page_title: Lango people
section_title: Early history
hierarchical_section_title: Lango people / Early history
caption_attribution_description: English: Lango chief of Unyoro Kingdom
context_page_description: The Lango people live in north central Uganda. The region covers the area formerly Lango District until 1974, when it was split into the districts of Apac and Lira, and subsequently into several additional districts. The current Lango Region now includes the districts of Amolatar, Alebtong, Apac, Dokolo, Kole, Lira, Oyam, and Otuke. Their population is 2,131,495.
  The Lango speak “LebLango”, a dialect mutually intelligible with the Luo language. According to Driberg, a Luo of Kisumu in Kenya would at once understand, and in two months would readily speak LebLango.
context_section_description: The Lango Oral tradition states that they were part of the "Lango race" during the migration period. This group later split into several distinct groups before entering Uganda (see Tarantino, Odwe, Crazollara, Uzoigwe). The name “Lango” is found in Teso, Kumam, Karamojong, Jie, and Labwor vocabularies, reflecting that these groups once belong to the Lango race.
  Hutchinson (1902) states "One of the chief nations of the late kingdom of Unyoro are the Lango (Lango, Longo) people, who although often grouped with the Nilotic Negroes, are really of the Galla stock and speech. They form, in fact, an important link in the chain of Hamitic peoples who extend from Galla-land through Unyoro and Uganda southwards to Lake Tanganyika. Their territory which occupies both banks of the Somerset or Victoria Nile between Foweira and Magungo, extends eastwards beyond Unyoro proper to the valley of the Chol, one of the chief upper branches of the Sobat. They still preserved their mother tongue amid Bantu and Negroid populations, and are distinguished by their independent spirit, living in small groups, and recognising no tribal chief, except those chosen to defend the common interest in the time of war" (p. 360). Hutchinson (1902) adds "The Lango are specially noted for the care bestowed on their elaborate and highly fantastic head-dress. The prevailing fashion may be described as a kind of a helmet.... Lango women, who amongst the finest and most symmetrical of the Equatorial lake regions, wear little clothing or embellishments beyond west-bands, necklaces, armlets, and anklets" (p. 360).
caption: A Lango chief with elaborate headdress. Photo published in 1902.