The beauty of Acholi tradition is about making the last funeral rite of your loved one, a gallant son of Acholi like the late Alfred Labongo, a hero we must celebrate his legacy. Our traditional culture is the only culture in the world that holds the last sent off.
A legendary Wildlife Conservationist, for thirty years, played a key role in the conservation of Wildlife which is the cornerstone of the tourism industry today. He had passion for tourism and was in fact, overjoyed when his daughter Olive was deployed as the Senior Internal Auditor at the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
GULU CITY-UGANDA: Chief Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio on Saturday January 8, 2022 was described a true Acholi Statement, at exactly 6.00.PM local time at Aringo Rwot village, Layibi Division, he took to the podium to bid farewell to the late Alfred Labongo.
Justice Owiny Dollo says Mr. Sisto Olam, the head of family and fellow mourners, who came to pay their last tribute to remember your brother, father and grandfather Labongo, I want to applaud you the mourners.
Am exonerate you for organizing the last funeral rite of your brother Labongo the gallant son and Acholi hero, however, I am so disappointed because most of our people today throw their loved one in the grave like the Karamajong, when their relatives passed on.
‘’Acholi knows God, and our culture embraced and endower to honored the death one by holding their last funeral rite, what we called in Luo Keto lyel) in English we says, ‘’you let it go.’’
Labongp was not free, he was a prisoner, now is no longer a prisoner, because keto lyel is the most important traditional ceremony his life was a life of ‘’Oteka’’ hero, a few hour ago, you have seen the most powerful sons and daughter of Labongo, how they have been chanting. Are those Labongo’s still invoked here, if you are not the likes of Labongo, you will not see men here.
Mr. Zeru says here Hon Minister Onek, Gen. Otema and Hon Oryem Okello they have curse trouble here, no, they have marriage here, but those who have bastard here are the trouble cause here, but not those who marry with dignity with royal marriage.
In the past, such gathering for the last funereal rite, the Acholi community, they are the one who proposed the hire, in their song they will sing Sisto Olam won gangi nga ma tin doro WI litino. You Olam you are the hire of Labongo’s
Today is our day as the invited guest, tomorrow the in-law the likes of Hon. Hilary Onek Obaloker, Minister Oryem Okello, Gen. Charles Otema Awany, it would be your day to operate your wealth and show your strength, power, who is who.
The day for the Anti of this Koro Lapinat clan, the brothers in-law and the Anti will cook all sorts of Acholi traditional dishes and each in-law will move at don to present their gift to the in-law.
The third day, would be for nephew of the clan will come out, at don the Nephew like Zero Abuka will stand and shout at the top of his voice, says you Olam Sisto what are you doing, ‘’wun oruko war ikom okutu,’’ literally, you are denying the causes of death that is wiping your people come out, Am calling for the clan meeting, atye ka lwongi in Olam lok tye marac igangi, bothers do not see one another eye to eye.
Olam will answer his nephew Zeru Abuka that Am here, go ahead and called, my brother Olwedo, in this kind of the last funeral rite, sometime Mr. Jabuloni due to heavy fatigue he would have been retired to his home. Now, Olam will direct Zero Abuka to go and called for Mr. Olwedo.
When Zero Abuka went to called for Mr. Jabuloni, he will tell him that you are being summon for clan meeting, when he come back he will says he has met Mr. Olwedo on the way coming, but he will not say Mr. Jabuloni is still sleeping, that is an abomination.
Justice Owiny Dollo narrated that, by that time Mr. Olam would call for the attention, and all women and daughters, sons of the clan would be summoned in the big gathering.
The Nephew the likes of Zeru would immediately say, Mr. So and so they are not on good terms, and this woman is a trouble shooter. You Mr. Olam you this and that. If there are six nephews, all will first speak and the rest will follow suit.
Because the legitimate nephews are the husbands of the uncle wives, on the first day during the funeral rite, all the uncle’s wives would be playing and giving whatever the nephew demanded from them, Justice Dollo elaborates.
In the course of heated discussion, when one woman’s name features as sources of conflict, immediately ‘’Min Akello will be summoned to appear to answer the pertinent issues that she has mentioned in that matter. During the meeting, women do not cook in the kitchen, but, dak twak li kwac kwac ki ringo ma kitye ka tedo ne idyang kal a big cooking pot is at the compound boiling with the most delicious aura smile attracting on looker.
Chief Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio reveals that, ‘’Acholi community their women has supremacy rights in regards, for example Lt. Gen. Charles Otema Awany wife will never allow him to go to wa, when his wife says no, although he is the UPDF commander, when he defied his wife call, he will never walk back alive.’’
The funeral rite ceremony happened with the connection linkage of relations between the family, bother, sisters, uncles anti in-laws, that is very cardinal for keep the family in harmony
Who authorized the use of putting flowers on the casket?
Justice Owiny Dollo asks the ray of Bishops sitting in the clergy tent, which has authorized us to put flowers on the casket, even plastic flowers nowadays people put on the casket, this is dangerous, Justice Dollo remarked.
‘’ Your Lordship, bishop we need to understand who during the burial the flower should be put on the casket.’’
He advises the mourners and the cleric that let us adopt a good cultural system and avoid bad culture, for example, in 2021 he went to attend the burial of the father of his longtime friend on Hoima road, Bunyoro Sub Region.
What he witnessed, all mourners came with tree seedlings, and instead of placing flowers on the casket. They brought tree seedlings to be planted in memory of the deceased.
‘’When I Chief Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio died, I wanted 5,000 mourners, each to come with a seedling, and that seedling will be planted in my memory. And during my last funeral rite they will also come with 5,000 tree seedlings to be planted instead of placing flowers on my caskets. One mahogany tree will be planted in my grave yard, and that Tido tree will be protected for 500 years.
This tree is environmental, because we have destroyed our environment, which even the British protectorate never destroyed, this comes because of the northern conflict during the LRA war, Dollo remarked.
My big heart goes to the three traditional dancers who have just performed the royal dance here; they came from Patongo, Adilang and Nam Okora from Gen.Tito Okello.
From Patongo Adilang those are Gen. Tito Okello people, those from Patongo and Adilang came from one person, three brothers who their father was called Lutongo, Lutongo gave birth Mr. Wipono from Adilang Mr. Akego from Nam-Okora, and Mr. Ogeny from Patongo people
You Acholi you must thank chiefdom of Patongo because they have given you Gen. Tito Okello Olara Otunnu and the Chief Justice Owiny Dollo
I want to applaud the person who beat the drum of Otole dance, the sound of his dream was talking and singing, from here you can hear it, but those who are far in the distance of three kilometers, at Awora -Anga will get the sound very well.
Adds that the Palugaa Otole dancer is the person who beat the dram. I want his contact, I would have joined the Palugaa Otole dancer, but if I had joined them, people would say I am a night dancer because when they see somebody with a suit, it looks bad.
Why should I join the Otole dancer of Palugaa, the other day when we met to discuss land issues, I sang for you the Payira song about land. There is a tribe in Ghana which talks about land in perpetuity, that land belongs to the unborn one, they say they are just caretakers of the land.
But, for us, we say the land we have inherited from our grandfather, customary land, is not true. When you say the land is customary land is not, we are keeping the land for our unborn generation.
The Palugaa Otole dancer sang about the land that when the British came and they planted survey marks on Got Goma, the British have put marlstone on Goma hill, so Payira took up arms to fight the British land grabber, they proposed the song.
The Palugaa says there are some people playing with the land issues, the Ghanaians never play with the land, and we just borrow from our forefathers.
‘’Yee Munu balo piny Hila in yee munu balo piny, sing lee ma coung wii got Goma Munu balo piny sing lee.
Acholi today sold the land to buy motor bikes, and built a single room where the waregi which is called Toleno is brought, the youth now called themselves they are the real men.
When they drink Toleno, they can run from here up to Lalogi Sub County 46 kilometer, but the next day you will become barrens
Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio warns the Toleno drinker, especially youths, that they will face the consequent, when you become barren, the moment you brother just smile with your wife, you want kill her even your brother, but you are the courser for your bareness. Explained that in Acholi your brother’s wife is also your wife.
You will take a spear, bow and arrow to kill your brother, the moment your wife happens to go to fetch, you will follow her, you will climb a tree and purportedly behave like a Monkey.
The Acholi community used the last funeral rite to settle disputes, solve family conflict and correct the bad blood.
Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamoi ridiculed the Acholi adage saying that, ‘’wan WA tamo lurok aye dek WA, literally mean, we always think that other tribes hate us. Gin ma rac ki wan Acholi pe waye ni wan wa rac, pe wa aye cimo wang wa Waco ni kaka mukene gin rac
We always think that other tribes in Uganda do not wish us well, but we also wish other tribes well. A case in point, for the last 50s we have been crying foul that President Amin; the former Uganda dictator, killed Bridger Prino Okoya, the former Uganda Deputy Army Commander.
But, who paid reparation for the late Bridger Okoya, was it not the son of Achoi who did the reconciliation ceremony, ‘’Pe Linito Acholi aye okati woko ni en aye ineko Okoya. Even if the late Bridger Okoya killing was masterminded by President Amin, the person who fired the bullet that killed the late Okoya was an Acholi man.
Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamoi says he support Mr. Oryem Okello; today Minister Oryem Okello told us that his father, the late Gen. Tito Okello OLutwa told him how the wife of the late Bridger Okoya was murdered in cold blood.
‘’Bridger Okoya wife was shoot when she was taking birth, she died kneeling down, the sign that she was praying, unless the killer of Bridger Okoya’s wife come forward and confess, so that he pay for the collective guilt.’’ Chief Justice warns.
Acholi in the past did not kill a woman, kill a child, or kill anyone who has eaten food from your home or kill someone who takes refugees at your home.
When you kill a woman, the cleansing process demands that you follow all the woman’s deeds, how women grind millet, simsim or chia, and collect firewood. But if you cannot do those things, cen pa dako ni tyeko doggola wuu woko, the evil spirit of the woman will kill all people from the family.
‘’The Karamajong warrior will kill you, but will not kill your son, he will slap the slaver in his hand and bless him, saying you grow up and become the man, in feather we shall face off with you, even the young one will cry before God for his innocence.
The visitor when he eats from your home, you don’t kill either, because he is now your relative, the person who is being pursued during a fight, when he enters your house, you will stand at the door step and vow and block the people who are following him.
When you let him go, on the way when he or she is killed, his blood will be upon you, you are the killer in Acholi tradition, you pay reconciliation ceremony.
Acholi tradition forbids troubleshoots, forbids rumormongers, forbids lustful, forbids adultery, for theft, shoplifter.
Now Zeru Abuka says here that those who marry the Labongo daughters, they are troubleshooters, no. Minister Onek, Gen. Otema and Minister Oryem Okello, they have brought cows to marry Labongo’s daughters, their cattle was brought in convey, ma dyang otingo ibe gi malo. Those who are having bustard at Labongo’s homestead are the troubleshooters, Justice Owinydollo-cigamio dismissed
In the past, Acholi homestead, like the home Labongo, would have 12 granaries from one side, and another 12 granaries from this side, Justice Owiny Dollo pointing left and right.
He says, a new marriage girl would walk majestically to expose her calves, with full force to expose her full womanhood.
Chief Justice In joking, but looking tense, warns mourners who sit in hundred thousand positioning themselves quietly listening to him, the mother-in-law will not call the person who marries her daughter in Acholi that is my in-law son, but will call him my son. However, her son will call them the in-law brothers.
Thank you, the late Alfred Labongo, left a big homestead and powerful real home of Acholi, because we are using today’s occupation, me yero cilo ma tye igang man, to iron out all pending issues in this family. Before the advent of the colonial master destroyed the backbone of our tradition norms we were in heaven on earth
We thank you Alfred Labongo, go in peace, today we let you go, go and meet our Lord God and plead for us, we shall meet again in peace, Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio.
UGANDA: ‘’MY PEOPLE LET THE DEAD ONE GO BY HOLDING LAST FUNERAL RITE’’- CHIEF JUSTICE OWINY DOLLO.
The beauty of Acholi tradition is about making the last funeral rite of your loved one, a gallant son of Acholi like the late Alfred Labongo, a hero we must celebrate his legacy. Our traditional culture is the only culture in the world that holds the last sent off.
A legendary Wildlife Conservationist, for thirty years, played a key role in the conservation of Wildlife which is the cornerstone of the tourism industry today. He had passion for tourism and was in fact, overjoyed when his daughter Olive was deployed as the Senior Internal Auditor at the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
GULU CITY-UGANDA: Chief Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio on Saturday January 8, 2022 was described a true Acholi Statement, at exactly 6.00.PM local time at Aringo Rwot village, Layibi Division, he took to the podium to bid farewell to the late Alfred Labongo.
Justice Owiny Dollo says Mr. Sisto Olam, the head of family and fellow mourners, who came to pay their last tribute to remember your brother, father and grandfather Labongo, I want to applaud you the mourners.
Am exonerate you for organizing the last funeral rite of your brother Labongo the gallant son and Acholi hero, however, I am so disappointed because most of our people today throw their loved one in the grave like the Karamajong, when their relatives passed on.
‘’Acholi knows God, and our culture embraced and endower to honored the death one by holding their last funeral rite, what we called in Luo Keto lyel) in English we says, ‘’you let it go.’’
Labongp was not free, he was a prisoner, now is no longer a prisoner, because keto lyel is the most important traditional ceremony his life was a life of ‘’Oteka’’ hero, a few hour ago, you have seen the most powerful sons and daughter of Labongo, how they have been chanting. Are those Labongo’s still invoked here, if you are not the likes of Labongo, you will not see men here.
Mr. Zeru says here Hon Minister Onek, Gen. Otema and Hon Oryem Okello they have curse trouble here, no, they have marriage here, but those who have bastard here are the trouble cause here, but not those who marry with dignity with royal marriage.
In the past, such gathering for the last funereal rite, the Acholi community, they are the one who proposed the hire, in their song they will sing Sisto Olam won gangi nga ma tin doro WI litino. You Olam you are the hire of Labongo’s
Today is our day as the invited guest, tomorrow the in-law the likes of Hon. Hilary Onek Obaloker, Minister Oryem Okello, Gen. Charles Otema Awany, it would be your day to operate your wealth and show your strength, power, who is who.
The day for the Anti of this Koro Lapinat clan, the brothers in-law and the Anti will cook all sorts of Acholi traditional dishes and each in-law will move at don to present their gift to the in-law.
The third day, would be for nephew of the clan will come out, at don the Nephew like Zero Abuka will stand and shout at the top of his voice, says you Olam Sisto what are you doing, ‘’wun oruko war ikom okutu,’’ literally, you are denying the causes of death that is wiping your people come out, Am calling for the clan meeting, atye ka lwongi in Olam lok tye marac igangi, bothers do not see one another eye to eye.
Olam will answer his nephew Zeru Abuka that Am here, go ahead and called, my brother Olwedo, in this kind of the last funeral rite, sometime Mr. Jabuloni due to heavy fatigue he would have been retired to his home. Now, Olam will direct Zero Abuka to go and called for Mr. Olwedo.
When Zero Abuka went to called for Mr. Jabuloni, he will tell him that you are being summon for clan meeting, when he come back he will says he has met Mr. Olwedo on the way coming, but he will not say Mr. Jabuloni is still sleeping, that is an abomination.
Justice Owiny Dollo narrated that, by that time Mr. Olam would call for the attention, and all women and daughters, sons of the clan would be summoned in the big gathering.
The Nephew the likes of Zeru would immediately say, Mr. So and so they are not on good terms, and this woman is a trouble shooter. You Mr. Olam you this and that. If there are six nephews, all will first speak and the rest will follow suit.
Because the legitimate nephews are the husbands of the uncle wives, on the first day during the funeral rite, all the uncle’s wives would be playing and giving whatever the nephew demanded from them, Justice Dollo elaborates.
In the course of heated discussion, when one woman’s name features as sources of conflict, immediately ‘’Min Akello will be summoned to appear to answer the pertinent issues that she has mentioned in that matter. During the meeting, women do not cook in the kitchen, but, dak twak li kwac kwac ki ringo ma kitye ka tedo ne idyang kal a big cooking pot is at the compound boiling with the most delicious aura smile attracting on looker.
Chief Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio reveals that, ‘’Acholi community their women has supremacy rights in regards, for example Lt. Gen. Charles Otema Awany wife will never allow him to go to wa, when his wife says no, although he is the UPDF commander, when he defied his wife call, he will never walk back alive.’’
The funeral rite ceremony happened with the connection linkage of relations between the family, bother, sisters, uncles anti in-laws, that is very cardinal for keep the family in harmony
Who authorized the use of putting flowers on the casket?
Justice Owiny Dollo asks the ray of Bishops sitting in the clergy tent, which has authorized us to put flowers on the casket, even plastic flowers nowadays people put on the casket, this is dangerous, Justice Dollo remarked.
‘’ your Lordship, bishop we need to understand who during the burial the flower should be put on the casket.’’
He advises the mourners and the cleric that let us adopt a good cultural system and avoid bad culture, for example, in 2021 he went to attend the burial of the father of his longtime friend on Hoima road, Bunyoro Sub Region.
What he witnessed, all mourners came with tree seedlings, and instead of placing flowers on the casket. They brought tree seedlings to be planted in memory of the deceased.
‘’When I Chief Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio died, I wanted 5,000 mourners, each to come with a seedling, and that seedling will be planted in my memory. And during my last funeral rite they will also come with 5,000 tree seedlings to be planted instead of placing flowers on my caskets. One mahogany tree will be planted in my grave yard, and that Tido tree will be protected for 500 years.
This tree is environmental, because we have destroyed our environment, which even the British protectorate never destroyed, this comes because of the northern conflict during the LRA war, Dollo remarked.
My big heart goes to the three traditional dancers who have just performed the royal dance here; they came from Patongo, Adilang and Nam Okora from Gen.Tito Okello.
From Patongo Adilang those are Gen. Tito Okello people, those from Patongo and Adilang came from one person, three brothers who their father was called Lutongo, Lutongo gave birth Mr. Wipono from Adilang Mr. Akego from Nam-Okora, and Mr. Ogeny from Patongo people
You Acholi you must thank chiefdom of Patongo because they have given you Gen. Tito Okello Olara Otunnu and the Chief Justice Owiny Dollo
I want to applaud the person who beat the drum of Otole dance, the sound of his dream was talking and singing, from here you can hear it, but those who are far in the distance of three kilometers, at Awora -Anga will get the sound very well.
Adds that the Palugaa Otole dancer is the person who beat the dram. I want his contact, I would have joined the Palugaa Otole dancer, but if I had joined them, people would say I am a night dancer because when they see somebody with a suit, it looks bad.
Why should I join the Otole dancer of Palugaa, the other day when we met to discuss land issues, I sang for you the Payira song about land. There is a tribe in Ghana which talks about land in perpetuity, that land belongs to the unborn one, they say they are just caretakers of the land.
But, for us, we say the land we have inherited from our grandfather, customary land, is not true. When you say the land is customary land is not, we are keeping the land for our unborn generation.
The Palugaa Otole dancer sang about the land that when the British came and they planted survey marks on Got Goma, the British have put marlstone on Goma hill, so Payira took up arms to fight the British land grabber, they proposed the song.
The Palugaa says there are some people playing with the land issues, the Ghanaians never play with the land, and we just borrow from our forefathers.
‘’Yee Munu balo piny Hila in yee munu balo piny, sing lee ma coung wii got Goma Munu balo piny sing lee.
Acholi today sold the land to buy motor bikes, and built a single room where the waregi which is called Toleno is brought, the youth now called themselves they are the real men.
When they drink Toleno, they can run from here up to Lalogi Sub County 46 kilometer, but the next day you will become barrens
Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio warns the Toleno drinker, especially youths, that they will face the consequent, when you become barren, the moment you brother just smile with your wife, you want kill her even your brother, but you are the courser for your bareness. Explained that in Acholi your brother’s wife is also your wife.
You will take a spear, bow and arrow to kill your brother, the moment your wife happens to go to fetch, you will follow her, you will climb a tree and purportedly behave like a Monkey.
The Acholi community used the last funeral rite to settle disputes, solve family conflict and correct the bad blood.
Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamoi ridiculed the Acholi adage saying that, ‘’wan WA tamo lurok aye dek WA, literally mean, we always think that other tribes hate us. Gin ma rac ki wan Acholi pe waye ni wan wa rac, pe wa aye cimo wang wa Waco ni kaka mukene gin rac
We always think that other tribes in Uganda do not wish us well, but we also wish other tribes well. A case in point, for the last 50s we have been crying foul that President Amin; the former Uganda dictator, killed Bridger Prino Okoya, the former Uganda Deputy Army Commander.
But, who paid reparation for the late Bridger Okoya, was it not the son of Achoi who did the reconciliation ceremony, ‘’Pe Linito Acholi aye okati woko ni en aye ineko Okoya. Even if the late Bridger Okoya killing was masterminded by President Amin, the person who fired the bullet that killed the late Okoya was an Acholi man.
Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamoi says he support Mr. Oryem Okello; today Minister Oryem Okello told us that his father, the late Gen. Tito Okello OLutwa told him how the wife of the late Bridger Okoya was murdered in cold blood.
‘’Bridger Okoya wife was shoot when she was taking birth, she died kneeling down, the sign that she was praying, unless the killer of Bridger Okoya’s wife come forward and confess, so that he pay for the collective guilt.’’ Chief Justice warns.
Acholi in the past did not kill a woman, kill a child, or kill anyone who has eaten food from your home or kill someone who takes refugees at your home.
When you kill a woman, the cleansing process demands that you follow all the woman’s deeds, how women grind millet, simsim or chia, and collect firewood. But if you cannot do those things, cen pa dako ni tyeko doggola wuu woko, the evil spirit of the woman will kill all people from the family.
‘’The Karamajong warrior will kill you, but will not kill your son, he will slap the slaver in his hand and bless him, saying you grow up and become the man, in feather we shall face off with you, even the young one will cry before God for his innocence.
The visitor when he eats from your home, you don’t kill either, because he is now your relative, the person who is being pursued during a fight, when he enters your house, you will stand at the door step and vow and block the people who are following him.
When you let him go, on the way when he or she is killed, his blood will be upon you, you are the killer in Acholi tradition, you pay reconciliation ceremony.
Acholi tradition forbids troubleshoots, forbids rumormongers, forbids lustful, forbids adultery, for theft, shoplifter.
Now Zeru Abuka says here that those who marry the Labongo daughters, they are troubleshooters, no. Minister Onek, Gen. Otema and Minister Oryem Okello, they have brought cows to marry Labongo’s daughters, their cattle was brought in convey, ma dyang otingo ibe gi malo. Those who are having bustard at Labongo’s homestead are the troubleshooters, Justice Owinydollo-cigamio dismissed
In the past, Acholi homestead, like the home Labongo, would have 12 granaries from one side, and another 12 granaries from this side, Justice Owiny Dollo pointing left and right.
He says, a new marriage girl would walk majestically to expose her calves, with full force to expose her full womanhood.
Chief Justice In joking, but looking tense, warns mourners who sit in hundred thousand positioning themselves quietly listening to him, the mother-in-law will not call the person who marries her daughter in Acholi that is my in-law son, but will call him my son. However, her son will call them the in-law brothers.
Thank you, the late Alfred Labongo, left a big homestead and powerful real home of Acholi, because we are using today’s occupation, me yero cilo ma tye igang man, to iron out all pending issues in this family. Before the advent of the colonial master destroyed the backbone of our tradition norms we were in heaven on earth
We thank you Alfred Labongo, go in peace, today we let you go, go and meet our Lord God and plead for us, we shall meet again in peace, Justice Owiny Dollo-Cigamio.
