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Thursday, March 13, 2025

Luo (the tribe) history is mostly oral due to lack of writing skills in the distant past. It seems writing started in the late 19th century with historian like JP Clarozzara Pascal in Uganda. Even the best Luo history writers like the Odongo Ku Odongo got most of his raw data from his grand mother Lajum through story telling. Lajum died in 1948 from Puranga chiefdom present Pader district, Sub Acholi Region.Upto that point our history was just oral. Oral history has inherent weaknesses because alot depends on the story telling prowess of the narrator.The narrative is further constrained by the biases of the narrator like religious beliefs, racial or ethnic biased, lack of education, lack of technology and even what the listener is expecting or relishes.Luo oral history lacks the exact location of the events because our ancestors probably didn't have a good ideas of overall Geography of the areas they lived in or traversed.They also didn't have a Calender that we know off. In the end, what we get are narratives of events that the narrator believes are important.A lot of information got lost in the process like where we're before Bar el Ghazal to Lake Turukana. How many were they. How many non luos joined them and why? etcIn the case of the Kenyan luos, the sojourn of Ramogi Ajwang among the Basoga of Uganda and among the Luhuya Bantus in Samia at Ligala is conveniently ignored.Another critical information ignored is the fact that Ramogi must have traveled with a huge army or group of soldiers numbering at least 100 together with their families, they could have been over 300 persons. The identities of these people are completely ignored, whether they were luos or non luos or prisoner/slaves, nobody knows.The truth is, the stories that get through are of heroes like Lwanda Mager, Rwot Owiny Wuod Pule Koma Rach.Ramogi/Lamogi was actually a name of the community that settled in Acholiland led by Chief Olum and Mogi/Moge.Olum was Luo Chief but Mogi was a non Luo host (Muru chief) who migrated from Eastern Nigeria and settled at North Eastern Uganda.He warmly welcomed luos to live in Northern Uganda and people called themselves Lamogi or people of Mogi.This community in 1200 AD broke into three led by four sons of Olum who ruled after the death of Mogi.Ocholla remained in North Eastern Uganda to find a community called Tekidi or Lukwor or Kowiny. Luo the youngest broke away and led his group South to Lake Victoria. This was called Jo Ka Jok. On the way at Tororo one of his sons, Adhola remained to found the Jopadhola community Luru and Choope went with their party to Lake Albert where they broke further into Choope and Luru group. Luru group crossed the Nile to the west and found Alur community. Choope group went south to the present Murchison falls and are the Paluo or Bachoope. They became the ruling clan of Bunyoro Kitara Empire that spread its tentacles to Rwanda, Urudi (Burundi) and TZLuo led his people to Ligala on Uganda side but did not make it to Kenya. His sons did it a century laterThe following were the Great rulers of Tekidi settlement of North Eastern Uganda circa 1200AD-1600AD;1)- Chief Mogi2)- Chief Olum3)- Ocholla 4)- Abam 5)- Kwor6)- Opii7)- Agoda 8)- Olum Layer9)- Odong Oburi10)- Koko Shaky 11)- Chwa Mera12)- Obuor13)- Chwa Omal 14)- Owiny Wuod Pule Koma Rach 15)- Labongo Lakidi Mpuuga Kitara the ruler of Bunyoro Kitara Empire.We do appreciate the likes of Prof Bethwel Ogot and Odongo Ku Odongo. Most mess and mistakes came from John Speke the European explorer that needs to be corrected . In our effort to get our true history, we must interrogate all these stories and pick the most realistic, especially the ones that can be proved by archeology or those mentioned by the ancient historians like Herodotus.Alot of research is required especially by Luos themselves, to go to all the places of our origin.

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