Paper short abstract:

Focusing on the Jopadhola of eastern Uganda as an ethnographic case and considering certain religious concepts, this paper attempts to present some clues of insights concerning the migration of Nilotes.

Paper long abstract:

The Jopadhola are an ethnic group that live primarily in Tororo District, eastern Uganda. Classified as a Western Nilotic people based on their cultural and linguistic features, they are considered a pastoral group that originated from a legendary homeland—Bahr el Gazal in South Sudan—and subsequently became dispersed, migrating southwards to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The Jopadhola are one group among many residing on the fertile lands of the Great Lakes region on the border of Uganda and Kenya; they are surrounded by Western Bantu peoples. The migration of the Jopadhola is believed to have occurred gradually, over several centuries, with the movement of relatively independent, small groups. Focusing on the Jopadhola of eastern Uganda as an ethnographic case and considering certain religious concepts, this presentation presents clues found in first-hand data collected in fieldwork since 1997 to trace the trajectory of their great migration.