Best Travel Guide To Pokot Of Magical Northern Kenya

Best Travel Guide To  Pokot Of Magical Northern Kenya 

The Nomadic Journey to the  Pokot people lives in Baringo County in Kenya and the Pokot District of the eastern Karamoja region in Uganda. The Pokot are semi-nomadic, semi-pastoralists who live near Lake Baringo in Kenya. It is an area of bush savanna with scarce rain. They belong to the Nilotic language group and speak Pokot. At present, around 826,000 Pokot are living in Kenya. There are two main groups depending on their location and way of life: The Hill Pokot and the Plain Pokot. They form a section of the Kalenjin ethnic group and speak the Pökoot language, which is broadly similar to the related Marakwet, Nandi, Tuken, and other members of the Kalenjin language group. Pokot identity formed in the Kerio Valley perhaps as early as the late 18th and certainly not later than the mid-19th century.

About one-quarter of Pokot peoples are cultivators ("corn people"), while the remaining are pastoralists ("cow people"). Among both groups, however, wealth is measured by the number of cows one owns. Cows are used for barter, exchange, and most significantly as a form of bride wealth. A man is permitted to marry more than one woman, as long as he has a sufficient number of cows to offer to her family in exchange. This is the primary way for wealth and resources to change hands in Pokot society. Cows are rarely slaughtered for meat because they are much more valuable alive. They provide milk, butter, and cheese, which provide an important component of Pokot dietary needs.

According to the social setting of the Pokot, the women have a weak position. A woman has no voice in any public forums and no authority within her own homestead. She is considered "foolish", like the cows for which she is traded. Illness and death are greatly feared among the Pokot. Much of their religious ritual is involved in warding off illness or in effecting cures. The majority of the Pokots still follow their traditional religion. Some of Pokot are Christians but the majority are traditionalists. Even among Christians, the traditional religious worldview is still dominant.

The decorative arts, and especially body decoration, are highly prized among the Pokot. They often adorn their bodies with beads and hairstyling. They also practice scarification and extraction of lower central incisor teeth. Pokot women wear enormous disc-shaped beaded necklaces. They also wear big metal earrings.

Tororot is considered the supreme deity among Pokot. Prayers and offerings are made to him during communal gatherings, including feasts and dances. Such ceremonies are usually presided over by a community elder. Diviners and medicine men also play a significant role in maintaining spiritual balance within the community. Pokot believes in sorcery and uses various forms of protection to escape the ill will of sorcerers. Pokot also revere a series of other deities, including sun and moon deities and a spirit who is believed to be connected with death. Dances and feasts are held to thank the god for the generosity and abundance, which he bestows upon Pokot communities.

The Pokot society setting is governed through a series of age-grades. Group membership is determined by the age at which one undergoes initiation. For young men, this occurs between ages fifteen and twenty, while for young women it usually occurs around age twelve at the onset of menarche. After initiation, young people are allowed to marry and are permitted to begin participating in local economic activities. Young men and women form close bonds with other members of their initiation groups, and these bonds serve for future political ties. When a man or woman reaches old age among Pokot, he or she is accorded a certain degree of status and respect. Responsibilities of elders include presiding over important community decisions, festivals, and religious ceremonies.

The Pokot people of Kenya have developed a social structure and cultural practices that aim to optimize the chance of survival of the community in an often difficult and hostile environment. When examined in detail, some of these practices are seen to be beneficial, while others are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in the area of mother and child health. In recent times, Pokot society has been in a phase of transition, influenced by new opportunities for educational, economic, and social interaction, particularly since the completion of a tarmac road through the district in 1983. While many of these changes are undoubtedly beneficial to the community, they have been associated with a disintegration of traditional Pokot society and accompanied by changing patterns of existing diseases.

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