From: Leo Odera Omolo
THE LUO FAMILY TREE LINEAGE FROM NUBA HIILS TO WAU STATE SOUTHERN SUDAN, UGANDA TO KENYA AND TANZANIA.
I have been reading a lot of concocted stories about the Luo family tree lineage by one Ajos Wuod Atiga Nyar-Ocholla., and although I am not disagreement with him, I should like to put forward the following corrections.
We start from Wau Province now one of the states in Southern Sudan.
There was a serious outbreak of anthrax {Opere} which whipped out the entire livestock that were owned by the Lwos {Luo}. Following this incident, which experts says took place around 1300 the community resorted to fishing along the River Nile for survival. And this is how it earned the derogatory names Jo-Oluo-Aora ( Meaning Luos}.
Previous the Lwo group had briefly occupied Nuba Hills, which are located North of Khartoum, the present of the Nubians {Wanubi},small community of Negroes believed to be the closest cousins of the Lwo Speaking groups. This the first stop after Egypt, a country which the group had conquered and ruled for some times.
The Chieftain at the material time was Sinakuru.He is the father of Podho{1} who in turn fathered Ringruok,who is the father of Owat,and Owat is the father of Twaifo, the of Jok {1}.Jok [1} fathered a son called Nayo,and it was Nayo fathered Jok {11} who is the father of Ramogi [1}.
Rampgi {1} had two sons Aruwa and Podho{2}.
Aruwa and Podho were involved in a serious dispute after Podho speared an elephant to scare away a herds of elephants which were destroying the family farm of sorghum. Aruwa is reported to have insisted in getting back his very spear, though he knew that the animal had escaped with the spear sticking on its body to the thick forest and the spear was irretrievable and the issue was near impossible.
The two brothers disagreed and got separated each choosing and following his own path. Podho chose to move eastwards, while Aruwa move westward.
Today the descendants of Aruwa are the varius community and tribes scattered all over Africa, most of them have settled In Centra and West Africa. They include the communities like the Acholis, Gang. Chopi, Aluru, Langi {Lang’o}Kwa. Lughbuara, Madi, Kuku, Mondo, Lukoya,Lubira, Yom. Others are Siluk and Dinka and Nuer.
The descendants of Aruwa are scattered all over Africa, though the majority lives in Southern Sudan, Uganda and Central African Republic. But few of these people could be traced in Chad, Cameroun, Ghana and Nigeria.
After the two disagreed and separated, Podho who moved eastwards got several sons who included Ramogi[2} Lang’ni, Omia, Okombo, Didandand Muwiru.
Ramogi {2} had two sons, Nyaluo and Ramogi{3} who is commonly known as Ramogi Ajuwanbg”. He earned the extra name Ajuwang’ because his father Ramogi {2} died while he was still in his mother’s womb.
Nyaluo fathered Omolo {1}who is the father of Ochielo and Ochiel {Ochiel} had two sons Ragem{Gem} and Migenya {Ugenya}. And Migenya became the father of Anam Lwanda, Omolo [2}, Gor, Deje, Waljack {Kager}, Nyamwot, Rachiewo and Nyiner.
The Southern Luo got scattered while they were travelling eastwards. Some of their people lost their way while travelling through Uganda and got lost and melted into some other tribes in that country..The Ugenya and Jok group settled in a place called Band in Busoga, while Owiny, Muwiru and Omolo group came through Tororo and Mt Elgon.
It was Ramogi [3} or Ramogi Ajuwang” who arrived in Kenya and temporarily settled and built a home in a place called Ligala in Bunyala.The place is still called by that name t-date. He then crossed Rwambwa and Yala Swamp to Got Ramogi in what is the presently called Yimbo-Kadimo.
When Ramogi Ajuwang’ reached Got Ramogi he had his eldest son Jok [3} And Jok got a son there who was called Imbo.
Imbo had nine sons, namely Mumbo, Dimu {Dimo}, Nyinek, Iro, Magak, Nyiywen, Nyikal. Rado and Julu.
Mumbo is the father of Muljwok, and Uyawa and Muljwo is the father of Alego, Chwanya, and Omia.
IT WAS Alego who the first to moved eastwards from Got Ramogi’s ancestral home. He crossed River Yala and settled in a place called Nyandiwa .Here Alego faced the stiffest resistance from some concocted smaller Bantu tribes which had sworn not to allow the Joka=Owiny and Joka-Ramogi to set foot in this territor, but Alego had somehow superior force which overcome the Kombe Kombe group as they were called then. These are the people who run across River Yala and settled in Yimbo and form parts of the 54 sub-tribes living in Yimbo today.But they were later overturned and conquered by the Domo, Owil, Nyiywen and Wareje group which were part of Joka-Owiny.
It is arguably that nearly all the Luo sub-clans living in Nyanza might have settled in Alegoi before moving to their present land.
I am kindly requesting your historian Ajos Wuod Atiga Nyar-Ocholla to do some home work and studies. He could either endorse my version or dispute these historical facts and open up public debate.
I could go further, but let me pen off here and allow him time to respond. Although agreed with him on many other facts, but most of his facts stands to be corrected and I should like to encourage him to go ahead and do much serious research before posting some stories to the website or compare notes with other writers.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
We have to be very careful in the way we conceive some post /comments about any ancient history and especially the luo story. Some of them carry excitements from works of researchers/scholars whose studies are superficial and not well grounded. A credible study need to be confirmed by traditions and culture of the people, archaeological findings, DNA tests, names of places, etc. These can help us trace the past properly. Some names can be coincidences for example the word luo appears both Chinese and luo languages but they do not mean the same. the word jap shortened for japadhola made a Japanese scholar think that ther is a close link between Japanese and Jopadhola. Those referring to Alenyo’s works on luos have brought in excitements but some of the key aspect of his book have no strong grounds for example the people who were living in pre-historic times wren not called luos. The word luo emerged in the late 12th century A.D. in memory of a Luo king called Uluo Atyak when his descendants were being referred to as luos. Uluo Atyak was a Nuer king. The pharaohs related to the present day luo were Nuer/
The name of Adhola before he developed the wounds is Unongor or Onongor a word related to the white peas luos call Ngor. You will get more about the story of Adhola in my forthcoming book entitled ” The Jupadhola, the Luo of Tororo”. Wish you well.
Wuod Rwoth,
Thanks for rapide response,
However, let us continue with the research on that issue, as for orthograpy I refer you to a recent work of the Tieng Adhola team led by Prof Anthony Okech “CIK Mandiko Dhopadhola”, authority from Dhopadhola Language board, who produced a book about this.
The right orthography about title of your book should start and read,The Jopadhola, Dhopapadhola, and not, Jupadhola Dhupadhola, Dho comes from Dhok, as opposed to Leb or lew tounge from our other luos, however, Alur, Adhola and Jop’Owiny maintain DHOK (JO come comes from “of” as opposed to JU which is an adulteration), and not LEB or LEW which means the same thing moreless, language! Dhu is also an adulteration of Dho, DHOK, therefore The Jopadhola, and not Jupadhola.
I wish you good and properous research on and about the luos and the Jopadhola in general. Joaoo
The word Nazareth is not related to kingship! Etymologically the word Nazareth originated from Hebrew word meaning a branch. it is true that Jesus’ home place is Nazareth but there is no clear close relation between Jesus and Luos especially on racial lines The word reth can be traced to the word rwt in Ge’z language which has some bits of ancient language meaning chief or king . The Luos variously write this as rwoth, rwot or ruoth which is close tp the original word taking into consideration that Hebrew had th in some of their words. The Shiluk use use the word Reth to mean king or chief. Nazareth is written as Nasirah and Nazarat Arabs and Turks. As I said earlier sometimes same words can mean different thing so care should be taken when we connect words . We may mislead others.
Lets Get the Basics Straight…
Dholuo as you know it is a languge a group of people who were migrating southwards down the nile picked up while they lived amongst the southern sudanese peoples…. It is not their original or naitve Languge.
Therfore following any trail stemming from that language will not lead you beyond the South of Sudan.
There is No tribe or people By the Name Shilluk or Dinka. These words are mispronouciations of the names Chollo and Jieng. Speakers of Northern Sudanese Dialects (or Arabic for that matter)
Let’s Get a few Basics Right…
Luo Did Not Fall from the Sky…
In order to be who they are and where they are the must exist a path that leads back to their Parent.
Accounts of a Southern Sudanese or African Origin of these People falls well short of this mark.
Why Because when you are told that they are of the Shilluk Nuer or Dinka Run into a stone wall.
There is No tribe or people By the Name Shilluk, Dinka or Nuer.
http://countrystudies.us/sudan/37.htm
These are Arabic mispronunciations of the names Chollo and Jieng and Naath.
Speakers of Northern Sudanese Dialects (or Arabic for that matter) pronounce these names as Schollok, Jienka and Nuer respectively to this day.
“Shilluk’’ is an abusive word Meaning Black. Diedroh Westermann 1913.
Dholuo Language
Dholuo is ANY Language Spoken by a Luo that he adopts as His own.
The actual language has varied significantly over Time and Migratory route.
The Current version spoken in Kenya was Pickup from the Chollo in Southern Sudan as they passed through there.
It is not the Luo’s native Language, Explanation and supporting evidence provided in my previous posts.
Therefore following any linguistic trail stemming from what is spoken at this time as Dholuo will not lead beyond the South of Sudan, where it is known that the Luo arrived amongst them from some-place else and were not spawned by any of the communities in that region.
Luo are distinguished not just for their wit but also intelligence and it is these qualities alongside an open mind that will enable one to synthesise the Mountain of growing evidence attesting to Complex interactions between People and Environment that ultimately delivered the Luo to their current abode in East Africa.
In My last posting I asked that u find out which tribe Ali Hassan Omar El-Bashir President of the Republic of the Sudan belongs to.
We all know him and I think he gives face to the conundrum encountered while directing ones investigation of relation and congruence to those who only look and speak like we imagine they should.
http://www.sudantribune.com/IMG/pdf/Kenya_arrest_warrant_01232011.pdf
He is from the Ja-aali tribe.
Who are the Ja-aali where do they live ?
http://countrystudies.us/sudan/38.htm
The two largest of the supratribal categories in the early 1990s were the Juhayna and the Jaali (or Jaalayin). The Juhayna category consisted of tribes considered nomadic, although many had become fully settled.
The Jaali encompassed the riverine, sedentary peoples from Dunqulah to just north of Khartoum and members of this group who had moved elsewhere. (UNDERSCORE)
Some of its groups had become sedentary only in the twentieth century.
Sudanese saw the Jaali as primarily indigenous peoples who were gradually arabized.
Sudanese thought the Juhayna were less mixed, although some Juhayna groups had become more diverse by absorbing indigenous peoples.
The Baqqara, for example, who moved south and west and encountered the Negroid peoples of those areas were scarcely to be distinguished from them.
Thus Jaali and Juhayna were not Originaly Negroid and only became so as a result of contact with negriod peoples.
So El-Bashir May be a Luo and if he was he it would be most exciting because Neither he nor his people are Negriod nor do they claim descendancy from the South of Sudan.
Where did he and his people come from ?
Ja-aali why is this Name significant to a Ja-luo?
Let us first investigate how many words we are looking at in the Name Ja-aali
There is the Possessive Determiner – Ja , & the Person … aali.
The Geographic location of the Ja-aali people falls directly on the path that the Ja- luo passed on his way down to Kenya.
JA once again being the possessive determiner in JA –luo inferring that -aali may be a regional pronunciation of the Person described by the pronoun.
This word may be Luo or a word sounding much like it.
This can be investigated & proven by Tri-lateration.
1. Sudanese Ja-aali record that some of their peoples migrated elsewhere (Call these the Luo & People X)
2. Luo’s recall Being in Egypt and that some of their peoples headed West (People X).
3. People X, we are yet to discover their Location an Identity.
Meaning that to the West of the Jaali in The Sudan and the Luo In East Africa there should be a group of people (People X) bearing the name Ja- Luo (or similar) who have a common history of having originated in Egypt.
If indeed People X exist in West Africa this would be a major breakthrough and would confirm that the Ja-aali, Ja-Luo and People X were one and the same.
First who should we look For as People X?
Ans. Identify Communities bearing non African Bloodlines in Egypt and in West Africa.
Illustration
Y-Haplogroup R1b Prevalence Map (Born of the same European Man)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Haplogroup_R1b_%28Y-DNA%29.PNG
Around Lake Chad we observe Prevalence of up to 40% of this European Haplogroup in People X.
From the locals (People X) we learn of their origin in Egypt.
http://bandirabe-fulbe.blogspot.com/2011/01/origin-of-fulani-people.html
Amongst these People who say they came from Egypt, we find this NAME at an Extremely high frequency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diallo
Diallo (pronounced jallo) is the French transcription of a surname of Fula origin (English transcriptions are Jalloh and Jallow.
Therefore People X are the Fulani and the Hausa.
Genetic Corroboration of this Trilateral Relation and a Bi-directional Migration from Egypt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausa_people
According to a Y-DNA study by Hassan et al. (2008), about 40% of Hausa in Sudan carry the West Eurasian haplogroup R1b. The remainder and majority belong to various Sub-Saharan paternal lineages: 15.6% B, 12.5% A and 12.5% E1b1a. A small minority of around 3% are E1b1b clade bearers, a haplogroup which is most common in North Africa and the Horn of Africa.[7]
In terms of overall ancestry, an autosomal DNA study by Tishkoff et al. (2009) found the Hausa to be most closely related to Nilotic populations from Nigeria, Cameroon, central Chad and South Sudan.
This suggests that the Hausa and other modern Chadic speaking populations originally spoke Nilo-Saharan languages, before later adopting languages from the Afro-Asiatic family.[8]
“From K = 5-13, all Nilo-Saharan speaking populations from Kenya, Tanzania, southern Sudan, and Chad cluster with west-central Afroasiatic Chadic speaking populations
***** MOST IMPORTANT *****
These results are consistent with linguistic and archeological data, suggesting a possible common ancestry of Nilo-Saharan speaking populations from an eastern Sudanese homeland within the past ~10,500 years, with subsequent bi-directional migration westward to Lake Chad and southward into modern day southern Sudan, and more recent migration eastward into Kenya and Tanzania ~3,000 ya (giving rise to Southern Nilotic speakers) and westward into Chad ~2,500 ya (giving rise to Central Sudanic speakers.
****** MOST IMPORTANT *****
A proposed migration of proto-Chadic Afroasiatic speakers ~7,000 ya from the central Sahara into the Lake Chad Basin may have caused many western Nilo-Saharans to shift to Chadic languages.
Our data suggest that this shift was not accompanied by large amounts of Afroasiatic16 gene flow. Analyses of mtDNA provide evidence for divergence ~8,000 ya of a distinct mtDNA lineage present at high frequency in the Chadic populations and suggest an East African origin for most mtDNA lineages in these populations
This is again confirmed by the story of the Journey of Mankind as captured and presented by Dr Steven Opennheimer of the Bradshaw foundation.
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/
The presentation of their findings on Y and Mt DNA taken from populations all over the globe. It discusses how Global Weather (ice Ages) and natural disasters and other factors interacted with the migrating human populous as evidenced by blood and fossil evidence gathered.
Very interesting and interactive please take a look at it. It also may provide a clue as to why a group in China may be called Luo as well.
By our present understanding of the Peopling of the Nile Basin, Fulani and Hausa confirm that (irrespective of the bloodlines Luo are found to be carrying today) their Presence in East Africa is as a direct result of a backward migration (Into Africa) of Indo-European and Middle Eastern people.
This in Population genetics is called the founder Effect. You can read more about it here…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founder_effect
In population genetics, the founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. It was first fully outlined by Ernst Mayr in 1942,[1] using existing theoretical work by those such as Sewall Wright.[2] As a result of the loss of genetic variation, the new population may be distinctively different, both genotypically and phenotypically, from the parent population from which it is derived. In extreme cases, the founder effect is thought to lead to the speciation and subsequent evolution of new species.
All in all a small Group of Luo came Down from Babylon they found their way into Egypt lived there for some years then in a two pronged migration moved south westwards through the Sahara towards lake Chad .
The second smaller group moved southwards along the Nile into southern Sudan and East Africa.
In both cases they lost their language(s)and changed colour as they established themselves within a larger Negriod populous and overtime gave rise the folks u see today living on the shores of Lake Victoria.
If Continuity has been maintained, these Babylonian Bloodlines may still exist amongst the East African Luo and could be captured in DNA testing.
If not then indeed the founders of our population will have done their part in narrating to us the story of their journey and we should do all we can to ensure that this story is passed on as we received it
Do Not Lose Your Story…..
So many Luos are loosing there heritage tree….Can some work be done for the benefit of generations to come. I can only get my tree upto Ogelo…the rest no..can you assist..
We are given names. The name Chollo , Sholok or Collo as well as Acholi were given by Arabs and mean thte same thing. because it is abusive am not going to explain . This name was found in the diary of the late Fr.P Carazollara who carried out extensive research of the Luos in Northern Uganda and Sudan. The late John Alfred Oroch together with Fr. Carazollara who carried out research on Luo history and met elders and other traditional leaders among the Nuer, Shilluk, Jurchol, Anyuak, Joluo of Kenya and Tanzania, DR Congo and Uganda luos. They gathered a lot of information about Luos. They were in Egypt to see Aswan before most historical evidence was destroyed when the place became a dam. it was from the traditional leaders that we are able to get our oral history that luos originated from the ancient Nuer not the current ones.
Linguistic approach for the study of our history is essential. As a luo there are names of peoples and places though they may have some omissions and changes in letters that have meanings in most Luo languages. Take for example names like kerma, thombos, kom ombo in Sudan; Cairo (kairo), Carthage ( or kartek), Dier al Habar (can be pronounced Dier Abar ) in Egypt and Adana, Konya, Adiyaman, Cikcilli in Turkey. These could lead us to discovering the luo trail,
The Shilluk, Nuer and Dinka elders interviewed in late 1950s and rhe Joluo (Jur chol) claim that they once had an organized royal kingdom which they claim they lost it. Their views were that their leptong or lebtong (royal spear head) went south and this is being geld by the Alur king. The leptong was saved from destruction by the Arab invaders. The story of the movement of the royal kingdom south wards is reserved to another post.
Apart from the Jaluo of Kenya and Tanzania there are three tribes in Southern Sudan calling themselves Joluo . These are the Jur Chol, Luo Bori (Belanda Bor) and Thuri (Boodho/Shatt). This reinforces the claim that in Wau where King Uluo Atyak reigned as Luo King there remained some traces of the luo presence even after many centuries of separation of the luos.
Where luos originated from will remain a puzzle unless we get deeper in our research. At the foot of the mountains (there-got or te-got or sometimes the-got)) has been taken by historians as Nuba Mountains and others think it is Zagros Mountains. The civilization at Aswan where luos seemed to have lived for a long time has not been mentioned or properly explained in history books/articles. Archaeology at Aswan will uncover a lot about luo history. Archaeology at Bar el Ghazal especially Wau will also yield more results of luo past. We know some of the edifices built and left by luos were destroyed by invaders and are buried in the sand dunes in Egypt and Sudan. For some us luos kidi refers to a stone not a rock or mountain.
Technology is moving fast especially in field of communication; I do not know whether anything is being done to enhance genealogical studies. I do hope that a conclusion will be arrived at pointing at exact origin of the luo people. I know it is a motivation to go that length and bring out discoveries. I think it can also be rewarding to involve the wider anthropology fraternity other than relying on folk tales alone. I have been to Egypt and saw how they tried to recreate history of ancient Egypt, bringing out the Moses’ errors to the visitation by Mary and the child Jesus, they call the place pharaonic village, somewhere within the swamp on the Nile River. I would love to read published papers on luo genealogy based on scientific facts, I hope we have folks who teach and treasure history, although I have met many luos who are Engineers and math experts, Otherwise, my leanage from my mother’s side stops with Ja lei, as they crossed the Nile at pakwach into the current nebbi district.
I agree that we have many history professors and scholars but as we know research is expensive and needs proper guidance. People usually concentrate on formal award researches because of what they yearn to achieve. This brings in the point of interest for the study. Several people like the late John Alfred Oroch, Professor Ogot have done some works on Luo geanology. In the absence of archaeology oral tradition or history which sound like myths shows us the way, except that sometimes there will be need for deep examination and deciphering. The fraternity of luo anthropologists need to have interest and to be proud to be known as luo and agree to work together. The issue of lack of funding has left many works still in scripts and those typed have not yet been published. Interested readers are left without valuable and interesting materials to read. Sometimes poorly researched work get published and bring uncalled for excitement or untruths.
The untruths we speak are the unsupported statements we make drawn from our personal or collective imagination on the Genesis of the Luo.
The Question of Origin of a people relates to deep ancestry.
Without the strict guidance, limitation and direction of scientific principal and fact, what we say we remember could easily be drawn from the Deep Dark Depths of Conjecture to an unwarranted or unsurpassed degree.
Most importantly what we need is an interrogative, inquisitive and open mind to allow us to seek, question and digest the information we come across and not wait for some else to do it for us.
Without this, the truth may arrive in a Blue Mercedes-Benz at 10 past noon, smack each one of us in the face and we will never know who accosted us.
Research Funding is not required beyond your internet subscription to your ISP, several genealogical investigations have so far been undertaken and their findings are available online.
Don’t wait to be spoon fed.
Read and tell us about what you found where you get stuck just ask here on this forum for assistance.
R1b-V88
Do Not Lose your story,,,, Luo is from Iran.
Wow, for sure this has been a little good news, a blue Benz in the 10 past noon hour!!. Some links will help those interested to move on with knowledge search about the Luo origin. But to say Luos were from Iran is also not enough, Iran is not the origin of man kind and that’s where we want to go.. far beyond what we can envisage. I believe all through human dispensations literature were recorded and through geological, archeological and what ever means those literature can be unveiled. The motivation here is to get those historical facts about luos and hence, humanity as a whole. And this is where money comes in, because tools will be needed, experts will be hired from all parts of the world, engagements of all kinds …. However, one fact is true, that the first man and woman on earth were Adam and Eve and no historical facts has established that linkage, I need to be shown that resource!!!
The best option is to start with ancient sudanic people along midle nile,Thebes and others like Alodia, Nobatia etc.The word pharao is europian corruption of the word `paru`(wuon paru), which to all luo speakers means ,the head of the home.The male head of the home as understood by luo and nilotes of sudan is responsible for performing rituals at the time of planting season.Any luo person knows the ritual very well,I dont have to exlain this because as I write the ritual is strictly observed in Nyanza.The same ritual is practised in South Sudan by the nilotes much the same as their ancestors did.This was also the role of ancient pharaos, in fact it is what gave them the power to control people and eventually became the ruler of het-pta,later called aegpta by Mycenians and Ionians.It is supposed to be pronounced in modern dholuo as od pta,meaning the house of pta(or temple).Het is house in ancient egyptian language which in modern luo is ot.Tta is an ancient deity for whom the ancients built the temple at Karnak(later called Abidios by Greeks).The temple was an important place for initition.Now, in modern dholuo nak means initiation.The place where initiation is done is called karnak.The importance of linguistic aproach is evident from this brief analysis.Take another example…..the word `love` in egyptian is ler,i.e lera means love me.In luo ,love is her and so love me is hera.Old age in egyptian is `ti`,which is identical with the luo word for the same.What more evidence does one need to identify the luo as the fouders of ancient egypt ? I am kindly requesting leo omolo odera to write to me and share with me his great wealth in luo history.I am an amatuer in luo history but i am greatly interested in this great race of men.There wonderfull achievements give me the greatest inpiration,particularly when the greate philosopher,Bertrand Russell,records in his book how Thebes brought Sparta to its end.I wonder how luo speakers crossed the deseart and meditereniean sea and finish the mighty european city state.What kind of men were they?
Which factor determines Kinship.
Is it Language ?
If people speak in the same language then, therefore they are related. Easy…
Is it Culture ?
If people do things in the same way and for the same reason, then they are one and the same.
Then I don’t understand, that if this were the case why are Luo not counted amongst the ranks of English Gentry.
Because if they speak the Queens English, worship her Deity in the same mode as she does in Westminster Abbey, then why are they not related to the House of Windsor.
Kinship Must therefore stem from something else.
Use of a Language.
Practice of a culture
Does Not dictate Kinship between people.
Why because we know that there are reasons other than birth that cause people to speak in a given language or practice a similar culture.
I’ very inspired by what I read about Luo’s it is very interesting. Linguistically, there is a lot of connection. I was reading of the words like Cairo (Kar iro), a place of smoke. Khartoum (Kar thum), apparently it was a place for entertainment. We have Bar el Gazar and Bar is all over Luo nation. It literally means a glade (a grass land surrounded by tall bushes or forest. It is where herbivores graze and carnivores hunt. If you go the existing forests like in Aberderes, Kakamega, mount Kenya then you clearly see the glades (what the Luos call “Bar”)
am researching on this…….
You are a single individual.
You have
2 parents,
4 grand parents,
8 Great Grand parents
16 Great Great Grand parents.
Given a Generation time of 25 years time to child bearing) we can calculate the number of ancestors you have between now and a given time in history.
The mathematical expression describing the exponential relationship to the number of ancestors you have in a given generation is
2n = x 2 exponentiated to the nth
Where.
2 is the Number of Persons in a Reproductive Pair.
n is the Number of Generations Back
X is the total Number of Ancestors in that Generation
(25n – Year of Birth) = Gregorian Year of the Generation
Lets say you were born in 1972
1972 n=0 x=1 You
1947 n=1 x=2 Parents
1922 n=2 x=4 Grand Parents
1897 n=3 x= 8 Grate Grand parents
An so on and so forth
10 generation ago = 25 x 10 = 250 years – 1972 = 1722 Gegorian Year
210= 1024
Generations Ago 10
Year 1722
No of Ancertors 1024
Generations Ago 25
Year 1347
No Of ancertors 33,554,432
Generations Ago 40
Year 972
No of Ancestors 1,099,511,627,776
Generations Ago 79
Year 3 BC
No of Ancestors 604,462,909,807,314,587,353,088
These figures are subject to a phenomenon called Repetition ie one person acting in more than one role, such as in an incestuous parentage which also is known to have taken place..
They are the exact no of acts of Sexual Intercourse that gave rise to you.
Of greatest significance is that, these figures demonstrate the fact that
1) Luo had parents other than the Southern Sudanese as there are not enough of them to have made you.
2) Nile valley Peoples of whatever Colour Creed or Race played a part in are part of the genetic fabric of the Luo.
3) The peopling of North Africa (how human beings got to North Africa) also contains the story of how the Luo migrated back into Africa from Eurasia.
4) Dholuo as spoken today is not their language but rather one amongst several they have spoken in the past.
5) The East African Luo as Many as they may seem to be are actually the Minority there are More of you elsewhere… and for reason of adherence to Race (Black Africans) and language (Dholuo ) as a beacon to direct you to your beginnings you are unable to discern your relatives because you changed colour but your parents did not.
Cassites and Elamites gave rise to you.
Do not be derailed by your current race and look for your ancestors where they are not to be found.
R1b V88 ( Muzungu ) Arian.
Luo is from Iran.
……Bounus……
https://archive.org/stream/shortgrammarofsh00westrich#page/n0/mode/2up
This is a Short Grammar of the Shilluk Language By Fr D Westermann Published in 1913 or thereabouts.
Any similarities to a language you may know or maybe speak ?
To me it appeared to be 85-90% Similar to Dholuo.
How about Identity and beliefs in Juok of the owner of this language, are they the same as the Luo’s ?
In Dholuo there is a Word – Chillo.
Since the Chollo’s Languge and dholuo are mutually intelligible does it mean the same in Shilluk or Chollo, does this language even have this word. You may have to research beyond Fr Westermann’s book.
If Shilluk language has this word and it means the same thing, then no problem,.. end of story that word has no other sinister connotations to them. But if a different word is used to describe what the Luo call by that word then you add 1 + 1 and remember not to forget to add the word Ja-Juok in to the same calculation.
Then ask yourself, is Luo same as Shilluk and is Shilluk same as Luo ?
This book gives a wonderful insight into the Dholuo language for those who may wish to explore further.
For those of you who like myself who are curious about the Group of Luo’s that ( in antiquity) headed towards the west. May I humbly drop two names on your ears for your further investigation.
1. Don Cheadle – Actor Hotel Rwanda.
2. T.D . Jakes – Evangelist
Find out about their African ancestry. It may be of interest to you and germaine to the discussion of where Luo are from, especially No 1’s.
Enjoy your reading.
God Bless you all.
Wow!!!! @Leo Odera Omolo @Wuod Rwoth @Odota @Nyakuar Ondenge ka Aroko & @Nyariwo Odongo ???????????????????????????????? Thank u for ur great contributions! This is awesome! ?????
Omg! That Arian ????????????W.T.H. Does he sound like????& he ends with ‘God Bless you all’ W.T.F! Whatever, The Arians on sheep Jesus said that to the Africans they stole on their dirty boats!!! Don’t believe his hype! Sounds like a racist! ‘Luo came from Iran’ ????????????Drop me out! U mean Iran came from Luo and all humanity! Be careful people, their many lairs out there, ancestors of those who came back to Africa after being lost in the ice age, lost their melanin & gained the cold nature of ice! They came to steal, kill and destroy! Funny ???? they wrote that in the bible hmmm. The tone and undertones of that person, snake like! Keep ur eyes open, be alert, dig deep and be careful what u read and take in! Big up Luo Royalty ???? 1st Royal Family in The World ????
Ancestors of Luos migrated to Mesopotamia valley after Noah’s flood which took place on mega lake Chad. They were kingdom builders . These included Nimrod the great grandson of Noah. From the valley some of them migrated as far as Zagros Mountains and beyond. It is apparent that these Luo speaking race had a short stay at the foot of Zagros mountains. they left traces there among the people they stayed with who are currently called the Lur, the people of Lorestan.
The Lurs have elevated frequency of YNDA Haplogroup R1b (especially of subclade R1bla2a-L23. The source of R1bla2a-L23 has not been defined by geneticists. But Ribla2a is from the part of Africa where ancient rulers of the Bible lived in the regions of Chad, Cameroon and Sudan
Even if we relate the Luos to Elamites and Kessites there is no evidence that they originated from foot of Zagros mountains.
The other fact is that Elamites and Kessites were of the same tribe because Kessite language was different from that of Elamites.. they only had close ties and Zagros was a contact zone between Kessites and Elamites.
It is evident that Luos who are most likely to be linked with the Nafutians originated from Africa and had the skin colour of Nilo-Saharan like that of Noah,s descendants with a colour tone brick red to black. Therefore Luo does not have Euro-Asins (Muzungu). They only migrated from Africa to Middle-East and back.
References
1.Clyde Winters- Kushite Spread of Haplogroup R1-M173 from Africa to Europe
2.Elamites and Kessites in Persian Gulf by D T Potts 9University of Sydney
3.Luo origin of Civilisation by Dr. Terrence Okello Paito
Now where do we Start,,,,
Here…..Help me out….Please
Maiko
Gudu
Akira
Alai
Lango
Denge
Sibi
Lawani
Rege
By the way these are surnames Borne by Luo individuals. They are not the usual O …. A Prefixed names … borne by the majority.
Do you Know of any more ?
Could you Kindly Post them here on this Forum …
I there is something they demonstrate… the more the names the better the point is reinforced so please contribute.
God Bless…
Now Google each of these names … see who else has the same name…
On a map put a dot where both holders of the name are located… obviously one set of dots will be on the shores of Lake Victoria and the other….????
So here we go..R U ready ?
Alai Kenya
Alai Persia- http://www.documentarist.com/mirza-hussein-khan-alai-persian-minister-1921-nov-15
Akira Kenya
Akira Iran – http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOPPS-UFC-AKIRA-CORASSANI-IRAN-BLOODLINES-NEW-TRADING-INSERT-CARD-BL-AC-SEE-/310532864873
Sibi Kenya
Sibi – Baluchistan (Border Iran/Pakistan) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibi
And so on and so forth… u can try with more names you may know
They could come out on any part of this planet but it is very interesting that they all seem to emanate from the same general area. (Persia).
Clearly there is a pattern that arises and repeats itself with these Names.
So if these guys in Kenya are Luos then it only make sense that near the geographic location where these names cluster in Persia there should be a people with a name Luo or similar sounding.
The Lur, in Iran become of great interest to this subject.
Then Join the Dots …locations of the Lur and Luo… the people or places (with similar names to the luo individuals).. over a walkable land route…. with consideration to a ready source of food and water when crossing the desert… and a reason to proceed further south….the Nile comes in to sharp focus.
Sinai Peninsula Middle East Iraq and Persia fall right along the path of the line joining the dots on your map.
Tying back into all your tales, stories and folklore…
Your ancestors are not Phantom, today as you read this post, they are located on a path stretching back from Lake Victoria to Persia,
Every account on the Luo presence in all regions west of Persia, without exception, is transitive, a people on the move passing through and all of the Luo people along the way point to someplace beyond Egypt as their origin.
And indeed it is only In Iran amongst the Lur you come across this conclusive account (of a person bearing the name Luo or similar sounding) of their Genesis.
http://heim.ifi.uio.no/peyman/lur.html
So, In the case of the Luo in Kenya, Genetics will not shed much light, the “founder effect” notwithstanding, the original migrant bloodlines may have all died out. In fact the Majority of the Luo who were tested were found to have Bantu Bloodlines…they are as Bantu as any of their Neighbours and exhibit no trace of exotic blood lineage…
But what is interesting to us is that they have
1. No history in the Congo forest or amongst other Bantus.
2. Not enough Blood of the Southern Sudanese.
3. Have a hell of story of a journey that took place that is corroborated by regional genetics and historical accounts of unrelated peoples.
Therefore they maybe keepers of a culture and identity of the original migrants who have since died out.
Like Christians, Not every Christian can demonstrate descendancy from Judea and there are several from different parts of the globe, each one being no less Christian than another.
What we need to understand is that the Christianity came from Judea much as Luo Name came from Iran and by a Plethora of means such as migration of direct descendants, assimilation of neighbouring peoples and association of non related people such as the Suba,, this name found its way across mountains rivers and valleys to the shores of Lake Victoria.
The names you carry as Luo, betray an association to specific geographic location in Persia.
It is not only a chameleon that can change its colour.. human beings do it to,, it just the process and the timeframe in which they accomplish this feat that takes a little longer .
The changes may be even more distinct than the little reptile is able to accomplish for itself and most importantly more profound than the Historians who wrote out history books were prepared to publish.
There is no Magic to it…
Try it yourself…
Luo is from Iran.
Quite an educative piece that is not available in mainstream fora. Actually shared on my timeline, this should be distributed widely to trigger discussion on this largely unknown history.
Greetings to all
I find this discussion to be fascinating though it is an old post. I am an American researching ancient people, their modern day descendants and their possible biblical presence. Luo’s language is of great interest. They may have been among the groups that went out in ancient times. Could someone please answer a few questions I pose to give me a better understanding. This may help to show there is an established connection.
For starters, what is the best meaning of the name Luo? I saw in a post that it means to some effect- follow or to follow. Is it accurate?
Could someone tell me what does Narmer mean?
Here are a list of words I would like to know
Aor or awor
Nuer
Cush or Kush
awoth
Anuak or anyuak
Amor or amer
There is also a ethnic group called the merarit. If they have any relation to the luo or you know what their name means please explain.
All answers will be highly appreciated. This discussion should continue on.
Greetings
I will try to respond to T.bens
The word luo or Lwo literally means to follow.
Aor or Awor is a female name meaning someone who has been sent,male equivalent is Oor or Owuor.
Nuer or Naath is a south Sudanese tribe speaking a nilo Saharan dialect just like the luo Nation.
Cush/kush in luo language is Koch meaning a person who is fearless and formidable like a Lion,it can also mean someone who is easily annoyed and difficult to please!
Awoth means to walk
Anuak/Anywak comes from the word nywako which means to join the hands for a common communal task for example building a home or farming together.
Amor means’I am happy’
Amer means ‘I am Merry the feeling of someone who has taken wine or alcohol.
Merarit/Mararil this divided into two would probably mean’I am waiting for you to be merry or happy’.Mararit is a nilotic tribe found in eastern Chad and Darfur south west Sudan they like the luo speak a nilo Saharan language.
KONYA URU.JAKOM NYOCHA OKWANO DHOUT LUO DUTO E SOUTH NYANZA TO OWEYO KAMAGAMBO,SUBA ,CHULA,KADIKA,GWASI,KAKSINGRI GI MAMOKO.KARE OK GIN JOLUO?
Dear T.Ben.
This is in response to some of the questions you raised about The Luo.The word LUO is widely interpreted to mean ‘to follow’ . The Jopadhola are Luo people who have lived in Tororo ,Uganda,surrounded by non-Luo tribes, for nearly 500 years.It is from the language of the Jopadhola, called Dhopadhola, that I derive these facts. Dhopadhola,Dholuo of Kenya And Dhog’Alur of West Nile and DRC have a lot in common.
‘Awor’ is a name of a girl child born at night. Amor is clan found among the Jopadhola and Alur people. Among the Jopadhola ,the Amor are famous for being rain-priests. Spiritual powers seem to follow them. In modern Christianity ,three people from the Amor clan have become Arch Bishops in Uganda.This is a very high position in the two largest and oldest Churches in which they serve. Literally, ‘mor’ means to roar or to thunder.
Owere.
Greetings to all
Thanks a lot Omondi Ohito and Owere Onyango. The information you gave is greatly appreciated. I would like to continue the dialog and obtain a better understanding of the nilotic language (Luo).
Is Mararet language (Eberi) the same as Luo? Is it intelligible among Luo speakers?
The word mor means happy/merry. The “hebrew” word mer means bitter. Also awor, Owere said it means female born at night. In “hebrew” it means light. Ohito stated it means someone sent. Could someone further explain it in application?
Owere stated the word amor means roar/ thunder. I would like more explanation on this for in “hebrew” amor means to say or publicize; proclaim; boast.
Who are the rain priests?
Anuak Ohito interpreted as joining hands to do a common task together- work together. The “hebrew” – to serve as a necklace; to share; furnish.
This definitely should be explored more. There are similar meanings shared between languages. I still would like to know about the word narmer or namer. What does shem/zim means in Luo and Cham/kem Please explain the full meaning of the title reth. I saw on the internet that it means king leader. Does it have any connection to any spiritual/religious significance.
Thanks
Erouru kamano malach jodalawa kuom yangonwa tiend wechegieki, especially we the youth who are completely green on matters regarding our ancestry. EROURU KAMANO.
Now my greatest concern comes on the matter of TONG’/TONG RAMOGI/TONG OCHIENG amongst the gem community. Well i’m not preety sure but i’ve over heard many elders purport that this was a very important tool that guided the luo community on many issues like: it could foretell catastropheies, etc.
Now where on earth did it disappear to? who owns it now? is it still in use?
thank you gentlemen. madudhinyime kod tiju maberni.
Professor Ogutu is esteemed to posit that Sinakuru is the father of Opiyo-Luo, Chollo, Jieng,Lari, Turkana while Odongo – Nandi , Kipsigis etc and Ma asai was sired by the step mother of Ramogi during the post flood era, they were born at Nam Dar. Ramogi Olum settled at Khartoum, the confluence of the blue and the white Nile.The luo,Nubian, conquered lands beyond Egypt. In Hebrew, the term hartumim (plural) and hartom (singular) means “magicians” who imitated Aaron and Moses in antics vying at such tricks as turning stuff into snakes.In the story of Joseph in Genesis it simply means “Chief Priests”. In antiquity of a latter day,Ramogi Ajwang settled at Got Ramogi in Imbo,Kenya.
There is affinity of the word Pharoah or King,Queen,Chancellor and chief priest even today.Priest was equated with magic in Egypt or sorcery, 2nd century CE in King James Bible. In Assyrian cuneiform texts the word appears as Hartibi.
The text in hieroglyphics means Hry-hb that is ‘he who is in charge of the papyrus scroll’ and hry-tp ‘he who is in charge’
The Luo people who migrated to the west are known as the Nok nation whose law practice pre-dated the English common law and antiques are viewed as extra terrestrial in international museums
In antiquity, the glass making became a lost art due to lack of use and long sojourn in the rough terrain. In Babylon, Luo footprints are found in the glass industry in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
Are u people sure we were once in Babylone?Luo pod pek..but to some extent it can be true becoz Luos are quite unique and some of them are just too intelligent..just like those ancient Hebrews like David!The Luo also have a mythical story of Lwanda Magere which is quite similar as that of Samson sone of Manoa of the Bible!#whereIsourORIGIN??
Wow! There is so much good information here, Wuod rwoth. Thanks for your excellent efforts.
Chollo is very close to Ochol or Dichol which fondly refers to black beauty.It may not be derogatory. Owuor, Oduor , and Odiwuor may all mean born at night when its dark and nobody can be feeding. Mor is happiness , m’or is noise or thunder like mor polo. Gima lichie en ni tieng’ matinende to kata Dhok mar Luo pek ne gi. Nimar giketho ni KiJaluo. Mano to ang’o.
I have a strong believe that we have brothers in west Africa. Names Owoh (Nkem Owoh), Obi, Akum, Okoro etc come from the Igbo clan.
Please, help. Could there be any ancestral connection between the Luo speakers and the Yoruba and Igbo of West Africa. They seemed to share a lot of cultural similarities.
Am fascinated, but in this discussion, no mention has been made of brothers: Nyikang’o, Dimo and Gilo. Later there is chief Olum with sons: Labongo, Nyipir and Tifful. Please give connections.
Kindly take a look at the following.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/east-africans-may-have-up-to-a-quarter-of-asian-and-european-dna-says-report-a6686826.html
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-0fIoH3ypE&feature=share
Stop at 3:35
In East Africa, it is not only the Luo who have Caucasian / Aryan origin.
Not every today’s Black African who followed the Nile to East Africa originated in Southern Sudan.
Maybe we have been looking in the wrong place for our ever so elusive ancestor.
Don’t let your current race (Black Negroid African) and Dholuo, the current language you speak to divorce you from your true origin.
Your Ancestry may have little to nothing to do with either.
I refer us to check ojijo’s transcripts has some light on. the same..and i have notice that a number of us are connecting luo to the tribe of lur. and in luo the Word Lur means barren if I’m not wrong can we start from that point..and somewhere in the Bible in the book of judges there is a tribe who had difficulty in pronouncing an is it possible we research on it too….
(Extracted from Ojijo’s The Luo Nation-History & Culture of Joluo (The Luo People of Kenya)
The Luo were one of many tribes of people resident at a settlement known as Napata, or
Tekidi (the foot of great stone/mountain), Upper Egypt (modern Northern Sudan) between 5500 BC and 3500BC, and were controlled by the Nubians, under one of the first sacral kingdoms to arise in the Nile, Ta-Seti, located in northern Nubia. Around 3200 BCE, there was further consolidation of the sacral kingdoms. These people were black, Negroes, and the Luo were part of these people, and they pledged collective loyalty to the god Anu, or Agu, of the Anu or Agu people, also referred to as Itiyo-pi-anu peoples.
The Anu people were aboriginal peoples of Abyssinia, present day Ethiopia. They invaded the Nubians and founded the great Koch (Cush) kingdom, which expanded into Egypt, Sumeria (later Mesopotamia and Babylon) and Phoenicia. It is their Thebban priest/kings, from the Upper Nile Valley of Koch, that established theocratic rule in ancient Egypt, and the monotheistic religion. To this people can be attributed, without fear of error, the most ancient Egyptian Books, the
Book of the Dead , and the Texts of the Pyramids , consequently, all the myths or religious teaching. It is these Anu people, also referred to as the ‘Agu’, who authored the various books and scripts associated with Egyptian religion and philosophies. They developed their leadership, from priests as political leaders, to Kings as early as 3500 BC. However, the first consildiation of religious and politicalle was under the first king, the King of Dynasty I, Menya (Mena, or Menes), the Thebban and originally, one of the Itiyopianu priests, who founded the city of Mephis (current town of Mit Rahina). It was Menya who built one of the first temples in Egypt; and the Anu people who started the Pharaonic rule in Egypt at around 3100 BC. King Khufu (Cheops) of the 4th dynasty, 2700–2675 B.C., completed the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza in 2680 B.C, while in the sixth dynasty, which ended in 2180 B. C, the Great Sphinx of Giza was built by King Khafre in 2540 B.C.
Egypt fell to Hyksos (Shephard kings) from the East who drove the Anu/Egyptians from Lower Egypt and partially occupied and ruled Egyptian empire between 1730 – 1580 BC, when they were expelled by Amosis I, an Anu leader. In 1075 BC, the High Priest of Amun at Thebes (modern Luxor), capital of Egypt, became powerful enough to limit the power of the pharaoh over Upper Egypt. This fragmentation of power and political instability in Egypt allowed the Nubians, who had been under the rule of the Cushite kings since the founding Napata-a city-state of ancient Nubia (modern Karima, Northern Sudan), by Thutmose III in the 15th century BC after his conquest of Nubia-to regain autonomy. Nubian Kings Alara and Kashta, who immediately preceded Pharaoh Piankhi, led the preliminary weakening of the Egyptian Empire. In 750 BC, Napata Nubian King Kashta attacked Upper Egypt, and his policy was pursued by his Nubian successors Piye, and Shabaka (721–707 BC), who eventually brought the whole Nile Valley under control of Napata, under the rule of the 25th dynasty, also known as the “Napatan period” of Egypt. However, Pharaoh Taharqa’s reign and that of his successor, (his cousin) Tanutamun, was filled with constant conflict with the Assyrians. In 664 BC the Assyrians laid the final blow, sacking Thebes (current Luxor) and Memphis (current town of Mit Rahina). The 25th dynasty ended with its rulers retreating to their spiritual homeland at Napata and establishing the Kingdom of Kush until 656 BC when Psamtik I (the Persian) dispatched a naval fleet to Upper Egypt and succeeded in placing all of Egypt under his control.
In 591 BC, the land of Kush was invaded by an Egyptian expedition, reinforced by Greek and Carian mercenaries, “the brown men with dirty beards” under two generals, Amasis II and Potasimto, and Napata, the settlement of Luos, was captured. After the Persian conquest of Egypt, Napata had lost its economic influence, and was desiccating, leading to less cattle and agriculture. But it is the Persian raid that led to Napata finally losing its role of economic capital to Meroe (modern region of Butana, a region bounded by the Nile, from the Atbarah River to Khartoum, the Atbarah, and the Blue Nile). Amasis is still remembered in Acholi today and was a hate figure, having collaborated with foreigners and participated in the destruction of ‘Tekidi’, the grand capital Koch. Amasis succeeded and became the Pharaoh until 525 BC when Persia invaded, defeated, and conquered Egypt. He was the last indigenous Egyptian Pharaoh.
In 525 BC, Cyrus the Great of Persia who was expanding his empire which he created after conquering Babylon in 539 B.C, conquered Egypt in 525 BC and his son, Cambysis, put the Pharaoh, Amasis II to death. The Persians also went further south of Egypt and drove out, while enslaving some of the blacks who were settling there. This date, 525 BC, marked large scale movement of blacks from North to South as they fled from the invaders. Amasis is derided by Luo forlk tales for his inability to stand firm, in the face of flagrant aggression by Cyrus and his son Cambysis.
By 490 B.C. the Greeks had defeated the Persians and Alexander the Great destroyed Thebes in 335 B.C, conquered Tyre and Jerusalem in 332 B.C, and occupied Babylon in 330 B.C and Egypt in 332 BC, establishing and settling at Alexindaria, and relocating the capital thereto from Memphis. It was during this period that the Greeks refered to Egypt as Aegypta, the land of the black people, because the natives were black, and hence, the name Egypt was born.
Rome’s conquest of Egypt in 30 BC, following the defeat of Marc Antony and Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII by Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) in the Battle of Actium, led to border skirmishes and incursions by Meroe beyond the Roman borders. In 23 BC the Roman governor of Egypt, Publius Petronius, to end the Meroitic raids, invaded Nubia in response to a Nubian attack on southern Egypt, pillaging the north of the region and sacking Napata (22 BC) before returning home. However, they never reached Meroe, whose wealth was due to a strong iron industry (it has even been called “the Birmingham of Afrika”), and international trade involving India and China and Egypt (Meroë exported textiles and jewelry-mainly gold, and “exotic” animals from farther south in Afrika). The Egyptian import, the water-moving wheel, the sakia, used to move water, in conjunction with irrigation, to increase crop production, was from Meroe. At the peak, the rulers of Meroë controlled the Nile valley north to south over a straight line distance of more than 1,000 km (620 mi). The King of Meroë was an autocrat ruler who shared his authority only with the Queen Mother. The administration consisted of treasurers, seal bearers, heads of archives, and chief scribes, among others. By the 3rd century BC a new indigenous alphabet, the Meroitic, consisting of twenty-three letters, replaced Egyptian script and was used to write the Nubian language of the successor Nubian kingdoms. The Merotic title of King was Qore, which Luos read as
Ker, which was adopted by the Luo people for
leader, president, or King . Other titles used by the sovereigns of Meroe were Reth, or Ruothh, or Ruoth . It is worth noting that ‘rt’ (Reth) is the title of the Shilluk King, while rwd (Ruoth) is the title of an Acholi King.
In 350 CE, the Aksumite king Ezana brought Meröe to an end. The aksumite kingdom had beed developed by earlir Nubians, but was overtaken in 400BC by semites from present day Yemen. The Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, at its height, controlled northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, northern Sudan, southern Egypt, Djibouti, Western Yemen, and southern Saudi Arabia, and was an important trading nation, nmamed as the big four world powers, together with Persia, Rome, and China, existing from approximately 100–940 AD. It became the first state to convert to Christianity in 325 and the first state to shelter to Muhammad’s early followers from persecution by Muhammad’s tribesmen, the Quraish, in 615. However, it was the rise of Islam in the 7th century that precipitated its end, with the Islamic Empire taking control of the Red Sea and most of the Nile, forcing Aksum into economic isolation, and the Aksumite population of Semitic-speaking people, Cushitic-speaking people, and Nilo-Saharan-speaking people, were forced to go farther inland, southwards and to the highlands for protection. Finally, the Empire fell in 11th century.
It was from amongst these people that a light skinned community, with the culture of Egypt, Kush, and Meroe, developed, and we emigrated from northern Khartoum to Wau, Bahr el Ghazal in Sudan, wehre we met a dark skinned people, who referred to us as Jur Chol-the aliens passing through the blacks. We were of a lighter color, and we refered to the natives as black. From 990 to 1125 we were in Sudan, at Wau, Bahr el Ghazal; and then a series of calamities, a serious outbreak of anthrax {Opere} and population explosion whipped out the entire livestock that were owned by the Lwos {Luo}. Following this incident, the community resorted to fishing along the River Nile for survival, and this is how we earned the names
Jo-OLuo-Aora (people who follow the river}. From the 10th Century hence, we have lived along the majestic Nile, between that lake and another one they call Nam Lolwe (“water that extends to the ends of the earth”) , which colonial Britain renamed “Lake Victoria”. South Sudan is hence the first place where we were called, Jo Luo ; and subsequently, is the birth place of the Luo Nation as a distinct group of people; south Sudan is our umbilical cord. We got our name in Sudan, in the 10th century and this is why most tales of the origin of the Luo nation start from south Sudan; at
Dog nam, the Acholi equivalent of dhonam , which is DhoLuo for “Mouth of the Lake” — that is, a
lakeshore. Whereas there is no agreement on which lake it is; most historians identify it as Lake No or River Palugo or what the Arabs called “Sea of the Gazelle” (Bahr El Ghazal). The three are the same thing.
………………………
The Author, Ojijo, is a public speaker and consultant in financial literacy, collective investment schemes (investment clubs and saccos), and business financial projections; lawyer and guest lecturer in financial services law, law firm management, and ICT law; author of 36 books ; Rotarian; Inua Kijana Fellow; Poet Pianist; and owner, http://www.luopedia.com ,
http://www.lawpronto.com , http://www.allpublicspeakers.com ,
http://www.ajuoga.com, http://www.bankitgroup.com ,
http://www.parara.com and http://www.achibela.com .
I am still waiting to know whether there are Luo descendants in West Africa
Can someone tell me if the Luo names Osoro and Osiris of Egypt have similarities, also Pollo and Apollo,Amen and Tutank-amen and also if the pyramid of giza ‘s style of building was man’s imitation of the ants’ hard work of building the ant hill yet very tiny as we’ve been told in the Luo myths?