Ancestral and Spiritual Naming of Children among the Jopadhola Lwo of Eastern Uganda by Jennifer Mary Yoga Jagire A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social Justice Education, OISE University of Toronto © Copyright by Jennifer Mary Yoga Jagire 2016 Ancestral and Spiritual Naming of Children among the Jopadhola Lwo of Eastern Uganda Jennifer Mary Yoga Jagire Doctor of Philosophy Social Justice Education, OISE University of Toronto 2016 Abstract This study brings Indigenous understandings to the anti-colonial resistance by the Jopadhola Lwo people of Eastern Uganda. The Jopadhola Lwo people link with ancestors in the naming ceremonies for their children. For the study, I employed Indigenous methodology to understand how a minority people resist assimilation. I interviewed elders in Dhopadhola Lwo. The Indigenous methodology is the Padhola elders’ agency for educating the researcher. The study objectives investigated: the Indigenous naming practices and how these are understood in contemporary contexts; the Indigenous practices and the possibilities for decolonization; the understanding of the interface of society, culture, and Nature, the nexus of body, mind, and soul, and the spirit from naming ceremonies of Padhola; and the implications for transforming schooling in African and Euro- American contexts. The research findings revealed: 1. Name variations of Padhola with ongoing ceremonies for Apipili and Yao Rut. ii 2. Resistance to foreign names as Njawala or twigs. 3. Sacred monotheist Indigenous religion thrives with Kuunu shrines. 4. Ancestors reveal children’s names in dreams. 5. Indigenous education resists Christianity. 6. The Jopadhola elders are not worth their salt if they do not resist foreign influence and advocate for a return to traditional education. iii Acknowledgements I acknowledge the following people: My supervisor, Professor George Dei, who guided me with patience and dedication. Thank you, Nana. My gratitude is also to Professor Njoki Wane for her tremendous support and interest in the Luo/Lwo. I equally thank Professor Angela Miles for her support. Your previous visit to the King of Busoga endeared me to you. The Basoga and Jopadhola share some spirituality through Nkuni/Kuunu. Finally, I extend my thanks to Elder Okoth Ogola of Moriwa Sule Clan and his wife, Jennifer Okoth Ogola of Tororo, for introducing me to places in Padhola I had not known. You also provided me with transport and encouragement. Thanks to my, cousin Professor Laban Erapu, who has read this work. Thank you to my mother and all the Padhola matriarchs. Following in the footsteps of A. C. K. Oboth Ofumbi, this study is dedicated to Shem Nyamai, the Elders of Padhola, and Were, the Creator of the Universe! iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the Study ............................................................................................. 3 1.2 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 6 1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study .............................................................................. 7 1.4 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Contextualizing Jopadhola Lwo Naming System ..................................................... 9 1.5.1 Indigenous cultures ....................................................................................... 10 1.5.2 Authority and responsibility of the elders ................................................... 10 1.6 Conceptualizing Black/African ................................................................................ 11 1.7 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................... 15 1.7.1 Unilingual colonial state ............................................................................... 21 1.7.2 Preservation of Lwo culture and its distinctiveness.................................... 23 1.8 Outline of the Thesis ................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 2 History and Context .......................................................................................................... 30 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 30 2.2 The Luo Migration and Impacts along the Nile ...................................................... 31 2.2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 31 2.2.2 Kingship and the Luo.................................................................................... 35 2.2.3 Early origin of Jopadhola southward journey ............................................. 38 2.2.4 The Luo myth of the bead and the spear ..................................................... 39 2.2.5 The Great Ancestor Lwo .............................................................................. 42 2.2.6 The norms of the Luo and assimilations ...................................................... 45 2.2.7 Tekidi/Napata and Lwo retention of Indigenous knowledge ..................... 47 2.2.8 The Jopadhola Lwo and the Promised Land ............................................... 54 2.2.9 Jopadhola and shrines ................................................................................... 61 2.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 71 Chapter 3 The Anti-Colonial Discursive Framework: Decolonizing Discourses and the Status Quo ..................................................................................................................................... 74 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 74 3.2 Ancestral Naming as a Form of Anti-Colonial Resistance ..................................... 75 3.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 97 Chapter 4 Method and Methodology: Interviewing Elders of Padhola ........................................ 100 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 100 4.2 Methods: Qualitative or Quantitative ..................................................................... 103 4.3 Indigenous Methodology and Research ................................................................. 106 4.4 Indigenous Methodology for Research Questions ................................................ 110 v 4.4.1 Data collection ............................................................................................ 110 4.4.2 Study area, a border community ................................................................ 111 4.4.3 Ethics, courtesy, recruitment ...................................................................... 113 4.4.4 Interview procedure and profiles of key participants ............................... 116 4.4.5 Applying Indigenous methodology ........................................................... 118 4.5 Limitations of the Study .......................................................................................... 128 Chapter 5 Part I Data and Findings ................................................................................................. 129 5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 129 5.2 Names and Variations in Padhola........................................................................... 130 5.3 Naming Ceremonies and Initial Process ................................................................ 132 5.4 First Born Naming Ceremony of Apipili................................................................ 136 5.5 Religion and Culture ............................................................................................... 147 5.6 Kuunu Shrine and Food Sacrifices ......................................................................... 157 5.7 The Process of Bayo Athero and Twins Ceremony – Yao Rut ............................. 160 5.8 Ancestral Names and Indigenous Education ......................................................... 164 5.9 Poro and Births in Names ....................................................................................... 169 5.10 The ‘Twigs’ or Njawala and Resistance ................................................................ 172 5.11 Indigenous Names and Resistance ......................................................................... 190 5.12 Racism and Indigenous People’s Names ..............................................................