Sebei in Uganda

The Sebei have only been reported in Uganda
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Uganda's Sapiiny people call their language Kupsapiiny, sometimes spelled with an 'a' at the end. They live in eastern Uganda on the slopes of Mount Elgon. Traditionally they raise cattle, many Sapiiny also rely on subsistence farming, cultivating maize, beans, wheat and potatoes. They sell their produce when they are able, but poor roads in some areas make it difficult to transport their crops to the market. More than 60 percent of the Sapiiny people live in poverty.

Clan elders provide leadership and, along with traditional prophets, establish laws, norms and values. Circumcision, performed on adolescent boys, provides cultural identity. Some Sapiiny also practice female circumcision, although in secret because it is illegal.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Christianity came to the Sapiiny in the 1930s through the efforts of a large Christian denomination. Other denominations and Christian groups came in the 1970s. Now 70 percent of the Sapiiny people identify themselves as Christians, although only about half of those are deeply rooted in their faith and growing. Although they believe in the Creator, many see Him as distant. Many also fear ancestral spirits and practice traditional religion, keeping totems and relying on the revelations of local prophets and clan leaders for guidance.

The existing Kupsapiiny New Testament is not widely used. It is essentially a word-for-word rendering of the English Good News Bible and is not the way the Kupsapiiny naturally speak so they are beginning a new translation.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Sebei in Uganda.


Profile Source:   Anonymous  

People Name General Sebei
People Name in Country Sebei
Alternate Names Kupsabiny; Kupsapiny; Mbai; Sabiny; Sapiny
Population this Country 381,000
Population all Countries 381,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 5
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 14805
ROP3 Code 108780
Country Uganda
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Kapchorwa and Bukwa districts; some in Nakapiripirit district; Kenya border area.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Uganda
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Kapchorwa and Bukwa districts; some in Nakapiripirit district; Kenya border area..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Primary Religion: Christianity
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 30.00 %)
70.00 %
Ethnic Religions
30.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Kupsapiiny (381,000 speakers)
Language Code kpz   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Sebei
Dialect Code 1118   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Kupsapiiny (381,000 speakers)
Language Code kpz   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Sebei
Dialect Code 1118   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Kupsapiiny
Photo Source Bulalu Tonny 
Map Source Anonymous  
Profile Source Anonymous 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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