PEOPLE
PROFILE
The Turkana of Kenya
Turkana is an
arid land, with regular periods of prolonged drought
after which the barren land is unable to retain the
tremendous downpours, so that floods and torrents wash
away everything from road crossings to shelters, to
livestock and people!
The Turkana
people are quite content in their land, knowing no
other. As long as their herds are sustained, they too
feel sustained.
The spirituality of
the Turkana or any acknowledgement of any creator or
higher being is centered on ancestor worship. Providence
and pestilence alike are attributed to the disposition
of ancestors, to whom they give sacrifices under trees
along the river beds, and to whom they sing praises for
their flocks, which are indeed a direct indication of
their welfare.
The land is
streaked with dry river beds, ng’ayana, broad
swathes of sand left in the wake of the rains, looking
rather wildly as the roads dips in and out of them. They
could actually serve as the principle route for
venturing anywhere beyond the tarmac, as the road
penetrates nowhere into the vast
interior.
The
majority of Turkana live in the interior, far from
roads. Many of them live in the ng’imukur, the
monolithic hills that periodically interrupt the wide
plains.
These people
travel on foot with their goats, cattle, donkeys and/or
camels. To visit them there is a long journey that even
a 4x4 vehicle would find arduous if not impossible.
 The adakar
periodically shifts to another vacant location in order
to support their animals with pasture and water. They
leave their ng’ikolia
intact, ready for the next family to come and occupy.
Long periods of drought, akamu, are
followed by periods of rain, akiporo,
which govern the production of parched vegetation and
therefore the Turkanas movements.
The district is in two
halves. In south Turkana, the Turkwell river flow
through Turkwell Gorge, which provides hydroelectric
power to regions of Kenya south of Kerio valley. The
Turkwell flows through Lodwar town where the temperature
averages around 39°C and the roads are
just sand. The main road comes up from kitale, West
pokot district, through Cherangani hills, a six-hour
journey when the conditions are right.
From Lodwar,
the river makes its way to Lake Turkana, which forms the
eastern border of the district. The karamajong tribe can
be found across the mountains to the west, at the border
with Uganda. These actually inter-mingle with turkanas
and can understand one another’s language.
In North
Turkana there are just three roads. From Lodwar one goes
to Lokitaung on the northwestern shore of the Lake
Turkana, north of which is the Ethiopian border. Another
road goes to Kalokol on the eastern lakeshore. The other
road goes northwest through Kakuma and Lokichokio to
Sudan.
The climate
is hot so that even in the open night, little clothing
is necessary. The native houses, ng’ikolia, are
simple construction of sticks and branches, bent over
and woven together to form something like a stick-igloo.
Any materials of sheet-like form that are found are used
on top to provide greater protection from wind and
rain.
It is harsh,
but they look for no better place to be, accepting their
apparent lot, living to the accursed dust of the ground.
A baby can be found sucking at mother’s breast, on the
other teat a goat. In times of drought a baby can be
found sucking on mother’s breast, mother is dead. A
harsh land!
In the interior, it is
common to find a diviner traveling with the adakar. He lives off the family by requiring
offering and sacrifice for such services as healing,
direction, locating water, cursing or any inkling of
his.
Eagles Place is engaged in
Turkana. The mission work here started way back in
1994. Without fore knowledge of what to expect ahead, a
lone missionary ventured there like Abraham of the Bible. He didn’t know
even their language but he went. The challenges were
many and still are but a church was planted. It
still is a great blessing to the Turkanas.
The converts are
discipled up until their adakar, extended family,
moves to new pastures elsewhere in the interior. This
relocation separates the missionaries from the
disciples, up until they might return to the area.
However, reports have got to us of churches started by
some of these disciples where they
go.
The church
started under a tree. Turkana men carry with them a
stick and a little stool known as ekichorong’. So
they sit on these stools anytime they want to sit. Women
are not allowed to sit on these stools. So the women and
the missionary had to look for stones to sit on during
the service.
All this time,
the missionary toiled, strange land, strange
language, trying to create a bridge of trust between the
Turkanas and himself. Tough task but worthwhile. He was
planting seeds which would later bear fruits. Fruits
that remain.
Now seven
churches have been planted; Kakuma, Katilu, Kalokol,
Nakalale, Pelekech and
Lokichogio.
Kakuma is a small town, but adjacent is a
refugee camp that is supported by the United Nations and
the Lutheran World Federation. With a population of at
least 60,000 the camp makes Kakuma bigger than Lodwar, which is
otherwise the principle town of Turkana district. Here
can be found Somalis, Ethiopians, Sudanese, Rwandans,
Burundians and more
nations.
The refugees
are provided with food, water and shelter plus some
medical services. It appears as though the refugees are
in better stead than the native Turkanas who suffer in
their own land. The place itself is a mission-field in
which citizens of otherwise inaccessible lands can be
reached. Our
work touches both the native Turkanas and the refugees.
We have a program for both.
Jesus Christ included these precious
souls in His redemption plan. Please join Eagles
Place as we continue to touch these people, and
others like them with the love of Christ.
Now that you
know about these people, take the Gospel to
them. And somehow you can!
Eric Hay for
Uttermost Missions, 1999
Modified June,
2011
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