- Acholi
ethnic group
group=AcholiAcholi children in an IDP camp inKitgum
poptime= Approximately 2 000 000
popplace=flagcountry|Uganda
flagcountry|Sudan
rels=Christianity Islam
langs=Acholi
related=LuoAcholi (also Acoli) is an
ethnic group from the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader in northernUganda (an area commonly referred to asAcholiland ), andMagwe County in southernSudan . The 1991 Uganda census counted 746,796 Acholi; a further 45,000 Acholi live outside of Uganda. [ [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ach Acholi: A language of Uganda] ,Ethnologue ]Language
The
Acholi language is a Western Nilotic language, classified as Luo, and ismutually intelligible withLango and other Luo languages.The "
Song of Lawino ", one of the most successful African literary works, was written byOkot p'Bitek in Acholi, and later translated to English.History
The Acholi are a Luo people, who are said to have come to northern Uganda from the area now known as
Bahr el Ghazal in southernSudan . Starting in the lateseventeenth century , a new sociopolitical order developed among the Luo of northern Uganda, mainly characterized by the formation of chiefdoms headed by "Rwodi" (sg. Rwot, 'ruler'). By the mid-nineteenth century , about 60 small chiefdoms existed in eastern Acholiland. [Webster 1970.] During the second half of the nineteenth century Arabic-speaking traders from the north started to call them "Shooli", a term which transformed into 'Acholi'. [According to Atkinson (1994).]Their traditional dwelling-places were circular huts with a high peak, furnished with a mud sleeping-platform, jars of grain and a sunk fireplace, with the walls daubed with mud and decorated with geometrical or conventional designs in red, white or grey. They were skilled hunters, using nets and spears, and kept
goat s,sheep andcattle . In war they used spears and long, narrow shields of giraffe or ox hide.During Uganda's colonial period, the British encouraged political and economic development in the south of the country, in particular among the
Baganda . In contrast, the Acholi and other northern ethnic groups supplied much of the national manual labor and came to comprise a majority of the military, creating what some have called a "militaryethnocracy ." This reached its height with thecoup d'état of Acholi GeneralTito Okello , and came to a crashing end with the defeat of Okello and the Acholi-dominated army by theNational Resistance Army led by now-PresidentYoweri Museveni .The Acholi are known to the outside world mainly because of the insurgency of the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led byJoseph Kony , an Acholi from Gulu. LRA's activities have been concentrated withinAcholiland , and populous Acholi remaininternally displaced person s.Religion
Most Acholi are
Protestant , Catholic and, in lesser numbers,Muslim . Nevertheless, the traditional belief in guardian and ancestor spirits remains strong, though it is often described inChristian orIslam ic terms.Notable Acholi people
*
Alice Auma , spirit medium and rebel leader
*Betty Bigombe , former MP and conflict mediator
*Joseph Kony , leader of the rebelLord's Resistance Army
*Matthew Lukwiya , physician at the forefront of the 2000Ebola outbreak
*Janani Luwum , former Archbishop of the Church of Uganda
*Norbert Mao , Gulu DistrictLocal Council V Chairman
*Tito Okello ,President of Uganda for six months in 1985
*Bazilio Olara-Okello , "de facto" Head of State for six months in 1985 and later Chief of Defence Forces
*Geoffrey Oryema , exiled singer
*Olara Otunnu , former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
*Okot p'Bitek , poet and author of the "Song of Lawino "
*Akena p'Ojok , Former UNLF Vice President, Former UPC Member of Parliament and Minister of Power In Obote II RegimeReferences
*Atkinson, Ronald Raymond (1994) "The roots of ethnicity: the origins of the Acholi of Uganda before 1800". Kampala: Fountain Publishers. ISBN 9970-02-156-7.
* Dwyer, John Orr (1972) 'The Acholi of Uganda: adjustment to imperialism'. (unpublished thesis) Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International .
* Girling, F.K. (1960) "The Acholi of Uganda" (Colonial Office / Colonial research studies vol. 30). London: Her majesty's stationery office.
* Webster, J. (1970) 'State formation and fragmentation in Agago, Eastern Acholi', "Provisional council for the social sciences in East Africa; 1st annual conference", vol 3., p. 168-197.Notes
External links
* [http://www.acholinet.com/ Acholinet.com] Acholi People website with News, Forums, market Place, Downloads etc
* [http://www.rupiny.co.ug Rupiny] , a newspaper in Acholi andLango (Luo)
* [http://www.language-museum.com/a/acholi.php Acholi sample at Language-Museum.com]
* [http://www.ugandacan.org/ Uganda Conflict Action Network] working for peace in northern Uganda
* [http://www.invisiblechildren.com/ Invisible Acholi Children Global Night Commute]
* [http://acholibeads.com/ Acholi Beads] Acholi Women sell bead jewelry internationally to make money
* [http://www.luomusicdistributors.com/videos Luo - Tube] An online video community site showcasing the Luo traditional and cultural dance particularly the dances from northern uganda (ACHOLI PEOPLE). I.E Bwalo dance, dingi dingi, larakaraka dance.
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Acholi — bezeichnet: ein Volk in Afrika, siehe Acholi (Volk), eine Sprache in Afrika, siehe Acholi (Sprache), das Gebiet des Acholi Volkes, siehe Acholiland. Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Untersch … Deutsch Wikipedia
Acholi — [ tʃ ], Atjoli [ tʃ ], Atscholi, Volk mit nilotischer Sprache in Norduganda, zwischen Bergnil, Victorianil und Asua, etwa 600 000 Menschen. Die Acholi leben in patrilinearen Dorfgemeinschaften, zum Teil als Hirtennomaden oder vom Wanderhackbau … Universal-Lexikon
Acholi — ▪ people also spelled Acoli , also called Gang or Shuli ethnolinguistic group of northern Uganda and southernmost Sudan (Sudan, The). Numbering more than one million at the turn of the 21st century, they speak a Western Nilotic… … Universalium
Acholi — Territorio de los Acholi. Los acholi son un grupo étnico de Uganda, donde representan el 4% de la población. Son en su mayoría católicos. Los acholi sufrieron un genocidio durante el régimen de Idi Amín Dadá porque eran partidarios de Milton… … Wikipedia Español
Acholi — Los acholi son un grupo étnico de Uganda, donde representan el 4% de la población. Son en su mayoría católicos. Los acholi sufrieron un genocidio durante el régimen de Idi Amín Dadá porque eran partidarios de Milton Obote. Cuando Obote triunfó,… … Enciclopedia Universal
Acholi — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Acholi (ou Acoli) peut désigner : les Acholis, un peuple d Ouganda et du Soudan du Sud l acholi, leur langue Catégorie : Homonymie … Wikipédia en Français
Acholi — [ə tʃəʊli] noun (plural same) 1》 a member of a farming and pastoral people of northern Uganda and southern Sudan. 2》 the Nilotic language of the Acholi. Origin the name in Acholi … English new terms dictionary
acholi — əˈchōlē noun (plural acholi or acholis) Usage: usually capitalized 1. a. : a nomadic pastoral people of northern Uganda b. : a member of such people 2. : a Nilotic language of th … Useful english dictionary
Acholi (Volk) — Acholi. Die Acholi sind ein Volk mit etwas mehr als einer Million Angehörigen, das östlich des Weißen Nils im Norden Ugandas in den Distrikten Gulu, Kitgum und Pader sowie im südlichen Sudan lebt. Die Region wird daher auch Acholiland genannt.… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Acholi (Ethnie) — Acholi. Acholi ist eine Ethnie mit etwas mehr als einer Million Angehörigen, die östlich des Weißen Nils im Norden Ugandas in den Distrikten Gulu, Kitgum und Pader sowie im südlichen Sudan lebt. Die Region wird daher auch Acholiland genannt. Die… … Deutsch Wikipedia