Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contamporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in southern Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of Nilo-Saharan languages. These include the Kalenjin, Luo, Ateker, Dinka, Nuer and the Maa-speaking peoples – all which are clusters of several ethnic groups.^[1] Southern Sudan is a region of Sudan. ... The Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area betweensjd;vkNNNDfjsa[fafdasfdscv southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding. ... Map showing the distribution of the Nilo-Saharan languages. ... Kalenjin is an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya. ... The Luo (also spelled Lwo) are a family of related ethnic groups (tribes) who live in an area that stretches from the south of Sudan, through Northern Uganda and Eastern Congo (DRC), into Western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. ... Ateker or Atekerin is a common name for the closely related Jie, Karimojong, Turkana, and Teso peoples and their languages. ... The Dinka are a group of tribes of south Sudan, inhabiting the swamplands of the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. ... The Nuer are a confederation of tribes located in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. ... The Maa languages, are a group of closely related Eastern Nilotic languages (or from a linguistic perspective, dialects, as they appear to be mutually-intelligible) spoken in parts of Kenya and Tanzania by more than a million speakers altogether. ...

The terms Nilotic and Nilotes were previously used as racial classifications, based on now widely discarded perceptions^{[citation needed]}. The terms are now foremost used to distinguish "Nilotic people" from their ethnic neighbours, based on ethnolinguistic affiliation^[2]. Ethnolinguistics is a field of linguistic anthropology which studies the language of a particular ethnic group. ...

Etymologically, the terms Nilotic and Nilote (also spelled Nilot) derive from the Nile Valley, specifically the Upper Nile and its tributaries, where most Sudanese Nilotic speaking people live. Upper Nile Upper Nile (Aali an Nil) is one of the 26 wilayat or states of Sudan. ...

Linguistic divisions

Main article: Nilotic languages

Linguistically, Nilotic people are divided into three sub-groups: The Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area betweensjd;vkNNNDfjsa[fafdasfdscv southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding. ...

• Eastern Nilotic
• Southern Nilotic
• Western Nilotic

The Eastern Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan; they are believed to have begun to diverge about 3,000 years ago, and have spread southwards from an original home in Equatoria in the... The Southern Nilotic languages are spoken mainly in western Kenya and northern Tanzania (with one of them, Kupsabiny or Sapiny, being spoken on the Ugandan side of Mount Elgon). ... The Western Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan. ...

Ethnic divisions

Nilotic people constitute a large part of the population of Southern Sudan. The largest of the Sudanese Nilotic people are the Dinka, which includes as many as twenty-five ethnic groups. The next largest group are the Nuer, followed by the Shilluk.^[3] Southern Sudan is a region of Sudan. ... The Dinka are a group of tribes of south Sudan, inhabiting the swamplands of the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. ... The Nuer are a confederation of tribes located in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. ... Shilluk portrait circa 1914 The Shilluk are a major Nilotic ethnic group of southern Sudan, living on the west bank of the Nile around the city of Malakal. ...

The Nilotic people in Uganda include the Luo group (Acholi, Alur and Jopadhola), the Ateker (Iteso and Karamojong), and the Lango and Kumam (who are linguistically affiliated with the Luo, but are often culturally grouped with the Ateker). The Luo (also spelled Lwo) are a family of related ethnic groups (tribes) who live in an area that stretches from the south of Sudan, through Northern Uganda and Eastern Congo (DRC), into Western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. ... Acholiland, Uganda Acholi (also Acoli) are the people of the districts of Gulu, Kitgum Pader (known as Acholiland) in northern Uganda, and Magwe County in southern Sudan. ... Alur (Lur, Luri, Lurem), are a people of the Nile Valley in Africa, living on the north-west coast of Albert Nyanza. ... The Jopadhola, or Badama, are an ethnic group of approximately one-quarter of a million people, who live in the Tororo district of southeastern Uganda (about 2 percent of the countrys total population). ... Ateker or Atekerin is a common name for the closely related Jie, Karimojong, Turkana, and Teso peoples and their languages. ... The Iteso or Teso are the second largest ethnic group in Uganda. ... The Karamojong (sometimes called Karimojong), are a tribe of semi-nomadic herders who live in the north-eastern part of Uganda, in the Karamoja region. ... The Lango (plural Langi) people live in the central area of Uganda, north of Lake Kyoga. ... The Kumam are a people of about 150,000 living mainly in Kaberamaido district as well as the western areas of Teso sub-region and the south-east of Lango sub-region in Uganda. ...

In Kenya, the Nilotes are often categorised in three subgroups:

• The Plain Nilotes, who speak Maa languages: The Maasai, Samburu and Turkana
• The River lake Nilotes: The Joluo, which is part of the larger Luo group
• The Highland Nilotic or Kalenjin, which includes several smaller groups: Elgeyo, Keiyo, Kipsigis, Marakwet, Nandi, Pokot, Sabaot, Terik, and Tugen

The Maa languages, are a group of closely related Eastern Nilotic languages spoken in parts of Kenya and Tanzania by more than a million speakers altogether. ... Languages Maa (É”l Maa) Religions Monotheism Christianity The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. ... Samburu warriors near Lake Turkana. ... Turkana refers to: Turkana people of Kenya Lake Turkana This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Luo (also spelled Lwo) are a family of related ethnic groups (tribes) who live in an area that stretches from the south of Sudan, through Northern Uganda and Eastern Congo (DRC), into Western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. ... The Luo (also spelled Lwo) are a family of related ethnic groups (tribes) who live in an area that stretches from the south of Sudan, through Northern Uganda and Eastern Congo (DRC), into Western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. ... Kalenjin is an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Kipsigis is a pastoralist ethnic group in Kenya, speaking the Kipsigis language. ... Marakwet is a corruption of Markweta. ... The Nandi is a Kenyan ethnic group or tribe living in the highland areas of the Nandi Hills in Rift Valley Province; they form a sub-group of the Kalenjin. ... The Pokot people (commonly spelled Pökoot, in older literature Suk) live in the West Pokot and Baringo districts of Kenya and in the eastern borderland of Uganda, east of the Karimojong area. ... The Terik people are a Kalenjin tribe inhabiting parts of the Kakamega and Nandi Districts of western Kenya, numbering about 120 000 people. ... The Tugen are a branch of the Kalenjin community and they occupy the districts of Baringo and Koibatek in Rift Valley, Kenya. ...

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