo people....
and Surma
Surma people
Surma is a panethnicity residing in South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia. It includes the Nilo-Saharan-speaking Suri, Mursi and Me'en.-Overview:...
, who also live within the park.
463 houses were burned down in Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region immediately to the east of Arba Minch, its 514 square kilometers of territory include the "Bridge of God" , and the Nechisar plains east of the lakes...
on November 25, 2005, and people were evicted, after African Parks Foundation signed an agreement with the government to take it over.
The landloss threat ended in 2008 when African Parks Foundation withdrew from its lease of Omo and Nechisar National Parks in Ethiopia.