was fairly dense and it is likely that their identity was still largely intact. It would take the Karimojong dispersion of the Oropom at Kapcheliba in the early 18th century to finally submerge the Oropom-Sirikwa identity. The Battle at Kacheliba A notable battle that occurred around 1825 or 1830 near Kacheliba is largely perceived to have signaled the snuffing out of Oropom identity. A notable element of the battle is the Oropom tying themselves together with leather ropes. Oropom descendants romanticise the encounter, noting that; The Karimajong kept beating the Oropom and drove them further and further south. Finally the Oropom became tired of running. They began killing their cattle to make leather ropes out of their skins. They tied themselves together with those ropes so that none could run away. They said ‘we are tired of running – it is better that we should all die here together’ The Karimajong on the other hand provide a brutal military assessment of the encounter and the state of Oropom society at that point, they note that; "...Their shields were larger than ours but were ineffective as they were made of cowhide. Their spears were unlike ours, more like those of the Nandi. When we were strong enough we desired their cattle which had long horns, and we fought a great battle with them. However they were cowards and their elders had to force the young men to fight us; in doing this, they gathered them together in long lines, securing them one to the other by ropes, to prevent them running away. This was very foolish as when we killed one or two of them, the whole line collapsed with the weight of their bodies and we slaughtered them where they fell." Some then fled east or south; a few Oropom settlements are claimed to have remained between Kacheliba and Karta as late as 1927. Some areas were unaffected by this battle, and Oropom remained between Lolachat and Namalu in Pian county in Nakapiripirit District, and in the area between Mt. Elgon and Mt. Kadam. Traditions of the Didinga people of South Sudan apparently record displacing a "red" people, called the Argit, who were skilled in pottery-making. Diaspora Iteso Iteso clan names reveal a history of long-standing ethnic interactions and found amongst these are names of Bantu and Northern Nilotic origin. Some of these are clan names are said to be