ABSTRACT
The Karamojong communities were established from the 1830s, when different ethnic groups and customs were irrevocably amalgamated. The Karamojong strategically chose to respond to the increasingly virulent presence of alien government and Church, not by the use of outright, certainly not vocal, opposition, but by deliberately ignoring their inappropriate demands, which could not be imposed without their tacit consent that was resolutely withheld. The only other modern institution to involve Karamojong collectively outside family herd and age-class is the Christian Church, which has eked out a fragile existence for 75 years, and that has seldom been self-supporting. Many in Karamoja have been baptized and given a 'Christian' name, and 'a few have been truly converted', a transformation envied by the Roman Catholics; but, for the most part, allegiance to the church is superficial and secondary. Traditional Karamojong religion can be considered as central to a continuing reality that has not been transformed by any missionary religion.
