UNKNOWN TRUTH ABOUT LANGI PEOPLE IN UGANDA

by ADVOVATE, LEGAL CONSULTANT, JUBA PEACE TALKS & MP OYAM NORTH ------ HON. KRISPUS CHARLES AYENA ODONGO
(KAMPALA, UGANDA)

The other thing not always talked about the Langi is that they are very modest and accomodative and fervently believe in the principle of "live and let live". They are compassionate but will not get involved in other peoples' affairs unless it is for purposes of intervention in favour of the weak and those unfairly treated at any cost.

That perhaps explains why when Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom was attacked by the invading forces of the British colonialist and their Baganda collaborators, they turned to the Langi, and not the Acholi or Alur for military support. The support given by the Langi soldiers, commanded by Agoro Abwango of the Apala Myek clan, to a great extent accounted for the resilience of the Banyoro resistence that went on for nearly nine years, until he was overwhelmed and escaped to Lango where he was later captured at Kangai together with Kabaka Muwanga of Buganda.

It should also be remembered that the 1966 Zanzibar rebellion against the repressive Arab regime was led by Field Marshal John Okello, another member of the Apala Myek clan of Lango.

The Lango mythology includes the modern story of Jok Oming who live in the bushes of Ngai sub-county of Oyam District upto as late as the 1930s. Jok Oming was a spirit of wars and hunting. According to the story relayed by our grand parents who were eye witnesses to the exploits of Jok Oming, once in a while Jok Oming on an appointed day would assemble and address people at dawn. He would foretell of impending famine, pestilences and wars and would advise on measures to be taken to ward them off.

In one of the last wars fought between the Langi and the Acholi in the bushes of 'Akello Alyek' in Ngai sub-county, the story is told that when one of the nephews of the Langi whose Lango mother had been married to an Acholi, informed the Lango elders of an impending attack by the Acholi, Jok Oming was consulted. He prescribed the appropriate military strategy.

In an epic battle, led by Mwolo of the Oromo clan, the whole Acholi regiment was wiped out. Jok Oming is alleged to have fought side by side with the Langi. He is alleged to have employed the agency of a burning fire that engulfed and burnt away the whole of the Acholi regiment.

On the hunting front, the story is told that, on consultation, Jok Oming would advise on the general conduct to be observed by every hunter and their spouses. For example he would implore all the spouses of the hunters not to open their granaries when their husbands were out hunting.

On the other hand, the hunters would be told which type of trees to avoid climbing even in the face of imminent attack by a wild animal. If this advise was not heeded the affected hunter would be killed by a wild animal during the hunt.

It is alleged that on some occasions Jok Oming would tell the hunters that the slaying of the animals should be left to him; that they even did not need to carry any spears with them. All they needed were their knives for cutting the game meat. True to his words, fire would start from no where and the animals would be burnt for the hunters to just cut and carry home.

To date there are many people in Lango named Oming. If you trace their history you may discover that their siblings died during infancy. It was believed that such problems would be solved by Jok Oming through his chief priest and apprentices performing certain traditional rituals. If the baby who was preserved through these rituals was not given the name Oming, they were given queer and unusual names such Obong, Ongote, Otoo, Angunya, etc.

It is believed that after protracted flanking attempts the early European visitors to Lango, using superior spiritual prowess, overpowered and captured Jok Oming who was believed to have been transported overseas.