The Nandi word Sekker (cowrie shell) was used by Pokot elders to describe one section of a community that occupied the Elgeyo escarpment and whose territory stretched across the Uasin Gishu plateau.
This section of the community appears to have neighbored the Karamojong who referred to them as Siger, a name that derived from the Karimojong word esigirait (cowrie shell).
The most notable element of Sekker/Chemwal culture appears to have been a dangling adornment of a single cowrie shell attached to the forelock of Sekker women, at least as of the late 1700s and early 1800s.
It extends along Kapsumbeywet river through Ziwa (Sirikwa) centre, Moiben Posta and Kose hills in Uasin Gishu.
Pokot traditions recorded by Beech (1911) point to a close association between the Sekker and the Chok community who occupied the Elgeyo escarpment that runs along the edge of the Uasin Gishu plateau.
He notes that the elders of Pokot at the turn of the 19th century averred that; there always were two original Suk tribes living on the Elgeyo escarpment.
According to Turkana traditions recorded by Lamphear, the Chemwal identity was annihilated by a variety of factors related to the Aoyate drought.
Bands of Turkan fighting men forced other Siger northwards to the head of Lake Turkana where they formed the Inkabelo section of the developing Dasenech (also Merille) community.
According to traditions recorded by Wilson (1970), the Jie advanced eastward and entered the present Karimoja territory at Adilang, an area that was at this time occupied by the Maliri.
This state of affairs did not hold for long, for the people from the hill of Turkan, now calling themselves Turkana, broke away from the Jie at Kotido and started advancing eastward.
The other group, calling themselves Pokotozek moved south and arrived at Nakiloro, which lies on the Turkana escarpment just north of the Moroto mountain, where they stayed for a short while before moving further south, proceeding down the eastern side of the Chemorongit and Cherangani mountains before finally branching off in the direction of Lake Baringo.
[17] Other Maasai traditions concur with this assertion, noting that the Loosekelai (i.e Sigerai/Siger) were attacked by an alliance of the Uasin Gishu and Siria communities.
In it is stated that the Kipsigis, Nandi and Tugen split following a series of misfortunes, notably drought and attacks by the Uasin Gishu Maasai.
"[22] The totality of both narratives are however in congruence with the large scale movement of pastoralists from the plains into the forested areas, assimilation of forest-dwelling communities and wide-spread identity shift.