El Molo
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (8−2,840) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| El Molo | |
| Religion | |
| Waaq, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sakuye • Gabra |
The El Molo, also known as Elmolo, Dehes, Fura-Pawa and Ldes, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the northern Eastern Province of Kenya. They historically spoke the El Molo language as a mother tongue, an Afro-Asiatic language of the Cushitic branch. The modern El Molo are believed to be nearly extinct, with almost no unmixed members left.(are now found in Kenya)
The El Molo are believed to have originally migrated down into the Great Lakes area around 1000 BC from Ethiopia in the more northerly Horn region. Owing to the arid environment in which they entered, they are held to have then abandoned agricultural activities in favor of lakeside fishing.
Historically, the El Molo erected tomb structures in which they placed their dead. A 1962 archaeological survey in the Northern Frontier District led by S. Brodribb Pughe observed hieroglyphics on a number of these constructions. They were mainly found near springs or wells of water.
The El Molo today primarily inhabit the northern Eastern Province of Kenya. They are concentrated in Marsabit District on the southeast shore of Lake Turkana, between El Molo bay and Mount Kulal. In the past, they also dwelled in parts of the Northern Frontier District.
According to the 2009 Kenya census, there were 2,840 El Molo residents. However, historians have noted that there are few pure El Molo left. Most group members are today admixed with adjacent Nilotic populations, with only a handful of unmixed El Molo believed to exist. Many El Molo speakers have also adopted cultural customs from these communities. In 1994, there were reportedly only 8 original El Molo remaining.
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Wikipedia