When not disrupted or dispossessed by the violence endemic since the mid-1980s, most Acholi remain primarily mixed farmers. This made the chiefs more independent from This included both agricultural and hunting land. ETHNONYMS: Balumbila, Batoka, Batonga, Bawe, Toka This special access to Uganda's security forces has alternately presented opportunity and danger as a succession of regimes replaced one another in a cycle of political violence often played out in ethnic (or "tribal") terms. By clicking 'Accept', you consent to the use of all the cookies. Rwot, 'ruler'). Okot p'Bitek's epic poem, Song of Lawino, debates Acholi customs around the time that Uganda became independent. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/acholi. 23 Feb. 2023 . Identification. The first leader was Kuturia as mentioned Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Inheritance has been, and largely remains, patrilineal. "Swazi" refers to the nation, tr, Fipa Subsistence and Commercial Activities. The full integration of the Acholi into the British colonial complex happened comparatively late. Sign up to Minority rights Group International's newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and publications. Uma, F. K. (1971). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. identity is rather disputed. Yet the northerners living in these squalid camps were prone to attack by the LRA and the national army alike, and unable to raise their own food. These rebellions sprung up in defiance and from disapproval of the conduct and legitimacy of the new NRA government. Movement. The Acholi, a Nilotic Lwo-speaking ethnic group, live predominantly in the central region of northern Uganda, an space collectively named to known as Acholiland. ETHNONYMS: Mende (Men-day), Mendes, Huro, Wuro Acholi: Talking Politics in Northern Uganda Many Ugandans follow politics with keen interest, and President Yoweri Musevei's 34-year tenure notwithstanding, politics is a frequent topic of in-depth conversation and spirited debate among friends and acquaintances, and my conversations with my mentor are no exception. Hansen, Holger B., and Michael Twaddle, eds. The Luo, (also spelled Lwo) are several ethnically and linguistically related Nilo-Semitic ethnic groups that inhabit an area ranging from Egypt and Sudan to South Sudan and Ethiopia, through Northern Uganda and eastern Congo (DRC), into western Kenya, and the Mara Region of Tanzania. Most political organizations take the form of a voluntary association of persons or organizations that pools its members' and constituents' financial and other resources, and engages in conventional political actions to affect policy-making outcomes. latest redrawing of the administrative divisions, it contains seven districts; Agago, Amuru, Gulu, However, to what degree this emergence was accompanied with the creation of a common The largest political unit was the tribal section, regarded as the geographical nation. Administrative divisions within Acholi, however, both during colonial Common synonyms for this type of organization are "interest groups," "pressure groups," and . Estimated at 1,470,554 (4.4 per cent in the 2014 census). Domestic Unit. Twentieth-century densities have been consistently the second lowest in all of Uganda (after Karamoja). Uganda journal 27(1): 15-30. Historian Mark Curtis says that after Amin instigated a coup, Britain, the United States, and Israel quietly backed Amin and his campaign against the socialist-leaning President Milton Obote in 1971. The presumed nominal forebears of the present-day Acholi group migrated South to Northern Uganda from the area now known as Bahr el Ghazal in South Sudan by about 1,000 AD. The most common domestic animals are (and have long been) chickens and goats, with some cattle, especially in the dryer portions of Acholi. He has noted that the emphasis on the distinction among ethnic groups has even been part of the internal government dialogue." for social control, though one of the attractions that assisted the The long civil war in the North has destroyed much of their society. others who benefited from the new dispensation, including collaborators The Acholi were considered a martial people by the British, and many joined the military. London: Oxford University Press. thesis, University of Nairobi. friendly, but after the inception of the British Protectorate of Uganda in 1894, which included 3 vols. Political Organization. 2008. At the height of the insurgency, some 1.8 million people were living in camps in the north, and due to a combination of LRA activities and the Ugandan armys counter-offensives virtually the entire population of Acholiland was displaced. Deep-rooted divisions and polarization remain between different ethnic groups, and these have been greatly exacerbated by the way in which the countrys leadership has developed since independence. World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. London: James Currey. subcounty level; and larger zones of the most intensive (and peaceful) Similarly, General Okello Lutwa who toppled the Obote II regime, was an Acholi. Nevertheless, many remain in a state of displacement. "Kony's Message: A New Koine?". The Lwoo. Divorce, which can occur for numerous reasons, is not uncommon and may or may not involve return of the bride-wealth; children, as members of the father's lineage, usually either stay with the father or return to him later. Its current population is estimated to be around 2.155,000 individuals, or six percent of the total national population. Colonial rule brought the penetration of a money economy into Acholi, along with the establishment of numerous rural and small-town trading centers and the two major urban centers of Gulu and Kitgum, where a range of local and imported goods are available. As some of these languages show some form But when Idi Amin overthrew Obotes first spell in power, and when Yoweri Musevini ousted Okello, the Acholi paid heavily for their allegiances. They keep sheep and cattle but are not as committed to pastoralism as some other Nilotic peoples are. During this period of growing integration into the colonial trade routes, the Acholi chiefdoms When conflict did interpolity interactions at the county level. B. K. (1994). fight the Arab slave traders and his colonial administration was viewed as not very invasive The Acholi or Acoli are part of Luo-speaking Nilotic people of East Africa who lives predominantly in Northern Uganda (an area commonly referred to as Acholiland), including the districts of Agago, Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum, Nwoya, Lamwo, and Pader; and Magwe County in South Sudan. Under Ugandan Pres. Kin Groups and Descent. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. The rwot was the most important political, economic and social personality in the political entity of 'chiefdoms', which were installed in Acholiland in the late seventeenth, early eighteenth century. The Shona-speaking peoples comprise about 80 percent of the population of Zimbabwe,, Swazi The Song of Lawino, one of the most successful African literary works, was written by Okot p'Bitek, published in 1966 in Acholi, and later translated to English. [1994], p. 80). Medicine. Makerere University (Kampala), Department of Geography. Even in this . [18] It is important because it is intended to restore communities to balance, and to bring people back into relation in their home communities, where ideally they would return at the end of the war. Soon after, the NRM started pacifying the northern region, which is home to several ethnics, including the Acholi and Lango. We have a small favour to ask: if you appreciate our work, would you mind considering making a donation to support our work? Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Acholi have played a pivotal role in the turbulent post-independence era. Children are highly prized, and historically a couple did not set up their own household until the birth of their first child, living until then in the household of the husband's mother. p. 41). These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 30 Chiefly authority was however not absolute, as power was shared with lineage elders ( ladit kaka) and political authority was mainly vested in A Study of the Acooli Language: Grammar and Vocabulary. (1972). He was defeated in January 1986. "[15] Although they were believed to have supernatural powers, the chiefs ruled through a Council of Clan Elders, so they never ruled singlehandedly. Figure 5. That is why the Lango neighbours refer to the Acholi as Ugangi, meaning people of the home. Precolonial trade, both within Acholi and throughout the region, focused mainly on obtaining iron ore and finished iron products in exchange for baskets or products of the farm, herd, or hunt. came a new hierarchy of chiefs, clerks, and policemen, all under the Hansen, Holger B., and Michael Twaddle, eds. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. M.A. The dry season is long and hot, with temperatures that can reach more than 35 C. Demography. In addition there were priest- or priestess-diviners, private practitioners who worked for the well-being of their clients, and witches, who worked in private for evil or destructive purposes. Pottery and basket making were widespread and relatively nonspecialized arts, carried out by both men and women. 1.84 million people, mostly Acholi, lived in 251 different Internal Displaced Person camps. Dholuo During this time, people were separated from their land for long periods, and many people disappeared or were killed. coming from the territory of present-day South Sudan over a period spanning multiple centuries. The essential lawlessness of the Idi Amin and These include Christian marriage (with or without bride-wealth), elopement, and single parenthood. (Byrnes, 1990, p. 6), did the Acholi not arrive in their present-day area before the 15th century The conflict", UGANDA: 1,000 displaced die every week in war-torn north - report | Uganda | Refugees/IDPs, UGANDA/DRC: OPERATION RUDIA II UPDATE 2009-06-29, "The Anguish of Northern Uganda - Section 1 - Uganda", Sample of written Acholi from the Language Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acholi_people&oldid=1142669727, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Classification of Southern Lwoo after Heusing (2004) and Storch (2005). InThe Roots of Ethnicity, Ronald R. Atkinson argues that although colonial rule and its aftermath have played a major role in shaping the particular manifestati. . Most prominent among them was the Uganda People's Army (UPA) in Teso and Lango sub region, the West Nile Bank Frontiers (WNBF) in the West Nile region, the Uganda People's Democratic Army, the Holy Spirit Movement and the LRA in the Acholi region. Shilluk Acholi Encyclopedia of World Cultures. The Population Geography of Acholi District. reported that the Acholi chiefs generally accepted the position of Baker, as he had helped them This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any payment information on a server. Since the British had set up their administrational centre in the What attitudes towards and beliefs about language, linguistic competence and teaching languages do student teachers hold at the start of their teacher education.. How, It addresses the practices used for managing linguistic diversity in downstream relationships, particularly focusing on the role of language nodes at the, LINGUISTIC MEANING AND KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION IN AUTOMATIC UNDERSTANDING OF NATURAL LANGUAGE LINGUISTIC MEANING AND KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION IN AUTOMATIC UNDERSTANDING OF NATURAL LANGUAGE, Linguistic and Cognitive Measures in Arabic-Speaking English Linguistic and Cognitive Measures in Arabic-Speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) and monolingual children with and, Recently, Wang, Teng, and Chen (2015) conducted a study to examine students attitude toward the use of iPad in English Vocabulary Learning. Uganda Journal 3(3): 175-202. Okot p'Bitek (1963). administration within the region and the district headquarters were erected in the area of the expression of difference, but one of a common political ideology and identity (Whitmire, 2013, more. (p. 34). The essential lawlessness of the Idi Amin and second Milton Obote regimes, however, as well as of the various rebel groups, the Ugandan army, and Karamojong raiders (who have been active in Acholi since the mid-1980s) have led to a breakdown of any meaningful social control in the area. The republican constitution adopted in 1967 abolished the monarchies and assigned ultimate political power to an elected president. southeast by the Langi region and to the south, across the Nile, by Bunyoro. This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos. The results showed that students had, On the one hand, languages are translatable, which can be demonstrated from different perspectives such as the general characteristics of language, the parallel linguistic, The purpose of this study was to examine the language attitudes and language practices of Arabic-speaking families living in the United States. We hope you find it interesting. Religious Beliefs. The LRA has been targeting civilians, the majority being their own tribe, the Acholi. These figures represent population densities of 20.4 persons per square kilometer in 1980, 16.5 per square kilometer in 1969, and about one-fourth and one-fifth the 1969 densities during the earlier two periods. Numbering between 400 and 500 by the turn of the twentieth century, these exogamous groups claim descent from a common ancestor (although means exist to incorporate many types of "outsiders" as well) and have special lineage shrines, ritual ceremonies, praise-calls, and totems. southern part of the country relatively young. With the coming of the ivory and slave trades, and the firearms that accompanied them, conflict became more frequent, more deadly, and more widely spread. Acholi's role in the colonial economy was confined mainly to the peasant production of cotton as a cash crop and the provision of recruits for the colonial army or police and migrant labor for the more "developed" Buganda. University of Bradford eThesis This thesis is hosted in Bradford Scholars - The University of Bradford Open Access repository. Bride-wealth has varied over time but has usually included iron objects, domestic animals, and, in the twentieth century, money. . The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. Political Organization. last large-scale conflict in Acholi until Amin came to power in 1971. As of September 2009, large numbers of Acholi people remain in camps as internally displaced persons. Women daubed the walls with mud, decorating them with geometrical or conventional designs in red, white or grey. Politics has been around for millennia. Their traditional communities were organised hamlets of circular huts with high peaked roofs, furnished with a mud sleeping-platform, jars of grain and a sunken fireplace. Most Acholi, however, continue to live in neighborhoods (parishes) that not only consist predominantly of patrilineal kinsmen and their wives, but often carry the old lineage names. Identification. et al., 1972; Heine & Knig, 2010) and Chopi (Storch, 2005) as individual languages, instead London: James Currey. point to the most recent violent conflict was the overthrow of the Okello-led government by the from sexual conduct, over blackmailing and stealing, to killing someone (Vincent, 2012, pp. 116-25 Section 3101, requires electronic filing by exempt organizations in tax years beginning after July 1, 2019. At the height of the insurgency, 1.8 million people in the north were living in camps. Comprising less than 5 percent of the country's population, during the early years of independence the Acholi constituted more than 15 percent of the police force and fully a third of the army. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. Religious Practitioners. With the coming of the ivory into the 1990s, Acholi was the scene of similar levels of conflict. Further he described how this negative experience led to generally negative attitudes towards Situated 1,025 to 1,350 meters above sea level, the Acholi landscape is typical East African game countryrolling grasslands with scattered trees, streams, and rock outcrops. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Inheritance. The documentary focused on the unofficial discourse of the LRA war and it was largely critical of the Ugandan government role in the LRA war. The Acholi region and language 51. Stream and swamp fishing are important. Further tidying up and smoothing over the grave take place within the week. Localized lineages have been the fundamental social units in Acholi, During the colonial period, political leadership in Acholi was contested among those with traditional leadership qualifications and others who benefited from the new dispensation, including collaborators with the British and those who managed to obtain Western education. ." interpreters began to accumulate some of the new wealth brought into neighboring chiefdoms within the same zone. [26][27], The NRA managed to defeat all the rebel groups except the LRA which culminated in a 20-year conflict. many of them children, the conflict led to the displacement of millions. The word 'Acholi' is a misnomer that became adopted for convenience over the years. This complex process was helped along by two major droughts, probably during the 1720s and c. 1790, which promoted larger-scale political leadership that held the promise of greater stability and security, and by the formation of neighboring identities against which members of an emergent Acholi could compete, compare, and define themselves. neighboring peoples, was neither rare nor endemic. But a chief's territory seldom corresponded to any pre-colonial entity, while his wide-ranging executive and judicial powers were a complete novelty. "At Home in the Village: Growing Up in Acholi." into the independence era. find its conclusion until the 19th century. The Acholi resisted the establishment of the Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Girling, F. K. (1960). window.__mirage2 = {petok:"igNXChGgDPbig_bsHwJgxoRb9NTulTcrPPRjDe2iFNY-86400-0"}; Historically, the most important public ceremonies were probably those associated with birth, planting, harvesting, and the killing of a large animal or another human being. In the precolonial era, warfare, herding, and hunting were the domain of men. While rwodi, members of royal lineages, and lineage heads all seem to have been somewhat better off than others before the latter part of the nineteenth century, social stratification appears limited, owing primarily to both limited wealth in the society and redistribution. Whitmire (2013) on the other hand argued that a The chiefs traditionally came from one clan, and each chiefdom had several villages made up of different patrilineal clans. Organizational Politics. their inherited wealth to build up prominent twentieth-century families. alongside the other Luo groups in Uganda and Kenya following several waves of migration heard of gun sound, they were used to only lightning thunder sound. Milton Obote (1962-71, 1980-85). members of royal lineages, and lineage heads all seem to have been Marriage has been typically patrilocal and patriarchal, with the husband and father as the undisputed head of the household. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Uganda Journal 19(1): 57-61. This in turn forged new political entities and identities as well as wider social relations. With independence, the Acholi remained marginal within the framework of Uganda as a whole, with one crucial exception: their disproportionate numbers in the police and army.