The unusual traditions practiced by the Luo tribe in Uganda

One tribe that has quite a set of unusual traditions is the Luo tribe also called Joluo or Jonagi/Onagi. This is a tribe in Uganda, Kenya and in Mara Region in northern Tanzania. People from this ethnic group speak 'Dholuo' which is part of the Nilotic language group.

The Luo people are famous for some unusual customs that are practised or formerly practiced. One of such is the custom where widows had to sleep in the same room with their late husband for a night before he is buried.

In addition to this, the bereaved lady is expected to dream of herself having sex with her dead husband. This, they say, allowed her to be free to remarry.

In the Luo tribe, it is also expected that a woman cannot get married before her older sister. If a lady takes a long time to accept a spouse, she is forced to get married to someone chosen for her.

This tribe also perform some sex rituals where a couple is mandated to have sex after a fight and/or before planting season. Another quite unusual tradition of the Luo tribe is compulsory female circumcision.

Some reports say if a lady isn't circumcised, she is considered odd. It is believed that the circumcision rite was commissioned by their polygamous male god known as Iresa, hence every lady must partake in it.

Also, traditionally, in the Luo tribe, children are named based on the conditions of the mother's pregnancy or delivery. This means a child’s name might be related to the season they were born.

Then there is the tradition where the “punsh” persons who commit suicide. This involves a process where the body of the person who committed suicide is flogged thoroughly and they are also buried outside the village in a place referred to as ‘gunda’.

Before the corpse is buried, it is canned and they believe this stops the victim’s ghost or evil spirits from roaming back to the home and prompting other people to kill themselves.

The Luo might have these unusual traditions but they are also particularly known for their musical skills and instruments.

Some notable persons from Luo tribe include the likes of the former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga; the former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama; and the environmental scientist and Nobel Prize winner, Professor Sam Odingo.