Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka (Ten)Biafra, Mbarara, Western Uganda.
SIX Tribes in Uganda have declined at a rate of more than 90% in five years! The Saturday Vision of November 15 ran a survey carried out by ‘The State of Uganda Population report 2008,’ which reveals that tribes: Dodoth, Ik alias Teuso, Ethur, Jie, Nyangia and Napore, all mainly living in north-eastern Uganda, are disappearing.
From 2002 to 2008, the numbers of these tribes have declined at alarming rates: Dodoth; fell by 98.8% from 328,582 in 2002 to only 2,545 today. Jie by 99.3% from 146,661 to 1,093; Napore by 98.9% from 30,591 to 330; Ethur reduced by 95.7% from 54,312 to 2,342; Nyangia by 97.8% from 15,282 to 332 and Ik by 47.9% from 16,294 to 8,497.
Worse still, 19 tribes out of 61 in Uganda registered a decline in population since the last population census of 2002. And 30% of Uganda’s tribes could be extinct by 2015.
Why should we disappear as though we are insignificant creatures? Who cares about the extinction of our tribes anyway? Vonoma is the smallest tribe in Uganda, which is at the verge of extinction with 119 people remaining. And who seems to bother?
It is funny that Uganda’s population increased in 2007 by one million to 29.6 million and it is projected to be 38 million by 2015 - yet some of our tribes are getting extinct! This shows that this increase in population has occurred among the eight larger tribes like the Baganda (17.3%), followed by Banyankore (9.8%), Basoga (8.6%), Bakiga (7.0%), Iteso (6.4%), Langi (6.1%), Acholi (4.7%) and Bagisu (4.6%).
I have a feeling that the endangered minority tribes are not known by the majority since they have been out shadowed by the larger ones that constitute about 70% of the total population.
Who is to blame for the loss of our tribes? I think it is you and me – the literate! Why? Because we - the educated - think that speaking our mother language is a backward or outdated practice!
For instance, we cannot properly speak our mother languages, and our children don’t even know them! Perhaps such laxity and despise of our languages are contributing to their escalating extinction. Note: a country without her cultural heritage has no pride!
By the way, is anybody carrying out research to unearth whether it is HIV/AIDS wiping out our precious tribes, or otherwise? Whatever the cause, it creates more despondency when the extinction shifts from plant and animal species to human beings as evidenced by the steep extinction of our tribes.
Thank you, Mr. Cresent Tirinawe (from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development) for researching on the status of our tribes in Uganda today. We need many more of you in this country. This gentleman attributes the death and extinction of our tribes to failure to seek medical care - something that is solvable!
He discloses that high maternal and infant mortality rates are endangering these tribes too. Training is one of the appropriate remedies to save these vulnerable tribes. Bravo Kabann Kabananukye upon your PhD dissertation on ‘Ethnic minorities in Uganda.’
Kabananukye has found out that failure to intermarry after failing to get their own partners has led the above-mentioned tribes to end up producing fewer children! To him, poor conditions like poor eating habits, poor sanitation and hygiene, lack of access to information on health and other vital services have led these unfortunate tribes to doom.
I second the head of Information and Communication in the Population Secretariat, Hannington Burunde’s idea that we should talk of developing human resource in all areas and among all the tribes - irregardless of their numbers.
Indeed, the minority, or the vulnerable tribes, should be given access to basic care like health care (first) and education (second) – if we are to attain national development and defeat poverty as a nation.
We shouldn’t focus and rely on the major tribes residing in accessible areas - who are even able to help themselves - and forget the minor ones to disintegrate and vanish in the desert of hopelessness. Should we wait for Obama to come and preserve our tribes?
From 2002 to 2008, the numbers of these tribes have declined at alarming rates: Dodoth; fell by 98.8% from 328,582 in 2002 to only 2,545 today. Jie by 99.3% from 146,661 to 1,093; Napore by 98.9% from 30,591 to 330; Ethur reduced by 95.7% from 54,312 to 2,342; Nyangia by 97.8% from 15,282 to 332 and Ik by 47.9% from 16,294 to 8,497.
Worse still, 19 tribes out of 61 in Uganda registered a decline in population since the last population census of 2002. And 30% of Uganda’s tribes could be extinct by 2015.
Why should we disappear as though we are insignificant creatures? Who cares about the extinction of our tribes anyway? Vonoma is the smallest tribe in Uganda, which is at the verge of extinction with 119 people remaining. And who seems to bother?
It is funny that Uganda’s population increased in 2007 by one million to 29.6 million and it is projected to be 38 million by 2015 - yet some of our tribes are getting extinct! This shows that this increase in population has occurred among the eight larger tribes like the Baganda (17.3%), followed by Banyankore (9.8%), Basoga (8.6%), Bakiga (7.0%), Iteso (6.4%), Langi (6.1%), Acholi (4.7%) and Bagisu (4.6%).
I have a feeling that the endangered minority tribes are not known by the majority since they have been out shadowed by the larger ones that constitute about 70% of the total population.
Who is to blame for the loss of our tribes? I think it is you and me – the literate! Why? Because we - the educated - think that speaking our mother language is a backward or outdated practice!
For instance, we cannot properly speak our mother languages, and our children don’t even know them! Perhaps such laxity and despise of our languages are contributing to their escalating extinction. Note: a country without her cultural heritage has no pride!
By the way, is anybody carrying out research to unearth whether it is HIV/AIDS wiping out our precious tribes, or otherwise? Whatever the cause, it creates more despondency when the extinction shifts from plant and animal species to human beings as evidenced by the steep extinction of our tribes.
Thank you, Mr. Cresent Tirinawe (from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development) for researching on the status of our tribes in Uganda today. We need many more of you in this country. This gentleman attributes the death and extinction of our tribes to failure to seek medical care - something that is solvable!
He discloses that high maternal and infant mortality rates are endangering these tribes too. Training is one of the appropriate remedies to save these vulnerable tribes. Bravo Kabann Kabananukye upon your PhD dissertation on ‘Ethnic minorities in Uganda.’
Kabananukye has found out that failure to intermarry after failing to get their own partners has led the above-mentioned tribes to end up producing fewer children! To him, poor conditions like poor eating habits, poor sanitation and hygiene, lack of access to information on health and other vital services have led these unfortunate tribes to doom.
I second the head of Information and Communication in the Population Secretariat, Hannington Burunde’s idea that we should talk of developing human resource in all areas and among all the tribes - irregardless of their numbers.
Indeed, the minority, or the vulnerable tribes, should be given access to basic care like health care (first) and education (second) – if we are to attain national development and defeat poverty as a nation.
We shouldn’t focus and rely on the major tribes residing in accessible areas - who are even able to help themselves - and forget the minor ones to disintegrate and vanish in the desert of hopelessness. Should we wait for Obama to come and preserve our tribes?
Ends.
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