Mythologies of the Luo Tribe

The Luo (also spelled Lwo) are several ethnically and linguistically related Nilotic 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. Their Luo languages belong to the western branch of the Nilotic language family. The Luo groups in South Sudan include the Shilluk, Anuak, Pari, Acholi, Balanda Boor, Thuri and Luwo. Those in Uganda include the Alur, Acholi, Jonam and Padhola. The ones in Kenya and Tanzania are the Joluo (also called Luo in Kenyan English). The Joluo and their language Dholuo are also known as the "Luo proper" by Kenya based observers, even though their dialect has more Bantu loan words than the rest. The level of historical separation between these groups is estimated at eight centuries. Dispersion from an alleged Nilotic core region in South Sudan is presumed to have been triggered by the turmoil of the Muslim conquest of Sudan. The migration of individual groups over the last few centuries can to some extent be traced in the respective group's oral history.

Luo, people living among several Bantu-speaking peoples in the flat country near Lake Victoria in western Kenya and northern Tanzania. More than four million strong, the Luo constitute the fourth largest ethnic group in Kenya (about one-tenth of the population) after the Kikuyu (with whom they shared political power in the first years after Kenya achieved independence), the Luhya, and the Kalenjin. The Luo speak a Nilotic language of the Nilo-Saharan language family. They are fishermen as well as settled agriculturists who also keep many cattle. Luo are found throughout East Africa as agricultural labourers and tenant farmers and as urban workers. Traditionally, each Luo group is an autonomous political unit controlled by a dominant clan or lineage. This segmentary lineage structure, associated with territorial units, is not organized around a particular office; there is no chief. The segmentary system itself is the basis of organization and cooperation. The Luo traditionally believed in a supreme creator, whom they called Nyasi (Nyasaye), and had a strong ancestor cult. At the turn of the 21st century, most Luo were Christians.

The Luo are the fourth largest ethnic group in Kenya. They speak 'Dholuo' which is part of the Nilotic language group. Known as 'Ramogi's descendants,' the Luo community are in particular known for their musical skills and instruments. Notable Luos include: the former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga; the former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama; and the environmental scientist and Nobel Prize winner, Professor Sam Odingo. The Luo are a Nilotic-speaking group, who are believed to have originated from Sudan, and are now settled around the Lake Victoria basin in Kenya and Tanzania. Other Luo groups are found in Uganda, Congo, Ethiopia and Sudan. The Luo believed in God the creator, Nyasaye, whom they worshiped in sacred places (hembko or hembho). The sacred shrines, trees, huge rocks, hills, and Lake Victoria were associated with the supernatural. Luanda Magere was a famous warrior in Kano village while Gor Mahia was a magician and chief of Kanyamua. One of the most famous football clubs in Kenya is named after Gor Mahia. A long time ago a story is told of a Luo legend who was a mighty warrior from Kano. He was called Luanda Magere from the Sidho clan. It was believed that his body was made of hard rock and nothing could harm him. During this time, the Luo were in constant conflict with the Nandi people and raids were common and every time the two communities met, the Nandi warriors would be crushed by Luanda. The Luo always triumphed in the war as many enemies fell by Luanda’s spear.

The Luo (also called Jaluo and Joluo) are an ethnic group found in Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethno-linguistically related Luo peoples who inhabit an area including southern Sudan, northern and eastern Uganda, western Kenya, and northern Tanzania. Some accounts trace the Luo origin to Bahr al Gazal in Sudan where it is largely thought they were probably the first inhabitants of Sudan. Other versions think they probably originated at Wau in Southern Sudan, near the confluence of the Meride and Sue Rivers. Both accounts agree that they came from South Sudan. While in Sudan, as descendants of ancient Egyptians, they founded the Shilluk kingdom. These Egyptians were directly linked to the Kingdom of Shilluk. The Shilluk kingdom was located along the banks of the White Nile in modern South Sudan. Its capital and royal residence were in the town of Fashoda. According to folk history there and neighbouring accounts, the kingdom was founded during the mid-fifteenth century CE by its first ruler, the demigod Nyikang. During the 19th century, the Shilluk were affected by military assaults from the Ottoman Empire and later British colonisation in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Today the Shilluk king is not an independent political leader, but a traditional chieftain within the governments of South Sudan and Sudan. In Bahr al Gazal, in the land of Shilluk, the Luo were known as Ororo. Among the Dinka and Nuer in present South Sudan, they were called Liel. The first wave of their migration into western Kenya via today’s eastern Uganda is thought to have occurred sometime around 1500 AD. Arrivals came in at least 5 waves at different times as below. The main Luo livelihood is fishing. Outside Luoland, the Luo work in eastern Africa as tenant fishermen, small-scale farmers, and urban workers. They speak the Dholuo language, which belongs to the Western Nilotic branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family spoken by other Luo-speaking peoples such as the Lango, Acholi, Padhola and Alur, all of Uganda. The Luo people of Kenya descend from early agricultural and herding communities from western Kenya’s early pre-colonial history. The people and dialects of their language have historic roots across the Lake Victoria region. Chief among the powerful families to which the Luo trace their ancestry were the Sahkarias of Kano. The Jaramogis of Ugenya, and the Owuors of Kisumu are the other families. These families had clans that married several wives and had multitudes of grandchildren and heirs to various chieftainships. Leaders of these lineages typically had multiple wives and intermarried with their neighbours in Uganda and Sudan. The Luo tribe, through intermarriages and wars, form part of the genetic admixture that includes all modern East African ethnic groups. Members of the Buganda Kingdom, the Toro Kingdom, and the Nubians of modern-day Sudan find themselves here as well. The Luo had many ethnic enemies with whom they fought for access to water, cattle, and land. The Nandi, Luhya, Kipsigis and Kisii occupied the top positions. As a result of these wars, peace treaties and intermarriages were accomplished. The result was a mixture of cultural ideals and practices. Like all modern-day East African tribes, Luo history is intricately interwoven with the history of its friends, enemies and neighbours. A testimony to the complexity of East African pre-colonial history. The present-day Kenya Luo traditionally consists of 25 sub-tribes, each in turn composed of various clans and subclans. By the 1840s, the Luo had a tight-knit society with leadership from Ruodh, or regional chiefs.

The Luo tribe is a vibrant community of people with rich culture, intricate art and deep-rooted values located in the western region of Kenya along lake Victoria shore lines. Culture, a complex pattern of interwoven strands from past, myth and contemporary into an image of persistence creativity in unity. The Luo saga is an epic accounting of African history that began in a time gone by, when the great migration of the Luo's unfolded. Starting from the homeland of Sudan they set out for Kenya, a place that offered fresh start and fertile soil. This voyage, far more than a change of place alone was truly transformational on deep spiritual levels. Following the celestial ornaments that illuminated their nocturnal sky, Luo was led through nature’s maze. The stars were not just measly dots in the night sky but, sighs of hope that lit their way and told tales about nations on the other side. Within these uncertainties and trials the path was illuminated furthermore by wise men, those revered sages of community who discharged their duty as counsels. The trip of the Luo was characterized by a series of rivers and valleys, scenes that differed in reception. All the rivers crossed were initiation, a sort of washing and baptism. The valleys with their rolling hills tried them but the will of Luo people was strengthened in every hardship. They adjusted, figured out and prospered every step proving unwavering spirit of survival.

The Luo are the fourth largest ethnic group in Kenya, and are settled around the Lake Victoria basin. Traditionally they believed in God the creator, Nyasaye, whom they worshiped in sacred places (hembko or hembho). The sacred shrines, trees, huge rocks, hills, and Lake Victoria were also associated with the supernatural. The Luo initiation was done by removing six front teeth from the lower jaw. The significance of this rite was to test courage and endurance of both men and women, and also to administer medicine in case of diseases such as lockjaw. Witch doctors or medicine men were also important in the Luo community, and they commonly used cobra bones for healing effects. The back bones of a cobra would be arranged in a chain, and sold by the witch doctor as medicine for a sick person. The pieces were sold one by one, burnt, and the ash was used to relieve pain. The area where one was experiencing pain would be cut with a blade and rubbed with this ash. Cobra bones were also tied around the waist when traveling in the bush, for protection against being attacked by a cobra. The witch doctor would go into the bush to search for cobra bones, and if he could not find any he ordered the hunters to kill one and sell it to him.

The Luo, also called Jaluo, Jaonagi, Joramogi, Nyikwaramogi, are an ethnic group in western Kenya, northern Uganda, and in Mara Region in northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of ethno-linguistically related Luo Peoples who inhabit an area ranging from Southern Sudan (South Sudan), South-Western Ethiopia, Northern and Eastern Uganda, South-Western Kenya and North-Eastern Tanzania. The Luo are the third largest ethnic group (15%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu (22%) and the Luhya (16%). Dispersion from the Nilotic homeland in South Sudan was presumably triggered by the turmoils of the Muslim conquest of Sudan. 44th U.S. President Barack Obama is a partial Luo descent, through his father, Barack Obama Sr. Throughout the 19th century, the Luo migrated into the area they now occupy in Kenya. They left lower savanna grasslands for higher and cooler regions with reliable rainfall. As a result of this migration, their traditional emphasis on cattle was supplemented by farming and an increasing importance of crops in their economy. Bantu agriculturalists, with whom the Luo increasingly interacted, exchanged many customs with them. The Luo are traditional fishermen and practice fishing as their main economic activity. Other cultural activities included wrestling for the young boys aged 13–18 in their age sets. Their main rivals in the 18th century were the Lango, the Highland Nilotes, who were traditionally engaged them in fierce bloody battles, most of which emanated from the stealing of their livestock.

The Luo (also called Joluo or Jonagi/Onagi, singular Jaluo, Jaonagi or Joramogi/Nyikwaramogi, meaning Ramogi's heirs) are an ethnic group in western Kenya, northern Uganda, and in Mara Region in northern Tanzania. They are part of a larger group of the linguistic Luo peoples who inhabit an area ranging from South Sudan, South-Western Ethiopia, Northern and Eastern Uganda, South-Western Kenya and North-Eastern Tanzania. The Luo are the fourth largest ethnic group (15%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu (22%), the Kalenjin (18%) and the Luhya (16%). The Luo and the Kikuyu inherited the most of political power in the first years following Kenya's independence in 1963. The Luo population in Kenya was estimated to be 2,185,000 in 1994 and 3.4 million in 2010 according to Govt census. They are mostly fishermen and a number are farmers but in the colonial era, they had a mixed economy where livestock and farm products were both used for economic and divine activities. They migrated from Bahr-El-Ghazal a sub-tributary of R.Nile and first settled at Pukungu Pakwach in Uganda and later dispersed to Kisumu in Kenya and Tanzania near Lake Victoria. Their 'state' leaders who lead groups of related clans are called Ruoth meaning chief and their national leaders today are Jodongo - Luo Council of Elderswho are led by a Ker meaning king. There religion these days are Christianity, African Traditional Religion and some are Muslim. Their god was called Nyasaye whom used to stay at Ramogi Hills. Their initiation used to be done on teen boys who used to get their 6 lower teeth removed,therefore they used to be regarded as men. These days they have stopped the practice and have copied the Kikuyu and circumsise the foreskin.

The Luo, who occupy three districts bordering Lake Victoria, represents the Lake Nilotes. The Luo are farmers (and fishermen of course) in circumstances that are far from easy. Throughout the nineteenth century AD , the Luo migrated into the area they now occupy in Kenya. They left lower savanna grasslands for higher and cooler regions with reliable rainfall. As a result of this migration, their traditional emphasis on cattle was supplemented by farming and an increasing importance of crops in their economy. Bantu agriculturalists, with whom the Luo increasingly interacted, exchanged many customs with them. Many Luo also live in Nairobi. Most Luo maintain strong economic, cultural, and social links to western Kenya, which they consider home. Over the past 500 years, the Luo have migrated slowly from the Sudan to their present location around the eastern shore of Lake Victoria. This area changes from low, dry landscape around the lake to more lush, hilly areas to the east. The provincial capital of Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya and is a major cultural center for the Luo. According to the last national population census , the Luo number over 3 million people, or about 13 percent of Kenya's total population. Along with the Luhya, the Luo are the second largest ethnic group in the country, behind the Gikuyu. Most Luo live in western Kenya in Western province or in the adjacent Nyanza province, two of the eight provinces in Kenya. Some Luo live to the south of Kenya in Tanzania.