Acholi chiefdoms ranged in population from under 1,000 to as many as 20,000 people and consisted of a number of fenced villages, each with recognized land rights vested in the patrilineal lineage (kaka ) at its core. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. 1679-1914." families living together in hamlets. Recognized compensation and reconciliation procedures seem to They were approached in regard to such general concerns as good health, fertility, and appeals or thanks for good harvests in ceremonies that usually emphasized the consciousness, cohesiveness, and continuation of their respective groups as functioning corporate entities. In . many of them children, the conflict led to the displacement of millions. Acholi live in Northern Uganda, in the districts Kitgum, Pader and Gulu. Instead, the Acholi were integrated in the Administrative divisions within Acholi, however, both during colonial Acholi, also spelled Acoli, also called Gang or Shuli, ethnolinguistic group of northern Uganda and South Sudan. Men have also traditionally played a significant role in agriculture, especially for such time-limited, labor-intensive tasks as clearing, planting, and harvesting (often as part of lineage-based cooperative labor teams). 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. Since independence, a relatively few Acholi army officers have managed Milton Obote (196271, 198085). Marriage has been typically patrilocal and patriarchal, with the husband and father as the undisputed head of the household. Chopi (Storch, 2005), Index of languages, language families, linguistic areas, and ethnic groups.. African languages. 2008. With colonial rule All members of the household acknowledge the authority of its head, the husband; each wife or other adult female in the household has traditionally had her own fields, granaries, and kitchen or cooking hut. L. No. the nations capital Kampala in 1988. The term is derived from "Shuuli," first used by nineteenth-century ivory and slave traders who noted the similarity of Acholi Luo to the language of the previously encountered Shilluk or "Collo" of the southern Sudan (Crazzolara 1938, vii-viii). [17] Most of the LRA returnees, numbering 12,000, underwent nyono tong gweno ('stepping on the egg') after returning to their home villages, to help restore them to home. the northern parts remained ignored for a long time. This term then (Whitmire, 2013, p. 46). Orientation In response, Musevenis government forced 1.4 to 1.9 million civilians into camps where they ostensibly were to be protected by the Ugandan army. The old staples of eleusine (finger) millet, sorghum, sesame, and various peas, beans, and leafy green vegetables continue to be grown, along with twentieth-century crops such as cassava, maize, peanuts (groundnuts), fruits, and cotton. 116-25 Section 3101, requires electronic filing by exempt organizations in tax years beginning after July 1, 2019. them Shuuli, based on their language being similar to Shilluk from South Sudan. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. in 1911 in response to the British confiscation of Acholi guns was the Ethnohistory 36(1): 19-43. Out of these, the cookies that are categorised as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. When the victorious NRA started violent acts of vengeance in the following years, Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. Apart from land, the rights to which were passed on equally to all sons, the eldest son was traditionally the designated heir of the father's property, although he was supposed to provide for the needs of his younger brothers. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile. [26], In 2016, the multi award-winning film, A Brilliant Genocide was produced. It refers to people known locally as Luo Gang. B. Webster, eds. Updates? 20- They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In the administrative structure of Uganda, Acholi is composed of the districts of: It encompasses about 28,500km2 (11,000 square miles) near the Uganda-Sudan border.[5]. The settlement of the Acholi in their current territory is compared to the ethnic groups in the Large, dry-season hunts were an important part of the precolonial economy; these gradually decreased in significance as the varied roster of both large and small game animals dwindled over the twentieth century. Diversity Management in Sudan's Democratic Transitional Arrangements: Technical Paper 1, January 2023. Identification. In East African Childhood: Three Versions, edited by L. K. Fox, 43-75. The Acholi dialect is a Western Nilotic language, classified as Luo (or Lwo). It does not store any personal data. He understood the emergence of an Acholi identity as a final step in a social process that did not The cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. [25], Some of the groups in Acholi, like the UPDA, detested the Museveni regime because it had overthrown the government in which they served. Other uncategorised cookies are those that are being analysed and have not been classified into a category as yet. All lineage males, for example, are called "grandfather," "father," "brother," or "son," and all (likely resident) females "sister" or "daughter," depending upon their generational relationship to the speaker. He and others have suggested it could help the nation more than adopting the Western system of the International Criminal Court at The Hague (although some charges had already been filed against LRA leaders in 2005 there. Conflict. Jur Alur Sign up to Minority rights Group International's newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and publications. Acholi by international trade, and descendants of some of these men used Relatively small numbers of Acholi have filled middle-level or senior civil-service positions in independent Uganda. "[9], Milton Obote, the first leader after independence, relied on Acholi Luo people and Langi Nilo Hamites or Ateker peoples in government. colonial times, were the Acholi stood often in opposition to the British colonial rule, the starting Administrative divisions within Acholi, however, both during colonial rule and since independence, have often reflected preexisting sociopolitical units: lineages at the parish level; chiefdoms at the subcounty level; and larger zones of the most intensive (and peaceful) interpolity interactions at the county level. When conflict did occur, however, it was usually limited in scope, with relatively few deaths. Acholi conceive of death as an inevitable, personal defeat and tragedy, against which there is no ultimate defense. NRA in 1986. [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. occur, however, it was usually limited in scope, with relatively few The building of houses and granaries has historically involved both men and women, with each performing specified functions. The word 'Acholi' is a misnomer that became adopted for convenience over the years. Political Organization Defined A political organization subject to Code section 527 is a party, committee, association, fund or other organization (whether or not incorporated) organized and operated primarily for the purpose of directly or indirectly accepting contributions or making expenditures, or both, for an exempt function. These include Christian marriage (with or without bride-wealth), elopement, and single parenthood. The Acholi sub-region is a part of the administrative region of Northern-Uganda. The system values peace over justice, and has retributive and restorative aspects. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International. organisation to survive, a common identity had to form to support this new social structure of The civil war devastated the lives and livelihoods of the Acholi people of the north. The name "Acholi" is used for peoples living in the former Acholi District of northern Uganda (now divided into the Gulu and Kitgum districts) and the adjoining area of the southern Sudan. By clicking 'Accept', you consent to the use of all the cookies. During Obote's first term as president, and especially during his second term, Acholi soldiers played key roles in the massive conflict in other parts of Uganda, where hundreds of thousands of peoplemany of them innocent civilianslost their lives; from the mid-1980s into the 1990s, Acholi was the scene of similar levels of conflict. Under Amins brutal regime, an estimated 300,000 died many of them Acholi. administration within the region and the district headquarters were erected in the area of the Similarly, General Okello Lutwa who toppled the Obote II regime, was an Acholi. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Atkinson, Ronald R. (1989). His stated political aims are to rule Uganda according to the Biblical Ten Commandments. These rebellions sprung up in defiance and from disapproval of the conduct and legitimacy of the new NRA government. prefix a- denoting the 1st Person Singular (Whitmire, 2013, p. 51). Even though this contact was described as a grossly negative experience for the Acholi, this Nairobi: East African Literature Bureau. Then in Kenya and Tanzania are the Joluo also known as the Luo. Each type of spirit had numerous ceremonies associated with it; many ceremonies included small offerings of food and drink. Central to the new order were a set of notions about political leadership in which chiefs (rwodi; sing, rwot ) shared power and decision making with the heads of chiefdoms' constituent lineages; a system of redistributive tribute within each polity, with the chief at the center; and royal, often rainmaking, drums as symbols of sovereignty and authority. outsiders: The Arabs had established a killing government on Acholi, some of the chiefs who He was defeated in January 1986. At the peak of the conflict, 90% of the Acholi population moved into IDP camps designed as protected villages. (1972). million first language speakers at the time. The Acholi were considered a martial people by the British, and many joined the military. somewhat better off than others before the latter part of the nineteenth Acholiland or "Acoli-land" (also known as the Acholi sub-region) is a necessarily inexact ethnolinguistic taxonomy that refers to the region traditionally inhabited by the Acholi. reported that the Acholi chiefs generally accepted the position of Baker, as he had helped them the furthest back is the historical reconstruction by Atkinson (2011 [1994]), who described the M.A. Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Identification. All procedures are conducted with care, to attempt to ensure that the spirit of the departed does not become angry. more. (p. 34). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. During this time, people were separated from their land for long periods, and many people disappeared or were killed. 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. It refers to people known locally as Luo Gang. A rebellion in 1911 in response to the British confiscation of Acholi guns was the last large-scale conflict in Acholi until Amin came to power in 1971. The documentary was met with mixed reactions, with many people familiar with the situation dubbing it a shallow and money-grabbing scheme. 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. There were the spirits of known relatives, especially lineage ancestors; a second type was the nonancestral jok of the chiefdom as a whole. 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. As droughts and Common synonyms for this type of organization are "interest groups," "pressure groups," and . - CORE political organisation of the acholipadma shri award 2012 list. Changing Uganda: The Dilemmas of Structural Adjustment and Revolutionary Change. A.D. Of their history during this time only little is known. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customised ads. Among other provisions, this legislation specifically amended IRC Section 527 (j) to require the e-filing of Form 8872, Political . The Acholi region is bordered in the west by the districts Childlessness is one of the most serious misfortunes imaginable; women are typically blamed, and the marriage often ends or the husband takes a second wife. Identification and Location. Tito and Bazilio, who were Acholi by tribe, fled the country into exile. )[9], "Since independence in 1962, Uganda has been plagued by ethnically driven, politically manipulated violence referred to by some as a history of 'cycles of revenge and mistrust'. The main point of contact 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Despite their common language and ethnic designation, the Acholi of Uganda and the southern Sudan have distinct origins and developed along different historical trajectories; the remainder of this cultural summary will focus on the more populous Uganda Acholi. 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. 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. second term, Acholi soldiers played key roles in the massive conflict in