smallest tribe in uganda

Comprising of only 11,000, the Ik community from northern Uganda are an attraction that is feared to be almost extinct. They reside in Kabong district on top of the Morongole hill. They mainly live in isolation, far away from other tribes up on the hill which takes 55 minutes to climb. They are not karamojong but look exactly like the karamojong. The Ik migrated from Ethiopia, crossed through Kenya and finally settled in Uganda on Morongole Mountain. Unlike the karamojong who dedicate their lives to keeping livestock, the Iks are farmers. They don’t have a staple food, to them, anything provided by God is food. However, hunting is a main activity. They practise hunting where men, women and children participate mainly to promote unity but most importantly to initiate the children into adulthood. It is during these hunting trips that helpful teachings are transferred from father to son.




the Ik have a striking resemblance with the Karamojong

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ik strike a remarkable resemblance to the karamojong mainly because of the body piercing which are made using sharp razorblades and pins. These markings are considered to be serious beauty markings. They pierce big holes on their ear lobes, in this case the bigger the hole, the better. In these holes, they wear jewellery that work hand in hand with the body markings to bring out the beauty. The ear jewellery is crafted from cow horn while the waist and neck jewellery is carefully assembled from brightly coloured beads.

For a small community, the Iks have a rich culture which is evident in their way of life in general. this has in its own way, contributed to the tourism sector of Uganda as journalist/visitors travel from far and wide to participate in their communal activities in order to get to know much more about the few but closely woven IK.