The
Lugbara are an ethnic group who live mainly in the
West NileWest Nile sub-region is a region in north-western Uganda that consists of the districts of Koboko, Moyo, Yumbe, Arua, Nebbi and the now defunct Madi district...
region of
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
and in the adjoining area of the
Democratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
(DRC). They speak the
Lugbara languageLugbara language is the language of the Lugbara ethnic group. It is spoken in the West Nile region in northwestern Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Orientale Province. Lugbara was first written by Christian missionaries in 1918, based on the Ayivu dialect...
, a
Central Sudanic languageCentral Sudanic is a family of about thirty languages which have also been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family. Central Sudanic languages are spoken in the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Congo , and Cameroon...
similar to the language spoken by the
MadiThe Mà'dí people are found in the Magwi County in Sudan, and the districts of Adjumani and Moyo in Uganda. From south to north, the area runs from the from Nimule to Nyolo River where the Ma’di mingle with Acholi, Bari and Lolubo...
, with whom they also share many cultural similarities.
The cultural symbol of the Lugbara is a leopard.
Traditionally, the Lugbara are farmers (cultivators) who rear some livestock and poultry mainly
GuineafowlThe guineafowl are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae...
locally known as 'ope'.
The
Lugbara are an ethnic group who live mainly in the
West NileWest Nile sub-region is a region in north-western Uganda that consists of the districts of Koboko, Moyo, Yumbe, Arua, Nebbi and the now defunct Madi district...
region of
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
and in the adjoining area of the
Democratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
(DRC). They speak the
Lugbara languageLugbara language is the language of the Lugbara ethnic group. It is spoken in the West Nile region in northwestern Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Orientale Province. Lugbara was first written by Christian missionaries in 1918, based on the Ayivu dialect...
, a
Central Sudanic languageCentral Sudanic is a family of about thirty languages which have also been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family. Central Sudanic languages are spoken in the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Congo , and Cameroon...
similar to the language spoken by the
MadiThe Mà'dí people are found in the Magwi County in Sudan, and the districts of Adjumani and Moyo in Uganda. From south to north, the area runs from the from Nimule to Nyolo River where the Ma’di mingle with Acholi, Bari and Lolubo...
, with whom they also share many cultural similarities.
The cultural symbol of the Lugbara is a leopard.
Traditionally, the Lugbara are farmers (cultivators) who rear some livestock and poultry mainly
GuineafowlThe guineafowl are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae...
locally known as 'ope'. They are the predominant keepers of guinea fowl in Uganda. Lugbara occupy the West Nile region of Uganda and Arua, Nyadri, Yumbe and Koboko districts of Uganda to be specific. The Lugbara are divided into many dialects which are easily understandable to each other. These include; Ayivu, Maracha, Terego, Vurra and Aringa. Tribes related to the Lugbara in dialect include Madi and Kakwa.
In the early days, the Lugbara were a mainly chiefdom based community. They did not have kingdoms and kings presiding over them as like other ethnic groups in Uganda. They mainly had chiefs who were their leaders. They formed friendly alliances with neighbouring chiefdoms so as to ensure their security against attacks from other ethnic groups. The earlier Lugbara did not have soldiers or an army in their chiefdoms. Every able bodied man had the duty to protect his village hence all able bodied men were automatically considered a soldier though this was not a permanent duty. The Lugbara were originally animists as
their mythologyThe Lugbara live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. In Lugbara mythology, Adroa appeared in both good and evil aspects; he was the creator god and appeared on Earth as a human who was near death. He was depicted as a very tall and white man with only one half of a body, missing...
attests. However Christianity is the predominant religion amongst them today with Islam another major religion.
They are settled subsistence farmers. Cassava is the traditional staple. They also grow
milletThe millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
,
sorghumSorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, legumes, pigeon peas and a variety of root crops.
ChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
, goats, and at higher elevations,
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
are also important.
MaizeMaize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
is grown for
brewingBrewing is the production of alcoholic beverages and alcohol fuel through fermentation. The term is used for the production of beer, although the word "brewing" is also used to describe the fermentation process used to create wine and mead. It can also refer to the process of producing sake and soy...
beerBeer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...
, and
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
is an important
cash cropIn agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
. In early days of 1874 the North Eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a faction of the Lugbara were called "The Naked People", due to their attitude towards clothing. Most women do not wear shirts and many of them do not wear even dresses, but they are covered with grass skirts. Taller than many Congolese, the Lugbara men are great hunters as well, using powerful bows with long arrows that have fishing hooks type tips.
This ethnic group straddles the common border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the majority of their population in the Congo side of the border.
Famous and well known Lugbara include Dorcus Inzikuru, the 3000 steeple chase world champion in Helsinki 2005, Jackson Asiku the previous commonwealth boxing light weight champion.
Idi Amin DadaIdi Amin Dada , commonly known as Idi Amin, was the military dictator and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979....
's mother Aisha Aate belonged to the Okapi/Lenya Clan of the Lugbara tribe .
Further reading
- Middleton, J. (1965). The Lugbara of Uganda. Case studies in cultural anthropology. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 2nd edition published 1992, Fort Worth : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, ISBN 9780155006225.
External links