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The Banyoro People of Uganda, Their History and Culture in Africa

The Banyoro people live in western Uganda to the east of Lake Albert they inhabit the present districts of. Hoima, Masindi and Kibale

They speak a Bantu language and their origins, like other Bantu can be traced to the Congo region.

The Banyoro lived in scattered settlements in the populated parts of their country and their homesteads were rarely more than shouting distance from one another. Politically, they were organized under a King (Omukama).

Banyoro traditional Naming of their offsprings



A few months after a child was born, three months for a boy and four months for a girl, a simple ceremony would be held at which the child was given a personal name along with one of the traditional Mpako names.

The name could be given by a parent, grand-parent or some other relative. But if the father of the child was known and present, he had the last word.

The names given differed considerably. A few of them were family names handed down in particular clans to commemorate, for example, a relative or some feature on the child or some circumstances surrounding the child’s birth.

There were special names for twins and those immediately following them. However, the majority of other names portrayed the state of mind of the persons who gave them.



Most names were real words which were used in every day speech. The general theme of the names rotated around the constant imminence of sorrow or death, the experience or anticipation of poverty and misfortune and the spite or hatred of one’s neighbors.

The names which related to sorrow and death include; Tubuhwaire, Bulewenda, Buliarwaki, Kabwijmu, Alijunaki, Tibanagwa and several others.

The names associated with poverty include;, Bagamba Bikanga, Baligenda, Babyenda etc.



The names intended to portray the spite of neighbors included;, Itima, Tindyebwa, Nyendwoha, Nsekanabo, Ndyanabo, Tibaijuka and many others. Almost all the names portray that there were three things which the Banyoro feared very much, namely; death, sorrow and poverty.





Traditional way of Greeting among Banyoro



The Banyoro used pet names empako when greeting one another. These pet names are said to be of Luo origin and there are eleven in all.

There are twelve if the word okali is included but it is not empako in the real sense. The real empako are; Abwoli, Adyeli, Araali, Akiiki, Atwooki, Abwoki, Apuuli, Bala, Acaali, Atenyi and Amooti.

When people who are related greet each other, the young sits on the elder’s lap.



Among the Babiito, the young would also touch the elder’s forehead and chin with their right hand fingers.

After the greeting, coffee berries specially kept for visitors would be brought and presented in a small basket for chewing. Hereafter, a tobacco pipe would be offered with tobacco for smoking.


The traditional way of Banyoro Greeting the Omukama (KING)



The King was not greeted in the same way as ordinary people were greeted.

whenever he was in his residence, the King would sit in an advertised place for certain specified hours so that any of his subjects could go and see him.

This practice of going to see the King was called okurata.



Whenever the people went to see the King, they followed certain procedures and used a different language addressing him.

There were more than twenty different ways of addressing the King at different times of the day.

The King was not expected to reply to these greetings verbally, and he did not.

Normally, in addressing the King, the third person singular was used. In fact nearly all verbs and nouns used to address the King were different from those that were used to address common men.

However, women could kneel down and greet the King in the normal way and he would answer their greetings verbally.





Continue with Banyoro Culture Part 2

Continue with Banyoro Culture Part 3

Continue with Banyoro Culture Part 4

Continue with Banyoro Culture Part 5


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