   #copyright

Terik

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   The Terik people are a Kalenjin tribe inhabiting parts of the Kakamega
   and Nandi Districts of western Kenya, numbering about 120,000 people.
   They live wedged in between the Nandi, Luo and Luhya (Luyia) peoples.
   Among the Luo they are known as nyangóóri, but to the Terik, this is a
   derogatory term. The Terik call themselves Terikeek; in their usage,
   'Terik' refers to language, land, and culture.

History

   According to their own oral history the Terik are "people of Mount
   Elgon"; this is confirmed by linguistic evidence as well as by Bong'om
   traditions that "the people who later called themselves Terik were
   still Bong'om when they left Elgon and moved away in a southern
   direction" (Roeder 1986:142).

   In pre-colonial times, relations between the Terik and the Nandi (their
   eastern neighbours) were characterized by mutual raids for cattle, land
   and women, a perspective still alive among old Terik people. However,
   in recent years the Terik have increasingly come to perceive the Nandi
   as friendly relatives. A number of factors have contributed to this
   change in perspective.

   Territorial expansion of the Luhya people (the western neighbours of
   the Terik) has strained Terik-Luhyia relations during the last decades.
   Luhya are felt to be a threat to the Terik identity and intermarriage
   has drastically reduced. The expansion of the Luhya (especially the
   Logoli group) into Terik territory has been a cause of population
   pressure. This, along with dwindling agricultural potential in the
   area, has in the second half of the twentieth century motivated many of
   the Terik to move eastwards, into 'Nandiland' as they call it. Some
   Terik even claim that they abandoned their homeland because they were
   afraid of the Luhya.

   The Terik have become increasingly oriented at and assimilated to the
   Nandi. One of the results is a change towards a Nandi-type age set
   system. The Terik traditionally have twelve age sets, whereas the Nandi
   have seven. Terik living in Nandiland tend to name a smaller number of
   age sets than those living in traditional Terik territory. Terik boys
   also undergo initiation together with Nandi boys. Assimilation to the
   Nandi has furthermore been accelerated by the growth of a common
   Kalenjin consciousness, a process which started in the early 1950s.

   In recent years, migration into Nandiland has decreased, and the
   position of the Terik language has been strengthened. Terik schools now
   teach Terik language.

Language

   The language of the Terik is closely related to the Elgon languages Pok
   and especially Bong'om. Part of the vocabulary is related exclusively
   to the Elgon languages, for example words like murwaket 'snail', puntet
   'nail', and musempet 'sheep tail'. Another trait distinguishing Terik
   together with Bong'om and Pok from other Kalenjin languages is the
   replacement of l-V-l by r-V-n in these three dialects. Also, together
   with the Elgon languages, Terik shows a sound shift *l > n which is not
   shared by other Kalenjin varieties.

   The Terik and Nandi languages are mutually intelligible, being both
   members of the Southern Nilotic Kalenjin ethno-linguistic family. The
   ongoing assimilation to Nandi way of life has led to a decline in the
   use of the Terik language in favour of Nandi. Among the Terik,
   migration into Nandiland tends to be viewed as a change in
   neighbourhood which may require, among other things, that one adapts
   one's pronunciation to that of the neighbours. About 50,000 Terik (less
   than half of the total population) still speak the Terik dialect, but
   all are middle aged or older. Most children grow up using Nandi. Terik
   has therefore been classified as an endangered language.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terik"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
