The Langi Tribe of Uganda | Culture & History

The Langi live in the north central part of Uganda to the north of Lake Kyoga. The Lango sub-region comprises of Amolatar, Dokolo, Lira, Oyam, Alebtong, Kole and Apac. They speak luo which is part of the sub Nilo-Saharan languages. They re mutually precise with the Acholi and Kumam. They are also related to other luo languages of Kenya. They are known with their tribal symbol of the Rhino here in Uganda.

ORIGIN

 The Langi are said to to have moved from Ethiopia in the 1600AD and 1700AD, they split into two groups, one group moved to Kenya and Tanzania forming the Kalenjin and Masai group. Other groups include; The Ateker moved to Western Uganda and entred Uganda through the North Eastern part of Uganda. The Ateker then split into 4 groups, namely; The Karamojongs, Kumam, Itesots and the Langi.

The Langi continued to move to the West where they encountered the Acholi. They adopted the Acholi way of life also while on the move. This is where the Langi lost the Ateker way of life and took over the Acholi way of life. They pushed the Acholi North wardsto Lake Kyoga. This made them to encounter them even more.

The Langi are said to have originated from the mountain Otukei and Atwi. These mountains are said to be blessed with abundant rain.

The Langi share similar characteristics like the Ateker who are the Eastern Nilotics.

The Langi where the final group of migration from Abyssinia in Ethiopia. The Jie was a single group that came from Ararat, they used the word EKAR NGIMOJONG, it meant that,” the old can walk no further” hence the name of Karamojong originating. Onto the Kenyan Ethiopian boarder, they fragmented into several groups in;

• The Turkana of Kenya who settled around the Kenya and Ethiopian boarder upto date.
• The Toposa People who settled in Sudan
• Dodoth settled in Apule. It is a part in the northern territory of Karamoja

The main group moved southwards, it reached in Jie teritoy and split into another three groups. The Jie remained where they had settled but the other three groups are; The Pian, Matheniko and Bokora. These groups moved southwards and the third group from the three moved westwards and formed the Iteso, Kumam and Langi.

These last groups of the Pian, Bokora and Matheniko travelled furthest and upto date still live in the Karamoja region. The Itesots live in Teso region, the Kumam live in Kaberamido and speak the Luo dialect. This was their historical migration.

POLITICAL SET-UP

They had a very well-organized set up where they had a hierarchy from top most to the last head. For example, they had the following leaders:

• Paramount Chief who as called Won Nyaci
• Military leader who was called TwonLwak
• Supreme clan chief who was also called Awitong
• Chief was called Rwot
• Home of homsteads was called Won Poco
• Home of Family lineage was called Awi Otem

The Acholi were far different from the Baganda and Banyoro in their kingdom, they had no hereditary chief.

The Lango government was through the elected clan chief with the whole authority of people from their clans.

But in some clans, which were very few, the chiefs were hereditary.

The Lango warriors had no fear for their neighbors, they attacked anytime as long as they were provoked to. The Lango army was led by one military leader who was chosen from available men. Women were not part of the leadership. For one to be chosen, all the men available must have agreed. After any war, they were to go back to their clans and resume their normal duties without even a pay. Basically, it was done for the goodwill of the person to the clan.

The Langi were blessed with famous warriors who left a lot of memories to be remembered up to date. Warriors like;

• Ongora Okubal, he led them to the promised land.
• Oponye Nyakonyola
• Orobol
• Agoro Abwong, he led the war against the Banyoro, but was killed in Bunyoro.

The langi also are known for they have produced one of Uganda’s presidents in The Late Apollo Milton Obote. He served Uganda well until he passed on. May His soul rest in peace.

The Langi also had ways of solving their problems in the communities.

They were harsh to the criminals, they handled matters in their hands. The offenders were killed on stop by the whoever caught the person in the act.

If a man was caught committing adultery, there was no case to answer for the criminal would be killed.

There was no man slaughter still there was no murder. If one was called for murder, he would be killed there and then.

Notorious thieves were even killed by their family members. After they investigate the matter, murder would be compensated inform of goats and cows or even a young girl.

If a woman killed her husband, she would be returned to the parents and bride wealth returned back, they would even make her pay compensation.

Wizards were seen as bad omen and when one was caught, they would make him face execution.

If a woman had a premature pregnancy, they would question her and if she denied, the boy would face murder charges.

THEIR HOMESTEADS

 The Langi lived in villages, they built huts where they lived. There could be more than 100 huts built in line, in front of them they built granaries, these granaries were used to store their harvested crops, they believed they were so safe.  They even extended and built kraals for their animal right ahead of their homes.

For one to acquire a new site for his family or himself, one would take chicken and some beer and leave them out for 2/1d day. When he returns and finds them all taken, he will abandon the site because it would be considered an ill-omen.

The Langi also didn’t build near swamps and rocky areas because they feared the evil spirits. Swamps were a burial site for the evil spirits that refused to be driven out of someone peacefully.

There were types of huts built in the Lango homesteads, for example;

• Iguruguru these were small huts built for guests. They were made of a very low doorway that people had to enter crawling. Plus, the low doorways meant that the people were fully protected from the enemies who aimed throwing spears at them as they slept.
• Otogo These were small huts for the unmarried youths whose doorways were approached by use of man-made ladders. They were designed in a way that only one person was allowed to crawl in and out. These had their entries closed with grass mat and are said to be so warm inside.

The Langi distributed possession depending on gender. The women were entitled to only the calabash, pots, drinking vessels, brooms, pestles and mortals, grinding stones, cooking and many more.

The men were entitled to spears, knifes, hunting nets, drums, hoes, and the drinking sticks/straws, these were made out of sticks but were hollow in the middle to enable them suckle out the man-made brew they prepared themselves.

THEIR CULTURAL DRESSING CODE

The langi people used not to put on clothes, they used to be naked just slightly like the Karmojongs. So, as they were on the move to their promised land, they encountered with the Acholi and adopted their dressing codes, the Acholii dressed in skins. They even dropped their Ateker language and adopted the Luo.

The men from the Jo-Aber clan were first to wear the goat’s skin and so were the pioneers in rejecting their tradition Ajoo in favor of Acholi one.

The Langi had their personal doodads too, here are some of them;

• The Langi girls were tattooed both on their back and front
• Twolower tooth were removed from them, this was a sign of manhood/maturity to one.
• The ears were pierced in as many as more than ten points. This was done because they would plant Gilo beads. This also showed how mature one was.
• Metallic ornaments were worn in the nose and upper lip but the lower lip was pierced often to accommodate what the holder thinks would fit there.
• The tongue too was pierced and a two beaded ornament was planted there.
• The arms and legs also were tied onto large quantities of bracelets below and above the knees, elbows, ankles and wrists. As one walked they would vibrate on the legs and arms.
• They also wore necklaces in their necks, these necklaces would make them stiff and give them a difficult in turning. But in their culture, it was a good thing and implicated growth to one wearing.
• Women rubbed rotten simsim on their head and twisted their hair.
• Women and men smeared their bodies with ghee and oil.
• Men would work their hair into elaborated hairddresses. This was also common in the Jie and Karamojongs. They still do it up to date.
• Women wore big brass of beads on their wrists, when they fought or quarreled, they would hit themselves on the heads with the big brass of beads.

DEATH

 The langi didn’t believe in life after death, they believed that when someone died, their spirit didn’t die but went to the world of the dead and lived on.

It was said that nothing was known to them in this world except that the soul of the people who died with grief or with bitter grudge with another or relatives could ally with evil joggi (jok) and acquire the power of the evil and come back to haunt those he had a grudge with.

Every homestead of a deceased had an ancestral shrine that would be offered to Joggi (jok). This was done to prevent the evil spirit from possessing any other relatives.

In event of such a happening, a sheep was slaughtered and offered to the spirit. This was done to over praise the spirit. A ceremony too was performed to chase away the evil spirit from the victim. For the evil spirit that refused to flee out of the victim deliberately even when the ceremony was performed successfully, it would be called Cen. Witchdoctors could be hired to drive it out, they used a pot or calabash. If the spirit apologized for the previous malice, the weapon used would be buried in the swamp and it would never return.

RELIGION

 The Langi believed in a spiritual being called Jok. There were other spiritual beings who performed different roles in the communities.

• Jok-Lango was specialized in disease which was not affiliated to demon possession
• Jok-man was in charge of all demon possessions. He was sometimes taken as a devil with powers also by the Langi. They believed that he was n the human beings and also the imortals.

These spiritual beings were said to be in human form. They said that they had long curly, tangoed hair, black or slightly brown skin which was sometimes turned by dust.

They said that they were far from human beings in form of appearance and behavior. They fed on house flies it being their favorite food.

ECONOMY

 The Langi were staunch pastoralists. They ate meat and milk mixed with blood.

The Langi people practiced trade. It was not in monetary form but exchange items with their near neighbors the Acholi. They exchanged goats, grains, cattle and also labor with the Kumam.

They also adopted the agricultural economy after they were pushed to lake kyoga.

Their staple food was;

• Okama (millet)
• Ontunuru (pengeon peas)
• Amola (hyptis species)
• Okwer (Cucumber)

Later the Langi started planting ground nuts and sweet potatoes which they adopted from the Banyoro during their fight.

Explore other East African  countries ie Kenya, Tanzania , Rwanda, Congo ,Burundi to find out the tribes that live there.