ITESO CULTURAL UNION (ICU)- HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

 

The establishment of ICU, Iteso cultural Union has been labelled as looking for a sense of belonging. Iteso as early as 1930’s were looking for a leadership, a union that would spear head the Ateker Iteso people of East Africa. In 1930 Makerere College Graduate Nathan Olei Proposed a creation of Iteso East African Union but it was blocked by the colonial government on suspicion to disentangle their rule. In 1940 the heads of counties (Ibukui) in Teso also proposed the formation of Oduwe Oduk, it also failed to materialize and live to the expectations of their founders. In 1945 the County heads again tried to start an organization called ‘Amootoi Na Iteso’ it was also at a time when World war II veterans were returning and the colonial government also blocked its formation.

During Insurgency, a period between 1987- 1993 Teso passed through a difficult time of turmoil, the source of livelihood was stolen. The cattle were taken, crops destroyed, families dispersed and living in camps as Internally displaced people IDPs. Because of what transpired, Teso loving people like Akello Grace ( Check Wikipedia for more information) organized Demonstration in Soroti town and this attracted media attention. The president also invited Akello and asked her what the problem was? The challenges of Teso in the 19^th century was leadership. The Local Teso chiefs could not speak one language to defend the people. The NRA government was killing innocent Iteso purpoted to be UPA’s Uganda people’s Army rebels and there was no one to speak on the behalf of Ateker Iteso.

A group of concerned Iteso having felt the agony and having seen a leadership gap proposed the creation of ICU in 1994 and one of the versatile Etop Writers Sos Opak proposed ‘a union’, they came together and formed ICU as a team of Teso devotees they included among others Sos Opak, Aloch william, Vance Omome, Joseph Okadapao, Martin Alfred Aruo, Paphrus Imodot etc. Its first Emorimori was Papa Paprus Imodot and the 1^st prime Minister was Papa Vance Omome.

Iteso Cultural Union was then established in 1995 under the provisions of the 1995 National Constitution of the Republic of Uganda that recognized cultural institutions. The Union is sponsored by, and comprises of all Iteso clans with the specific objectives of uniting all the Iteso people of East Africa and in the Diaspora for purposes of cultural preservation and pursuit of modern development projects for Teso.

The 1^st Interim Emorimori was Papa Paprus Imodot, His Highness Olemukol Osuban Adugala was the second Emorimori elected by the delegates conference in 1998 and thereafter installed in the year 2000 supported by a Clan Council, Cabinet, Team of advisors and a foundation of clan executives throughout Teso Region. He had been in Power from 1998- 2022 when he went to join the ancestors.

The Institution has been operational for the last 25 years. The current Emorimori is papa Paul Sande Emolot Etomeileng from Tororo. His governance shields a large Chiefdom covering Kapelebyong, Katakwi, Soroti, Serere, Kumi, Bukedea, Kaberamaido, Kalaki, Pallisa, Butebo, Amuria, Tororo, Busia, Serere and Ngora districts of Uganda, the Teso North, Teso South, and Busia Districts of Kenya and the Diaspora.

 

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      Paphrus Imodot Edimu 1st Emorimori 1994-1998 Interim Vision Bearer.

 Papa  Olemukol Osuban Adugala  

2nd Emorimori Papa Iteso 2000-2022

                                                                                                                                          

Papa Paul Sande Emolot Etomeileng III  

The current Emoromori Papa Iteso

Akello Grace Rep. Amuria member to parliament in 1994. Teso woman leader who organized a walk around Soroti town carrying a coffin to demonstrate mistreatment of Iteso by NRA Soldiers.

ITESO MIGRATION

 

The migration of the Iteso did not happen independently, there are other clusters or groups of Ateker people who were with Iteso in Abyssinia. This expedition to Uganda started a proximately a round 1300AD

Ateker Iteso People’s first settlement was in Turkana, north of Kenya. They left Turkana, and moved to Moroto because of tsetse flies and other factors like drought, famine and cattle disease caused by Ticks.

Whereas people were leaving, one group of people decided to remain behind. The group that remained in Ethiopia are called Nyangatom or the Dongiro “Lu Edongoto”, while those who settled in Turkana were called the Turkana. The Turknana got the name from the sound of the caves in the area that used to sound Tur tur.

A group moved and settled in Moroto are known as the Karamojong. All this names were a circumstance of the migration. ‘Ekaraki Imojong’ the old men are tired.

One group left Karamoja, went westwards and settled in the south of the present day South Sudan. These group are known as the Toposa. It’s believed that due to lack of a diviner they strayed and got lost in the desert and found their way in Southern Sudan (Lu opotu Iposiaros)

A group left Karamoja in 1700 AD and moved southwards and entered a place called Angisa in Magoro, the group of Ateker people who settled in Magoro came to be called Iteso (Webster et al 1973) The Iteso from the word, Itei iso ‘We have seen’ The young Energetic youth had seen water and greener pastures so they moved with their cattle.

Another cluster broke away from Iteso, led by Oleumo. This team went to the shore of lake Kyoga and came to be called the ‘Kumam’ The children of Oleumo (ikoku Olemo) they are often referred as Ikokolemo (Mamdani, 1998). Up-to-date the Kumam occupy the Districts that border Lake Kyoga (Kalaki, Soroti and Kaberamaido)

From Magoro, the group that went north settled in the current Usuk area (Katakwi district), while the group that went west settled in areas now known as Soroti, Serere.

Those who went south crossed Lake Bisina and named it in memory of Abyssinia and settled in places now called Ngora, Kumi, Bukedea, Pallisa and some parts of Kaliro.

Some proceeded south eastwards to settle in Mbale, Tororo, Busia and western parts of Kenya.(jones 2005).

You can also check out for present day #Soroti #Kumi #Ngora #Serere #Katakwi #Bukedea #Kaberamaido #Pallisa #Amuria #Tororo #Busia 

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Kokong village in Ngora district

 

An online  Image taken of the rock in Soroti 

An activity along the shores of Lake Kyoga in Serere

 

 

A village homestead in Soroti.

ITESO HISTORY & ORIGIN

 

Every scholar is inquisitorial and curious to find out why a strong, courageous and warrior tribe would drift away from the Hills of Abyssinia to the Ugandan Eastern grasslands.

Iteso are the famous section of the Ateker people whose origin is from the Habesha people of the Solomonid Dynasty in the historical Abyssinia Empire (present Ethiopia and Eritrea).

The Monarchy was so vast covering Southern Egypt, Eastern Sudan, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia from 980 B.C. to its collapse in September 1974 due to a coup led by Mengistu Haile Mariam of the Derg committee who jailed and murdered king Haile Selassie.

Ethiopia (Abbysnia), an empire that was founded by the Ethiopian people known as the Aksumites they lived in the Ethiopian highlands.

The first 10^th century kingdom to rise to power in the territory was the Aksumite Kingdom of the Tigray Region with its capital at Aksum. The second was Zagwe dynasty with a capital at lalibela. The Zagwe dynasty gave way to the Solomonic dynasty in the 13^th century.

During the Solomonic period Ethiopia went through military reforms and imperial expansion that made it to dominate the Horn of Afrika.

The Greeks also conquered Abyssinia and Renamed it ‘Ethiopicas’ the name of their Greek god. There were also a lot of inter-tribal and inter kingdom wars in Ethiopia at this 13^th century and due to this kind of battles the cattle keepers sought refuge a way.

Cattle keepers (Ateker people) as often couldn’t be huddled in an urban settlement with cattle, goats and sheep they decided to move away from Abyssinia to a larger land for their animals, enough pastures and above all access of water for the large flocks since it was always dry in the desert.

So what's the origin of this famous Ateker Iteso people,

Solomon's fame spreads until the Queen of Sheba hears about him. She's so intrigued that she comes to Israel to test his wisdom with some tough questions. She shows up in Jerusalem with a huge entourage and camels bearing gold and spices and jewels to give to Solomon.

According to the Bible (1^st Kings 10, the purpose of her visit was to test Solomon's wisdom by asking him to solve a number of riddles. It’s believed that King Solomon Answered all the questions well, but had told the queen not to break the promise and falter the rules of his Kingdom.

When Queen Sheba was about to leave, one night she was thirsty and was looking for water in the palace she found King Solomon who took her and its believed she left Israel when she was pregnant. Many Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions tell about a marriage between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church teaches that their son was the first great king of Ethiopia, Menelik I.

Menelik the Ist was the first Emperor of Ethiopia. According to Kebra Nagast, a 14th-century national epic in the 10th century BC he is said to have inaugurated the Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, so named because Menelik I was the son of the biblical King Solomon of ancient Israel and of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba.

He was conceived when his father Solomon tricked his visiting mother, the Queen of Sheba, into sleeping with him. His mother raised him as a Jew in her homeland and he only traveled to Jerusalem to meet his father for the first time when he was in his twenties. While his father begged Menelik to stay and rule over Israel, Menelik told him that he wanted to return home (Abyssinia). Thus, Solomon sent many Israelites with him, to aid him in ruling according to biblical standards.

The origin of Iteso is tagged to history of Menelik the 1^st who was a Jew and a cattle keeper whose father was Solomon and the Mother was queen of sheba. Thats why we are called the Israelites of Africa.

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King Menelik II

WHAT IS ANGOR ATESO ABOUT?

 Isn't it amazing how ''Emuria '' has spread through all corners of the world?!😊 Well, Iteso are literally found in almost all countries of the world. This beautiful spread out may be attributed to one of the different reasons like; Study, work, Intermarriages, Research and many other reasons i may not be able to mention and not forgetting adventure!, the one attribute that is predominant among the people of this tribe😁.

The '' Spread-out'' as i may call  it is as good as it is bad!. I am sure some one is already raising eyebrows wondering  what this exactly means. As we move out to different locations looking for greener pastures, an education, data etc, We may get entangled in other cultures that we are not exactly used to or perhaps we are raised in an enviroment  where the western culture has dominated. This does not mean that we are no longer Iteso. We still have to uphold our cultural values with love and dignity❤👌. 

Well, Angor Ateso is one platform where we shall share a variety of information ranging from; Culture, Education updates, sports ,politics, little jokes and also get to network!

I believe we can feel at home away from home!

Epol eongo aiyalama noi 😁