Editing Kipsigis people (section)

==Origin, establishment and precolonial history==
{{Main|History of the Kalenjin people}}

===Origin===
{{Main|Lumbwa people|Sirikwa people|Ethnogenesis of the Turkana}}
[[File:Omo River 01.jpg|thumb|226x226px|[[Omo river]] in [[Omo Valley]], [[Ethiopia]]; [[Maliri people|Maliri people's]] point of origin]][[File:Koitobos.jpg|thumb|140x140px|[[Mount Elgon]], the cradleland of Kalenjin tribes|alt=]]
The Kipsigis trace their ancestry to a fusion of two traditions: the [[Lumbwa people|Lumbwa]], an iron age Kalenjin speaking population reported in areas of southern Kenya, northern Tanzania, and the Mount Kenya region, and migrating [[Ateker peoples|Ateker]] clans—part of a larger Eastern Nilotic movement that also helped shape neighboring communities such as the [[Nandi people|Nandi]].

The "Lumbwa" (also known as Lumbua, Umpua, or Ilumbwa) were known for their cattle-keeping lifestyle, braided hairstyles, and perhaps the use of sunken livestock enclosures on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Meru oral traditions recall the Lumbwa as one of the early peoples encountered on the mountain, which the Kalenjin remember as Koilege—meaning “dappled rock”. Fadiman (1994) reported of " pits located along a line that runs roughly along the zone at 7,000–7,500 feet which delineates the lowest edge of the forest from the highest point in the star-grass (populated) zone [which] form an irregular line that can be followed from ridge to ridge, along a region that is largely farmland, but which two hundred years ago must have been thickly forested. The largest pits average 16 to 24 feet across." Certain traditions he collected recall that they may have been used to contain Umpua (or Agumba) herds.<ref name=fadiman >{{cite book |last=Fadiman |first=Jeffrey |date=1994 |title=When We Began There Were Witchmen |url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft8199p24c;chunk.id=0;doc.view=print |location=California |publisher=University of California Press |page=84-88}}</ref> Most traditions however recall the Agumba, a people who lived in association with the Lumbwa, as hunters.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Ateker-related groups migrated southward from the north-eastern Rift Valley, bringing with them new clan systems, ritual practices, and military organization. The recently formed Ateker, calling themselves [[Loikop people|Loikop]] (loosely - owners of the land) swept down from a base east of Lake Turkana and in short order took most of the best grazing plains in East Africa from their previous inhabitants (who included among them the Lumbwa). The Uasin Gishu, Laikipia, Mau, Amboseli and Serengeti plains all came under the sway of this new polity. However, written accounts as well as the oral traditions of the Nandi and Kipsigis record the 'reconquest' of the Uasin Gishu plateau, Narok and Bomet, a process that included the assimilation of the 'Maasai' that had latterly occupied them. This fusion gave rise to new identities—including the Kipsigis and Nandi—who nonetheless retained deep Lumbwa roots. Both communities maintain clan traditions linking them to both Lumbwa heritage and Ateker ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/cbarchive_102057_remarksuponthehistoryofthenand1927|title=Remarks upon the history of the Nandi till 1850|first=G. W. B.|last=Huntingford|date=26 October 2018|publisher=The East Africa Natural History Society|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> 

In the 19th century, the term "Lumbwa" was used widely by neighboring Maasai and Bantu-speaking communities to refer to both Kalenjin-speaking and Loikop-related pastoralists. As the identity fused, it came to refer especially to the Kipsigis, who had began to shift from pastoralism toward an agro-pastoral way of life. Among the Maasai, “Ilumbwa” (meaning "well-diggers") eventually gained pejorative undertones, reflecting cultural differences around land use and livelihood.

By the mid-19th century, the term "Lumbwa" had become closely associated with the Kipsigis, though it was gradually dropped due to its pejorative connotation in Maa-speaking contexts.

=== Culture ===
The Kipsigis observe a belief system maintained by all other Kalenjin people. The system observes polytheistic theism with the deities '''''Asiis''''' (a [[solar deity]]) and '''''Tororot''''' are each considered major deities. Some studies suggest that '''''Tororot''''' was the initial kalenjin deity but interactions in Kerio valley led to assimilation of the priestly Kibasisek clan whose peculiarity is having the Sun as their tortem; they were much sought after to perform marriage rituals and other religious activities. While multiple other deities exist independently to one another. In the Kipsigis' monotheistic belief system, Asis is instead considered the single supreme deity and the other deities are considered Asis' attributes, rather than independent entities. The Kipsigis allude to cultural values including superstition, spiritualism, and a sacred and cyclical nature of life. They believe all elements of the natural world are connected, that good deeds never go unnoticed, and that bad deeds lead to consequences in various forms. The Kipsigis view "happiness" as a lack of negative experiences, indicating a quiet and calm state. This convention under the [[culture and positive psychology]] studies when contrasted to other indigenous communities gives researchers an obstacle in obtaining a qualitative or quantitative measure of happiness.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Rebecca L. |date=2009 |title=The quiet clam is quite calm: Transposed-letter neighborhood effects on eye movements during reading |journal=Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=943–969 |doi=10.1037/a0015572 |pmid=19586263}}</ref>

The Kipsigis people's oral tradition is observed to have a rich background in songs. Many of their oral traditions feature a creature known as '''Chemosi','' usually referred to in western texts and culture as the [[Nandi bear]]; a monstrous ape-like basic-intelligence creature which also feature among other communities of Kenya, Uganda and parts of Congo.
[[File:Traditional Kipsigis gourd hanged on a wall..jpg|thumb|185x185px|The milk gourd, a cultural symbol of the Kipsigis]]
A western adventurer [[Edgar Beecher Bronson]] claims to have seen a creature that he notes the Lumbwa people referred to as '''[[Dingonek]]'''. He describes it as a water creature whose features include an armadillo-like, leopard-patterned, hippo-sized back and a leopard's head with two large protruding fangs. He reports that the Lumbwa and the Wadoko peoples spoke of such a creature in the Maggori River then provides an account of his sighting of the said creature. His is the only account of such a creature.

'''Food and Drinks'''

The meals mainly consist of a cooked thick paste of elusine flour, vegetables or meat, a blend of milk and cow blood, or milk. The Kipsigis ferment milk in gourds with powdered popcorn flower tree cinders. The sour milk is known as Mursiik. The tribe also brewed nubian gin and it was reserved for men and women in and past middle age.

''Mushrooms''

The Kipsigis are known to gather ''[[Termitomyces tylerianus]]'', ''[[Termitomyces umkowaan]]'' and ''[[Termitomyces microcarpus]] (puunereek).''

==== Astronomy and calendar ====

The [[Milky Way]] is known as ''Poit'ap kechei'' (literally ''sea of stars''), the morning star – Tapoiyot, the midnight star – Kokeliet, and [[Orion's Belt]] – Kakipsomok. The Milky Way was traditionally perceived as a lake in which children are bathing and playing. Furthermore, the movement of stars was sometimes linked to earthly concerns. For example, the appearance or non-appearance of the [[Pleiades]] indicated whether or not to expect a good or a bad harvest. Sometimes superstitions were held regarding certain events. A [[22° halo|halo]] was traditionally said to represent a cattle stockade. At least as of the early 20th century, a [[Parhelic circle|break]] occurring on the east side was considered to be unlucky while one on the west side was seen to be lucky. A [[comet]] was at the same time regarded as the precursor of a great misfortune.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hollis|first=A.C|title=The Nandi – Their language and folklore|date=1909|publisher=The Clarendon Press|isbn=9781444605150|location=Oxford|page=100}}</ref>

The Kipsigis call a month 'Arawet', which is also the term for our satellite, the moon. A year is called 'Kenyit' which can be derived from the phrase 'Ki-nyit' meaning 'to accomplish, to fill in'. A year was marked by the order of months and more importantly by ceremonial and religious celebration of the yearly harvest which was held at the various shrines. This event being analogous to a practice observed by most of the other Africans has inspired the [[Kwanzaa|Kwanza festivities]] celebrated by predominantly by people of [[African Americans|African descent]] in the United States. Kenyit started in February. It had two seasons known as ''olto'' (pl. ''oltosiek'') and was divided into twelve months, ''arawet'' (pl. ''arawek'').<ref name="Hollis A.C 1909, p. 94">Hollis A.C, The Nandi – Their Language and Folklore. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1909, p. 94</ref> In place of a decade is the order of ''Ibinda'' which is usually between 10 and 17 years. In place of a century is the completion of the age set which takes between 100 and 120 years.

The first season of the year, olt-ap-iwot (iwotet), was the wet season and ran from March to August. The dry season, olt-ap-keme (kemeut), ran from September to February.<ref name="Hollis A.C 1909, p. 94" /> The kipsunde and kipsunde oieng harvest ceremonies were held in September and October respectively to mark the change in Seasons.<ref>Hollis A.C, The Nandi – Their Language and Folklore. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1909, p. 46</ref>

===== Months (arawek) and Seasons =====
{| class="mw-collapsible"
!
!Name
!Meaning
!Corresponds
|-
!1st Month
|Kiptamo
|''Hot in the fields''
|February
|-
!2nd Month
|Iwat-kut
|''Rain in showers''
|March
|-
!3rd Month
|Wake/ Iwootkuut
|  –
|April<ref name="Hollis A.C 1909, p. 94" />
|-
!4th Month
|Ngei
|''Heart pushed on one side by hunger''
|May
|-
!5th Month
|Rob-tui
|''Black rain or black clouds''
|June
|-
!6th Month
|Puret
|''Mist''
|July
|-
!7th Month
|Epeso
|  –
|August
|-
!8th Month
|Kipsunde
|''Offering to God in the cornfields''
|September
|-
!9th Month
|Kipsunde oieng*
|''Second offering to God''
|October
|-
!10th Month
|Mulkul
|''Strong wind''
|November
|-
!11th Month
|Mulkulik oieng
|''Second strong wind''
|December
|-
!12th Month
|Ngotioto
|''Month of pin-cushion plant''
|January<ref>Hollis A.C, The Nandi – Their Language and Folklore. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1909, p. 95</ref>
|}

=== Geopolitical and military organisation ===

==== Social organization ====
The Kipsigis tribe is a patriarchal society that was organized in terms of geo-political groupings, clan systems, age sets and military ranks.

===== Genealogical organisation (Ortiinweek) =====
The Kipsigis organize themselves into a series of groupings based on shared kinship analogous to [[clan]]s. A clan is brought about by a shared ancestor with a context of adoption as a way of naturalization into the clan, usually from [[Maasai people|Maasai]]/[[Kisii people|Gusii]]/[[Luo people|Luo]] as Kipsigis cannot adopt from within Kalenjin. The patriarchal ancestors, notably the patriarch Kakipoch, immigrated the Nandi-Kipsigis population to Uasin Ngishu plains and Kerio Valley. Formulation of the clan system is thought to have come about due to assimilation of other communities and population growth as a system of preventing [[pedigree collapse]] and in-breeding as the main purpose of clans was to prevent marriage within the same clan (marriages being mainly heterosexual but with a lesbian marriage in context). Clans also projected various professionalism and probably adopted identities where for instance, certain clans were exclusively priests, others were exclusively smiths, others exclusively hunters and gathers while others had other particular peculiarities.

===== Generations =====
The Kipsigis observe a cyclical generation setting system. The system seems to have been arrogated plausibly from the Bantu Kikuyu people. The system completes a full rotation in between about a hundred and a hundred and twenty years. The set is composed of generations that extend between 15 and 20 years. The system was used to account for historical events and demographic management.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Set
!
!Years
!Western equivalent
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="3" |Nyongi
|1st cycle
|1783 to 1801 (19 years)
|
|Plausible adoption era of circumcision and initiation
|-
|2nd cycle
|1905 to 1920 (16 yrs)
|Interbellum Generation/The Greatest Generation
|
|-
|3rd cycle
|2019 onwards
|Gen Alpha
|Social Network generation
|-
| rowspan="2" |Maina
|1st cycle
|1802 to 1819 (18 yrs)
|
|
|-
|2nd cycle
|1921 to 1936 (16 yrs)
|Silent Generation
|[[King's African Rifles]] and world war era generation
|-
| rowspan="2" |Chumo
|1st cycle
|1820 to 1836 (17 yrs) 
|
|
|-
|2nd cycle
|1937 to 1951 (15 yrs)
|Silent Generation/Baby Boomer Generation
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Sawe
|1st cycle
|1837 to 1853 (17 yrs)
|
|Remembered for the failed war of Ng'oino
|-
|2nd cycle
|1952 to 1966 (15 yrs)
|Baby Boomer Generation 
|Post war and independence era
|-
| rowspan="2" |Kerongoro
|1st cycle
|1854 to 1870 (17 yrs)
|
|
|-
|2nd cycle
|1967 to 1981 (15 yrs)
|Generation X /Xennials
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |Kaplelach
|1st cycle
|1871 to 1887 (17 yrs)
|The Lost Generation
|Remembered for the failed war of Mogori
|-
|2nd cycle
|1982 to 1999 (18 yrs)
|Xennials/ Millennials
|[[Daniel arap Moi|Daniel Moi]]'s free primary education era
|-
| rowspan="2" |Kipnyige
|1st cycle
|1888 to 1904 (17 yrs)
|Interbellum Generation
|
|-
|2nd cycle
|2000 to 2018 (19 yrs)
|Generation Z
|Technology and civil liberties generation
|}

==== Geopolitical organization ====
Em or emet, was the highest recognized geographic division among the Kipsigis. It spans a geopolitical region demarcated as being a jurisdiction of the tribe and entitled to a decree of sovereignty. This unit was identifiable as a political institution but the main work of civil control and administration was done by the ''kokwotinwek'' (plural of ''kokwet'').<ref>Snell, G.S, Nandi Customary Law, (Kenya Literature Bureau: 1954), p.9-10.</ref> Linguistic evidence indicates that this form of societal organization dates back to their Southern Nilotic heritage. It is believed that the Southern Nilotes of two thousand years ago cooperated in loose supra-clan groupings, called *e:m.<ref>Ehret, Christopher. An African Classical Age: Eastern & Southern Africa in World History 1000 B.C. to A.D.400. University of Virginia, 1998, p.179</ref>

''Kokwet'' was the most significant political and judicial unit among the Kipsigis. The governing body of each kokwet was its ''kok'' (village council). Kokwet denotes a geographic cluster of settlement similar in concept to a village. ''Kok'' elders were the local authority for arbitration and conflict resolution.<ref>Snell, G.S, Nandi Customary Law, (Kenya Literature Bureau: 1954), p.10</ref>

===== The Office of the King (Oorgoiiyoot) =====
Operational in Nandi, the [[Orkoiyot]] institution was communed to Kipsigis not later than 1850, after the ousting and assassination of [[Kimnyole|Kimnyole Arap Turgat]]. Kimnyole sent his three sons (Kipchomber arap Koilege, Arap Boisyo and Arap Buigut)<ref>{{Citation|last=Lynch|first=Gabrielle|title=African American Studies Center|chapter=Samoei, Koitalel arap|date=8 December 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-530173-1|doi=10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.49880}}</ref> to Kipsigis who immediately began to establish a Kipsigis confederation, each of them establishing kingly homesteads with servants, messengers and reception parlors. The office of the ''Oorgoiiyoot'' was dissolved after the [[Lumbwa Treaty]].

==== Military organisation ====
[[File:Kipsigis Warriors Tanganyika 1954.jpg|thumb|Kipsigis warriors of the 1950s|311x311px]]
While evidence suggests precolonial Kipsigis as having engaged in conquests of territory, a mistaken impression emerges of an efficient organized military; rather the existence of a Kipsigis army was indicative of a social organization at the tribal level despite evidence of large portions of conquered territory and defeat of strong armies.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Saltman |first=Michael |title=The Kipsigis: A Case Study in Changing Customary Law |year=1977 |isbn=9780870735608 |pages=14–15|publisher=Schenkman Publishing Company }}</ref> The precolonial Kipsigis were presented as a markedly acephalous society politically with both military and political organization having to be examined in terms of relatively autonomous territorial groups within the tribe.<ref name=":0" />

The Kipsigis armies organized themselves into four regiments ''(pororiosiek)'' namely: ''Kikaige, Ng'etunyo, Kebeni and Kasanet''. Recruitment into the regiments was achieved through the age set and clan system. Each regiment fought independently which often resulted in weak and often conflicting strategies.<ref name=":0" /> At a later stage, the four regiments merged into two consisting of Kipkaige and Kasanet on the one side and Ng'etunyo and Kebeni on the other; but ultimately, the strength of this army was tested with a resounding defeat at the hands of Gusii in the battle of Ngoina dated to ''circa 1850''. Once again, the Kipsigis army regiments regrouped into one force composed equally of all four regiments and while this development would spur a record of victories, it would also be tested in the battle of Mogori ''circa 1890'' with a defeat that had dire implications on the spirit and identity of the Kipsigis.<ref name=":0" />

Other studies depict a more elaborate military organization; for instance, there were an extra tire of regiments and ranks including: the generals (Kiptayat/Kiptaiinik), spies (''Yotiik'', ''Seegeik'' and ''Sogooldaiik''), and the procession ranks (''Ng'anymetyeet'', ''Pirtiich'', ''Oldimdo/Lumweet'' and ''Kipeelbany''). There were yearly mock up practice for warring called ''Kaambageet''.

The arms of the fighting men usually consisted of a spear, shield, sword and club. By the late 19th century, up to four kinds of spears, representing various eras and areas were in use. In Nandi, the eren-gatiat, of the Sirkwa era was still in use though only by old men. It had a short and small leaf-shaped blade with a long socketed shank and a long butt. Two types of the Maasai era spear, known as ngotit, were also in use. Those of the eastern, northern and southern counties had long narrow blades with long iron butt, short socket and short shaft. Those of the central county (emgwen) had short broad blades with short iron butts. In the western counties, a spear that had a particularly small head, a long shaft and no butt was in use, it was known as ndirit.<ref>Hollis A.C, The Nandi – Their Language and Folklore. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1909, p. 31</ref> The pastoral Pokot carried two Maasai era spears, known as ''ngotwa'' while the agricultural sections armed themselves with a sword, known as ''chok''.<ref>Beech M.W.H, The Suk – Their Language and Folklore. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1911, p.1</ref>

Archery was also very much a prominent skill practiced among the Kipsigis for purposes ranging from agriculture to defense and security. There were an array of arrows for various specialties such as for shooting a bull for blood, hunting arrows and defensive arrows meant either as a deterrent by causing mortal wounds or others meant to get stuck in the victim while others were poisoned and thus each of the arrow types were used depending on the occasion.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fish, Burnette C.|title=The Kalenjiin heritage : traditional religious and social practices|date=1995|publisher=Africa Gospel Church|isbn=0-9620406-6-5|pages=140|oclc=40199906}}</ref>

===== Significant wars and battles =====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Battle
!Estimated Year
!Generation
!War Front
!Commander
!Notes
|-
|Battle of Mabasi
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Kaplong war
|1870
|
|Kaplong/Sotik
|Menya Araap Kisiara
|The Kipsigis emerged victorious and defeated Maasai with the later disavowing what is today Bomet county and Narok West constituency.
|-
|Battle of Ng'oino
|1850
|1st cycle Sawe
|Bureti/Roret
|
|The Kipsigis army was defeated and had to restructure their regiment system.<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Battle of Tiriitab Moita
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Battle of Kibongwa
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Battle of Chelemei
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Battle of Kipsabanut
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Battle of Benjo
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Chemoiben War.
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|Mogori war (Saosao war in Gusii)
|1885
|1st cycle Kaplelach
|
|Malabun Araap Makiche
|The legion of armies was decimated at a 99.5% rate making it Kipsigis' most infamous and tragic war with profound effects.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ng'ang'a |first=Wangũhũ |title=Kenya's Ethnic Communities: Foundation of the Nation |year=2006 |isbn=9789966975706 |pages=320|publisher=Gatũndũ Publishers }}</ref>
|}

===== Historical Kipsigis War Heroes =====
The military culture of the Kipsigis directly led to adoration of war heroes and successful commanders. Some of them include: Araap Ngulolu, Kipsiongo Araap Terer of Kipkoibon, Araap Taptugen of Belgut, Araap Buiywo,  Araap Nyarino, Araap Tamasoon, Araap Kirui of Kapkugoeek clan, Araap Tompo, Araap Mastamet, Araap Cheriro, Kendeiywo Araap Baliach, Arap Moigi and Araap Tengecha (who stood out among all of them and a close friend of [[Jomo Kenyatta]]).

=== Precolonial History ===
Breaking away from the former [[Chemwal people|Chemwal]] ethnicity and becoming Kipsigis in about 1790s and 1800s, the Kipsigis population grew from an estimated population of less than five hundred in what is today's Fort Tenan. From here, they acquired military resilience against the neighbouring Luo who would go on to call them Jalang'o (meaning one who is spirited). They also fought Kisii communities out of today's Kabianga in Kericho West District and also towards the east against the Maasai who occupied parts of Kipkelion, Kericho and Londiani. The expansion of the Kipsigis territory was rapid and violent and by the 1890s as Orkoiyot institution was established, Kipsigis territory extended from the Nandi Hills in the North to Sotik in the South, with a small region in Bureti.

==== Menya Arap Kisiara ====
[[Menya]] is narrated among the Kipsigis as an excellent diplomat and war hero. He is credited for defeating the Maasai who used to inhabit larger portions of Kericho county.  Significant battles are recalled having been fought in Iltianit(Londiani), fought in Kericho, Chemoiben, and then Siriat in Sotik. Initially an outcast and an outlier, Menyua Arap Kisiara was banished off the tribal land for marrying a ''Kapkerichek'' clanswoman which at the time, was also his own clan. He defected with his company of warriors, - Tapkile and Kipketes/Kipkeles into Maasai community. He then started his own clan of Kapkaon. Returning later on as formidable warrior and establishing his army, he challenged the [[Maasai people|Maasai]] into a duel estimated from oral traditions to have taken place in the 1770s to where Kaplong town in Sotik is situated today, Menya led an army to war against the Maasai in order to resolve land disputes and territorial privileges. The war ensued for a number of weeks to a couple of months and for the most part, both sides lost many warriors, and many were injured. Towards the end, Menya called in a truce and overnight, amassed aid and reinforcements from Kipsigis warriors across the whole of Kipsigis. On returning to the ultimate and decisive battle, he easily outwitted the Maasai with an army of an estimated 3000 warriors or more. Maasai conceded defeat and resolved to vacate what constitutes today most if not all of Bomet County and Narok West Constituency.<ref>{{Cite web |last=January 28, 2022 |first=Friday |date=2022-01-27 |title=How Sotik massacre, Koitalel killing opened area to white settlers |url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/society/how-sotik-massacre-koitalel-area-to-white-settlers-3696378 |access-date=2022-02-26 |website=Business Daily |language=en |archive-date=23 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223074202/https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/society/how-sotik-massacre-koitalel-area-to-white-settlers-3696378 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Orgoik ====
'Orgoik' (plural) or ‘Orgoiyoot’ (singular) is any clansperson of the Talaai clan spread across Nandi, Kipsigis, Tugen and Marakwet. In Kipsigis, most of the Talaai clansmen can identify a patrilineal genealogy to three sons of Kimnyole Araap Turgat namely: [[Arap Koilege|Kipchomber Araap Koilege]], [[Arap Boisyo|Chebochok Kiptonui Araap Boisyo]] and [[Arap Buiygut|Araap Buiygut]]; [[Koitalel Arap Samoei|Koitalel Araap Samoei]] was their younger sibling. The three brothers were sent by their father, Araap Turgat to Kipsigis nation shortly before his assassination by the Nandi people. Their benefactor was their uncle, Araap Kiroisi of Sotik.

Considered special and thought to have out-of-worldly powers, the three were pushed into leadership and for the first time in Kipsigis history, they were able to hold positions that can be equalled to a king or leaders of autonomous regions. Their influence led to expansion of the Kipsigis territory adding to the achievements of Menya Araap Kisiara. They were also considered herbal medicinemen and thus acquired wealth from war reparation and pay for medical services. They went on to have very sedentary lifestyles with their homesteads employing several servants and a primitive equivalent of slaves.

Following the Lumbwa treaty between Kipsigis and The British, the three brothers were arrested and would, in about 1903, be deported to Kikuyu-land while their siblings and immediate families consisting of about 700 individuals were banished to [[Gwassi Constituency|Gwassi]] in Homa Bay County and stayed there excommunicated between 1934 and 1962. They were later on resettled in Kablilo, Sigowet-Soin, Kiptere, Ainamoi, Belgut and some few in Emgwen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/amp/article/200010006/the-last-laibon-of-songhor|title=The Standard|last=Digital|first=Standard|website=The Standard|access-date=29 February 2020|archive-date=29 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229190538/https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/amp/article/200010006/the-last-laibon-of-songhor|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Among the Kipsigis, there is speculative talk that implicates Daniel Arap Moi and Jomo Kenyatta as having relations with the Orgoik.

===== Kipchomber arap Koilege =====

Kipchomber lived in Cheriri in [[Kiptere]] before being imprisoned by the British and sent to [[Rusinga island]] of [[Kisumu]]. He was instrumental in dispersing Luo people from Kiptere to [[Sondu]]. [[File:JOMO KENYATTA.JPG|thumb|Cultural attire worn by Jomo in art statue]]Among the Kipsigis, and perhaps among all the other Kalenjin, Arap Koilege is believed to have blessed [[Jomo Kenyatta|Kenyatta Jomo]] and handed to him his attire which included a hide, a belt colloquially called 'Kenyatet', a head gear among others after which, Koilege asked Kenyatta to visit a leader of the Maasai who was a Laibon. The attire was worn by Jomo very many ceremonial times when he was the president of Kenya. Today, Jomo Kenyatta's traditional attire is buried with him in a muselium in Kenya's National Assembly building in Nairobi.

===== Chebochok Kiptonui arap Boisio =====
Chebochock was the son to [[Kimnyole|Kimyole Arap Turgat]]. After Kimnyole was ousted and assassinated by the [[Nandi people|Nandi]], Chebochok and his two brothers found refuge among the Kipsigis people while [[Koitalel Arap Samoei]] found refuge among the [[Tugen people]]. Chebochock Kiptonui arap Boisio settled in [[Londiani]]. He established himself a kingly estate. He empowered and commandeered Kipsigis armies to acquire land towards Laikipia.

He is reported or speculated to have fathered a boy to a widow who used to herd cattle, she was known as [[Jomo Kenyatta#Early life|Wambui]]. The boy is reported to have been named [[Jomo Kenyatta|Johnstone Peter Kamau]]. She then moved to a farm in Nyeri where she married Muigai but who later divorced her because of issues associated with [[cuckold]]ry.<ref name=":1" />

In 1913, Chebochok Kiptonui Arap Boiso and his two brothers were banished to [[Muranga County|Fort Hall]] and [[Nyeri]]. Coincidentally, Wambui was assigned the role to look after the three brothers by the Europeans.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://kipsigisdictionary.weebly.com/jomo-kenyatta.html|title=Jomo Kenyatta|website=KIPSIGIS DICTIONARY|access-date=29 February 2020|archive-date=29 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229192045/http://kipsigisdictionary.weebly.com/jomo-kenyatta.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Kibuigut =====

==== Mugenik Barngetuny Araap Sitonik ====
Barngetuny Mugenik was a Kipsigis prophet who is still respected by the Kipsigis community. His age set was initiated between 1815 and 1838, and lived in what is now the town of [[Sotik]], located in Bomet county. He was of the ''Kipkendek'' clan, and his maternal uncle was [[Kimyole Araap Turukat]], from [[Oretab Talai|Talai clan]], the famous Nandi Orgoiyot. It is estimated that he died in 1885 and was buried adjacent to what is today's Sotik Police station in Sotik town. The Kipsigis hold that Mugenik had revelations and visions which he told to the people. These revelations contained instruction on how the Kipsigis people were expected to live a holy life before Asiis, their [[solar deity]]. Mugenik's visions also foretold future events that were to take place in the Kipsigis country. Among his prophecies were the arrival of the British, the arrival of trains, the development of towns, modern clothing, and the establishment of colonialism and the eventual independence of African nations.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia |isbn=1576073556 |pages=606}}</ref> Also significantly, it is narrated how he had visions of the establishment of Sotik Police station, Sotik KCC creameries factory and two of Sotik bridges that were to be operated under [[Racial segregation|colour bar]] system. There are also accounts from his visions that detail vast expansion of the Kipsigis territory and others that hint a decimation of the Kipsigis population as a handiwork of a boy, or more precisely translated to mean derogatively an uncircumcised boy. Among many other prophecies, perhaps of great intrigue to the Kipsigis was one in which he foretold about a Kipsigis man with a star on his (possibly military) who led what is equivalent to Kenyan jurisdiction today.

=== Colonial history ===
The Kipsigis had an initial contact with the British in 1889 and within 17 years, the British had established their rule over the tribe.<ref name=":0" />  The British initially started to expropriate the tribal Kipsigis land to create a buffer zone between the mutually antagonistic Gusii and Kipsigis; but it was clear from the beginning that an underlying tenet of the British policy towards the Kipsigis was the ultimate conversion of the tribe from a predominantly semi-pastoral economy to one of peasant cultivation.<ref name=":0" />

==== Lumbwa Treaty ====
{{See also|Lumbwa Treaty}}

==== Sotik Massacre ====
{{See also|Sotik Massacre}}

Originally not part of the White Highlands, Sotik District was a Y-shaped strip of land about 50 miles and in some places not more than three miles wide, carved out of the Native Reserve. Sotik was Abugusii and Maasai territory before 1800 but, under a treaty promulgated by Menya Araap Kisiara, the Maasai were pushed to Trans-Mara. Following the arrival of the British, the Kipsigis rallied alongside the Nandis to fight against the building of the [[Uganda Railway|Kenya-Uganda Railway]].

Seeing the long-drawn-out resistance of the Nandi led by [[Koitalel Arap Samoei|Koitalel Araap Samoei]], the intelligence officer [[Richard Meinertzhagen]], vowed to break the impasse. In the middle of 1905, a punitive raid led by Major [[Richard Pope-Hennessy]] killed 1,850 men, women, and children who were rounded up and fired upon indiscriminately with a [[Maxim gun]] and other weapons. The massacre was ostensibly in retaliation against the refusal by the Sotik people to heed an ultimatum by the British government to return cattle raided from the Maasai. It is noted that medal of honours were awarded to officers who took part in these operations around the same time.<ref>{{Cite book |title=War medals and their history |publisher=Read Books |year=2008 |isbn=9781408697122 |pages=258}}</ref>

Some months later on 19 October 1905, Richard Meinertzhagen tricked Koitalel into what was effectively an ambush and shot him at point-blank range, killing him on the spot and the rest of his entourage. With Koitalel dead, the Nandi resistance was neutralized, and the British proceeded to evict the Kipsigis and Nandi from their land and sent them to areas that were largely unfit for human habitation. The Sotik massacre and the assassination of Koitalel were directly linked to the setting aside of Sotik for European settlement and the colonial system of forced labour, punitive taxes for Africans, economic, and racial segregation. It is disingenuous to argue that it was a buffer zone to keep warring African tribes apart.<ref>{{Cite web|last=January 28, 2022|first=Friday|date=2022-01-27|title=How Sotik massacre, Koitalel killing opened area to white settlers|url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/society/how-sotik-massacre-koitalel-area-to-white-settlers-3696378|access-date=2022-02-23|website=Business Daily|language=en|archive-date=23 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223074202/https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/society/how-sotik-massacre-koitalel-area-to-white-settlers-3696378|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2020, following the [[Murder of George Floyd|murder of Gerge Floyd]], [[Claudia Webbe]], [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Leicester East (UK Parliament constituency)|Leicester East]] wrote in a letter addressed to UK's Secretary of State for Education, [[Gavin Williamson]], about Sotik Massacre and asked that the massacre should be taught in British schools.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-07|title=Include the Sotik Massacre in the National Curriculum.|url=https://claudiawebbe.org/include-the-sotik-massacre-in-the-national-curriculum/|access-date=2022-02-23|website=Claudia Webbe|language=en-GB|archive-date=23 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223115749/https://claudiawebbe.org/include-the-sotik-massacre-in-the-national-curriculum/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== World War I ====
[[World War I]] is inferred among the Kipsigis as '<nowiki/>''Boriet ap Talianek''' - literally 'Italian War' and it's an inflection point among the Kipsigis coming out of which, integration into modernity. Some men were drafted or volunteered to fight and it is remarked how the Empire they fought for did not recognize them or keep any records or accounts of African soldiers.[[File:The Big Game of Africa (1910) - Lioness Sotik Plains 1909.png|thumb|264x264px|Big game in Sotik plains in 1910]]

==== Nandi Protest of 1923 ====
A number of factors taking place in the early 1920s led to what has come to be termed the Nandi Protest or Uprisings of 1923. It was the first expression of organized resistance by the Nandi since the [[Nandi Resistance|wars of 1905–06]].

Primary contributing factors were the land alienation of 1920 and a steep increase in taxation, taxation tripled between 1909 and 1920 and because of a change in collection date, two taxes were collected in 1921. The Kipsigis and Nandi refused to pay and this amount was deferred to 1922. Further, due to fears of a spread of [[rinderpest]] following an outbreak, a stock quarantine was imposed on the Nandi Reserve between 1921 and 1923. The Nandi, prevented from selling stock outside the Reserve, had no cash, and taxes had to go unpaid. Normally, grain shortages in Nandi were met by selling stock and buying grain. The quarantine made this impossible. The labour conscription that took place under the Northey Circulars only added to the bitterness against the [[Kenya Colony|colonial government]].

All these things contributed to a buildup of antagonism and unrest toward the government between 1920 and 1923. In 1923, the ''saget ab eito'' (sacrifice of the ox), a historically significant ceremony where leadership of the community was transferred between generations, was to take place. This ceremony had always been followed by an increased rate of cattle raiding as the now formally recognized warrior age-set sought to prove its prowess. The approach to a saget ab eito thus witnessed expressions of military fervor and for the ceremony all Nandi males would gather in one place.

Alarmed at the prospect and as there was also organized protest among the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]] and [[Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania|Luo]] at that time, the colonial government came to believe that the [[Orkoiyot]] was planning to use the occasion of the ''Saget ab eito'' of 1923 as a cover under which to gather forces for a massive military uprising. On 16 October 1923, several days before the scheduled date for the ''saget ab eito'', the Orkoiyot [[Barsirian Arap Manyei]] and four other elders were arrested and deported to Meru. Permission to hold the ceremony was withdrawn and it did not take place, nor has it ever taken place since. The Orkoiyot [[Barsirian Arap Manyei]] would spend the next forty years in political detention, becoming Kenya's, and possibly Africa's, longest-serving political prisoner.

<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bill Rutto and Kipng'etich Maritim |title=Kipsigis Heritage and Origin of Clans |publisher=Spotlight Publishers (EA) Limited |isbn=996657019-5 |pages=144}}</ref> One of the foremost Kipsigis colonial Chiefs was Cheborge Arap Tengecha. Although he was sometimes fondly referred to as “Kiprany-tich,” meaning he stood up to colonial excesses, this nom de guerre was countermanded by his alleged heavy-handedness and “unbridled” obsequiousness towards the colonial authorities. Nevertheless, Arap Tengecha can be credited with some positive deeds that helped transform the Kipsigis society in a changed world of colonial domination. First, the man, born about 1892, embraced literacy by accepting to go to school, unlike his peers. His capacity to read and write earned him a place in the colonial law courts and civil service as an interpreter based at the Kericho District Commissioner’s office. He served under District Commissioners, Cecil M. Dobbs, Sydney Hubert La Fontaine, George Henry C. Boulderson, T. H. Hinkinson, among others. 
As an acknowledgement of his prowess as an interpreter, Arap Tengecha was sent to Kerendei in Maasailand (Narok) in 1921 to continue his work there, having mastered the Maa language and other languages such as Kisii, Luo and Swahili. In 1934, he was appointed to the exalted position of Chief of Bomet Location where he excelled in his new position as an administrator and enforcer of colonial policies. When the district administration was reorganised by District Commissioner Henry G. Gregory-Smith in 1946, Chief Tengecha, now a top favourite of the colonial government, was appointed the Chief of Bureti Location where he served until his retirement in 1961. In recognition of his “illustrious career” at his retirement, Queen Elizabeth II of England conferred on Chief Tengecha the coveted OBE (Order of the British Empire).

==== World War II ====
With the German, Italian and Japanese threat at the borders of the British Empire, many people were dragged into military service during [[World War II]]. In East Africa, a huge number of Kenyans were recruited to serve in the Burma and Ethiopian Campaigns. Known to the Kipsigis as '<nowiki/>''Boriet ap Jeromaan''', literally German war, the world event marks a period of time and denotes a generation where some of its youthful men either volunteered or were drafted into the [[King's African Rifles]] forces. In August 1914, during the First World War, KAR soldiers were dispatched to fight German forces between what is Kenya-Tanzania border today, moreso in Taita-Tavetta. During the Second World War in 1944, some were deployed to join the fight in Burma Campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army. After the war, African soldiers were forgotten and hardly any records of them and their accounts were kept.