History of Lango People of Uganda

Lango People  also known as Langi People can be found in Uganda , they are part of the Bantu speaking people and they are related to the Luo People of Kenya and Uganda.,

 They grow crops such as millet , sorghum , cowpeas , ground nuts also known as peanuts , potatoes, cassava , sesame and other crops.

 In Lango culture they coiled pottery is made by women who happen to reside near suitable deposits of clay, some are  known to be especially good at fashioning, drinking straws out of reeds , or thatching roofs , carving wood , weaving grass mats , trading good forms of technology has led to a number of new crafts.

 Lango practice polygamy It is believed women allow her husband to marry a second wife often with expectation that she will have some authority over the junior wife enters the marriage in a weak position, a woman who has failed to bear children in a previous marriage or who has the reputation of being troublesome is more willing to be polygynous and such woman also commands a relatively lower bride price .

The bride price is about 14 head of cattle and a significant amount of other goods , cloth , cooking pots , hoes , which are paid to the family of the bride .  According to another account on Lango People of Uganda, It is believed  they originated from Abyssinia Present day Ethiopia and from Present day Israel prior to arriving in  Present day Ethiopia.

 Lango traces its migration right through otuke hills there are several similarities between them and Ateker cultures also they acquired adopted mixture of Lango due to Intermarriages.

According to the Oral tradition of Ateso. They migrated from Present day Egypt and It is believed the clan leaders of Lango including their highness have Lango roots.

 Lango intermarried with other locals and they lived in the Northern Region of Uganda , their districts include Amolatar , Alebtong , Apac, Dokolo , Kole , Lira , Oyam and Otuke.

Theey were considered to be a larger group of people known as Lango , during the migration period , this same group further split around Otuke hill  several clusters including Lango Olok to their  Present day Karimojong and prior to their migration into Present day Uganda.

 Julius Odwee believed Lango originated from variations in Ateso as well as those derived from Ancient Hebrew phrases such as Edua which is “ David” and “ Abia”, Odwee believed Lango are descendants of Ancient Israelites and from the offspring of Abraham, David of Israel and through his grandson with Queen Makeda , also named after his father ‘’ David and called Menelik the first male in his Kingdom and It is believed they practiced some of the Hebrew traditions passed down by their forefathers.

And According to Robert Egwea the Langos are also referred as Langi live in the sub- region in the north- central area of Uganda , north of Lake Kyoga , Lango sub region comprises of the districts  of Alebtong , Amolatar , Apac , Dokolo , Lira , Kole , Oyam and Otuke .  

According to J.H. Driberg , In 1923 the study of a Bantu tribe of Uganda are located in the north - central Uganda , which had a form of government based on minor clan Chiefs , rather than a King or Superior Chief before the arrival of the British rule the lango territory include later moroto river , home to various sorts of pigmy crocodiles of up to three feet in length and also they have weapons , implement , manufactured goods , livestock , agriculture , food , war , hunting , musical instruments , organization looks at birth traditions the names are given to new babies , marriage , Inheritance , a burial ceremonies and political organization .  

Lango government consists of Won Nyaci which is the paramount Chief . Twon Lwak the military leader , Awitong which is the supreme clan Chief , Rwot which is a Chief , Won Paco is the head of homesteads and Awi - Otem is the head of the family lineage ,  

Lango government system is selected through elected clan Chiefs with authority over the people of their clans , in some cases the elders would choose a son or relatives  of the late Chiefs as his successor but this was done through an elective process not by right , Lango have great warriors such as Okori Abwango , Obol Ario ,  there are traditional songs used to honoring them furthermore ,  Lango dynasty the Present day Ateso and Lango Omiru the Present day group , It is believed Lango traveled South eastern direction from Shiluk area , and settled in the east Otuke hills and Lango met Ateker speaking group before moving to their Present day homeland , It is said Lango reached the Otuke hills in eastern Uganda after traveling south - easterly from the Shiluk area .  In their Culture paramount Chief his authority under the clan Chiefs and had a government before the arrival of the British also they were classified together with their western neighbors , Acholi , although they have a long regarded themselves as being distinct from them .  It is said they settled into their Present day homeland after the first moving southward as part Luo- Speaking people , which probably took place in the 15th Century , It is believed there is evidence that cultural distinctions between Lango and Acholi were well established by the early 19th Century , the relationship between Lango and Paranilote neighbors to the north east , Karamojong is unclear , many Lango clan names resemble Karamojong clan names , and Lango cultural practices such as totemic observances .   British came to Present day Uganda in the mid 19th Century , the center of colonial power was established on the shores of Lake Victoria in the Kingdom of Buganda , Ganda and other Bantu Kingdoms in the Southern part of Uganda , Ganda Kingdom , the people had organized themselves in Present day Uganda from the north east , Atker further splited into four groups to form the Karamojong , Iteso , Kuman and Langi .  

Langi migrated further to the west , and there they encountered Acholi , who they pushed northwards from the northern part of Lake Kyoga , through prolonged interaction with Acholi , Langi lost the Ateker language and took up the Luo spoken by their Acholi neighbours also many Langi Identify themselves with Luo , refuting the theory that they are Ateker .  

In Lango tradition , It is believed they used to wear clothes but they were fond of personal adornments and men are completely unclothed and  a boy may obtain the support of his mother , who will attempt to get some of the cattle from her husband’s herd to the boy’s bride , boys also are linked to their sisters , they must wait until their sisters are married so that they obtain part of their bride prices to pay for their own marriages .  

 According to their Oral history , Lango migrated from Abyssinia Present day Ethiopia around the 1600 AD , they split into two groups , with one group moving to Present day Kenya to form the Kalenjin group and Massai cluster , the other group , called Ateker , migrated westwards and entered Present homelands.

 

Also women in their culture used to wear ajoo known as Skin and the symbol of Lango is a rhino known as Amuka in Langi language , In Lango Concept , Jok is a powerful supreme being, games , folklores , proverbs , plays a big role in their traditions , children are taught by their mother or siblings including education , morality and how to address their relatives and respect other people when they get older , boys are taught by their fathers or male relatives , or girls and by female relatives . 

 Cleansing ceremony plays a big role It is considered as a ritual healing for a male child during this ceremony , the mother and the male child spend 3 days inside the house and eat millet porridge .

 It is said the child is treated as a baby for the duration of the ceremony , on the duration of the ceremony , on the 3rd day , they exit the house and sit at the entrance , accompanied by a paternal cousin , the child’s hair is cut and woven into strands , which are mixed with softened ficus bark and shea butter then tied around the child’s neck , wrists and waist , remaining strands are rolled into a ball , thrown 3 times to the mother , cousin and child , the three are then smeared with shea butter and served pea paste , millet bread and a millet yeast brew , jubilations begin thereafter with Ululations , singing and dancing , confirming that the child has regained his manhood and the ceremony promotes reconciliations and restores the social status of the Child .

 Limited practice , however is affecting its viability many bearers are aged and practice is increasingly performed in secrecy for fear of excommunication .   

Lango perform cultural dances such as Iarakaraka , Ikoce , Twon Gweno  which is a wedding dance ,  Lira Kiri  and they used instruments such as Gourd , Calabashes , one- stringed fiddle , trumpets , drums , flute , trough zither , bow- harp , panpipe , wind instruments , Xylophone , thumb piano , long drum , bass drum , shakers , rattles , ankle bells , and other different kinds of Instruments used by Lango People of Uganda .

Research by Selikem Okatakyie.