Mr. WBK,
The Ik are interesting society. Colin Turnbull wrote a book on them in 1966 called, Tradition and Change in African Tribal Life, in which they were described as a 'fun-loving people' and a 'great family people' who 'thrive on work', etc. Other than the fact that upto that point much of the world, let alone Uganda) was not aware of the Ik, I's say it generated little interest in the general public, or even in academia.
The plight of the Ik has been "known" since the 1972, when Colin Trunbull's second book on the Ik, The Mountain People, hit bookstores.
This is a fascinating book, written in very simple language and is accessible to just about anyone literate in English. He vividly gives one a picture of their way of life using words. In short, he did a 'National Geographic' on this society. Interestingly, when he did his work, there were presumed to be no more than about 5,000 Ik. And, they were threatened by extinction back then.
When one looks at their photos, one cannot help but draw parallels with diseases that cause wasting, e.g. AIDS (unknown back then). But theirs was apparently emaciation caused by starvation. Stress induced by hunger caused a dramatic change in their personality and behavior.
The new book now described the IK as mean spirited as human being can be, unfriendly, uncharitable, inhospitable, indefferent to anyone's plight -- even their own, so pre-occupied with food that it 'food' came to mean 'goodness' (sensu 'land-of-milk-and-honey') and utterly unbothered by issues of personal hygiene and who turned humor into sarcasm.
The usually mundane academia stood up and took note: a flurry of reviews hit the presses, followed by discussions of the book, in print -- which doesn't happen too much in the ivory towers. The discussion has flared up now and then.
Some of the reviews of the book are:
P. Spencer 1973 Man New Series 8:651-2
J H Barkow 1975 Can J. Afr. Stud. 9:155-6
Some discussions of the Mountain People:
Peter Wilson, G McCall, W Geddes, A Mark, J Pfeiffer, J Boskey, and rebuttal these articles (all written individually mostly by folks from New Zealand & Australian universities -- think Aborigines ...) by C Turnbull appeared under the title: More thoughts on the Ik and Anthropology in Current Anthropology 16:343-358 (1975)
Colin Turnbull & the methodology he used while researching the Mountain People had been the subject of discussion and were harshly criticised in a short but powerful article:
Fredirick Barth 1974 On Responsibility and Humanity: Calling a Colleague to Account. Current Anthropology 15: 99-102
Some of the above articles were iginited by the Barth article.
James A Knight 1976 . Current Anthropology 17:777 (1976)
J H M Beattie 1977 . Current Anthropology 18:558
John Knight 1994 'The Mountain People' as tribal mirror. Anthropology Today,10:1-3
Such was the notoriety generated that later, the book was adapted into a play:
Colin Higgins and Denis Cannan 1984 The Ik; with an introduction by Colin Turnbull
Publisher Chicago, Ill. : Dramatic Pub, Adapted from: The mountain people by Colin Turnbull.
My own copy of The Mountain People sprung feet one dark night and wandered off into that vast Black Hole known as "I swear, I will return it as soon as I am done reading it", never to be seen again! Anyhow, this is on unforgettable book about Uganda in modern times, and I highly recommend it to everyone who has yet to read it.
One can also get a glimpse of the Mountain People debate which still lingers, after all these years, in a paper by A.F. Robertson. He is the one who wrote the entertaining book on Uganda, which includes an outsiders views of how events of 1966 were felt in the rural areas:
Community of strangers : a journal of discovery in Uganda
That book is a window on inter-ethnic relations in the Uganda countryside, particularly in Buganda.
The late Turnbull spent many years in Africa, chronicling the lives Africa's "forgotten" people. He also wrote about the Pygmies in The Forest People, etc.
Finally, Turnbull's life itself is the subject of a book:
Roy Richard Grinker 2000 In the arms of Africa : the life of Colin M. Turnbull. New York, St. Martin's Press.
Ssemakula
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Listers:
It is good to read something so authentic about our people again. The Ik do definietly need services especially in the critical areas of health and education, but they are suffering from any inferiority complex.
I take issue with the comments attributed to one Zizinga, a sociologist of all people claiming that it is the Ik's inferiority complexity that is responsible for their current status. I do not see anything in the article to suggest that the Ik are lacking in self-esteem. They seem to be a very proud people who lead a simple lifestyle. That is hardly an inferiority complex.
Actually rural Ugandans do not have an inferiority complex. That is for urban dwellers who are always imitating the "other" (how many of you recall people caling the rich 'omuzungu wange'? That is the inferiority complex that is internalized by mostly urban folks. They are always imitating someone and it is the reason we now unfortunately have weird shows like "ekimansulo" and semi-nakedness on city streets all in the mistaken belief of modernity. The proper word is a deep inferiority complex.
If you want to see what inferiority complex looks like, go and stand on Kampala Rd. It will hit you right there. Young women and even older (my internet sisters will forgive me because it has nothing to do with emancipation or gender equity) almost walking naked in the mistaken belief that it is better to emulate Britney spears than listen to one parents. Pity the aunties of Uganda. That folks is what an inferiority complex is. Inferioity complex is when our educated sistersm and even mothers and of course brothers (very sad) opt for harmful chemicals like Ambi and stuff to bleach their faces to look like the "other" (the other is always white or light skinned, it is the white who have tried to construct the notion of beauty, managing to convice some that "ugliness" lies in black).
For most of the time Africans had resisted this but sadly it is now getting worse. Inferiority complex is when our people use such harmful chemicals in the name of beauty forgetting the adage that black is beautiful. When our people starve themselves because they must fit in a certain standard. When did this start to take root in Uganda? It is mostly a recent phenomenon because I grew up and went to school with people who were not afraid of food.
The brothers and sisters here however have tended to shun white standards-which is good for once. Observer our brothers and you will realize what I mean. But in Uganda we blindly embrace anything white. I will not be too explicit, but one needs to go to Makerere University or any higher institution of learning or even a respectable social outing in Kampala to see how inferiority complex has crept in the minds of our people. It is a disturbing trend that needs to be reversed soon if Uganda is not to sinky deeper and deeper in imorality.
The other and this is controversial is for our brothers and sisters ignoring (Iam serious the black beauty, okay it is their choice) black for anyone but black. That is the inferiority complex that we need to talk about not the proud IK traditions. Some even swear how they can never date black men and women! That is what an inferiority complex can lead to. Of course the poor folks in most cases can only afford the lowest end of the social ladder but they are not bothered as long as it is not black. That is the kind of inferiority complex. I wish sharp and culturally informed columnists like Mzee Gureme can take them on.
How can Zizinga call people who are as authentic and resilient as they come suffering from inferiority complex? The fact that they have very little interaction with the outside world makes imitation harder and without imitating the "other" (white, petite, brown etc) they can not be accused of inferiority. Surely, Zizinga ought to know how inferiority complex gets internalized.
The story was quite refreshing. And, oh, yes, Federal State for the People of Karamoja.
WBK
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