Adhola people

The Adhola people, also known as

Jopadhola, are a Nilotic ethnic group of
Luo peoples that live in Tororo District of
Eastern Uganda and comprise about eight
percent of the country's total population.[3]
They speak Dhopadhola, (a Luo language),
which belongs to the Western Nilotic
branch of the Nilotic language family.[4]
They are primarily pastoralists. The
Jopadhola call their land Padhola which,
according to historian Bethwell Ogot, is an
elliptic form of “Pa Adhola” meaning the
"place of Adhola", the founding father of
the Jopadhola people. Officially, land of
the Adhola is called Padhola, but the
Baganda who misinterpret 'Widoma' – a
Dhopadhola word for 'war cry' meaning
'You are in trouble' refer to the Jopadhola
as "Badama".[5] The social structure of the
Jopadhola can be described as semi
centralised because there is no traditional
centralized government and its
organization is limited to a clan called
Nono.[6] There are over 52 clans, each with
cultural practices, common ancestry and a
distinct lineage.[7]
 Adhola

Total population

481,816 (2014 census)[1][2]

Regions with significant populations

 Uganda

Languages

Adhola, English

Religion

Christianity, Traditional faith

 Related ethnic groups

Other Luo peoples, especially Alur and Luos

Adhola

Person Japadhola

People JopAdhola

Language Dhopadhola

Country Padhola

Jopadhola traditional justice

Clans reproduce their notion of an
independent court called 'koti' using an
abridged legal doctrine of separation of
powers, and partially mimicking lower level
government(local councils) and judicial
features.[8] The koti conflates executive
and judicial functions, furthermore, legal
qualifications are largely irrelevant. The
composition of the koti aims to achieve
age and gender parity through the
appointment of youth and women
representatives. The election of office
bearers is based on fulfilling social
obligations to kin through meritocracy, and
to protecting of the clan from evil through
ritual (chowiroki).[7] Dr. Maureen Owor
argues that given the fact that the court
and litigants are personally acquainted as
kin, Jopadhola clans appear to have
created an "expanded" notion of "judicial"
independence – one that is culturally
appropriate for their local African
context.[7]

History
The Jopadhola arrived in southeastern
Uganda in the 16th century during the long
journey Luo migration from Egypt. They
first settled in central Uganda, but
gradually moved southwards and
eastwards. Their kin who settled northern
and central Uganda are Acholi and Alur
populations, who speak languages similar
to Dhopadhola. They settled in a forested
area as a defence against attacks from
Bantu neighbours who had already settled
there.[3] Unlike some other small Luo
tribes, this self-imposed isolation helped
them to maintain their language and
culture amidst Bantu and Ateker
communities.[9][10]

Those Luo who proceeded their migration

eastwards into present day Kenya and
Tanzania are the JoLuo (commonly
referred to only as Luo).[8]

Legend has it that Owiny, the leader of the

Kenyan Luo was the brother of Adhola the
leader of the Jopadhola who decided to
settle in Tororo instead of going along with
his brother towards Kenya and
Tanzania.[10]
Language
Jopadhola speak a language which is
mutually intelligible with Acholi language,
Alur language of Uganda and Dholuo
language of Kenya.[4] They call their
language Dhopadhola.[10][6] The prefix dho
means "language of" and jo means "people
of". The infix pa means possessive 'of' –
hence Jopadhola means people of Adhola,
and Dhopadhola the language of the
Jo'padhola.[9][6][4]
References
1. "Uganda" (https://minorityrights.org/countr
y/uganda/) . World Directory of Minorities
and Indigenous Peoples.

2. Uganda Bureau of Statistics. "National

Population and Housing Census 2014 -
Main Report" (https://www.ubos.org/wp-co
ntent/uploads/publications/03_20182014_
National_Census_Main_Report.pdf) (PDF).

3. "Buganda, Tieng Adhola strengthen cultural

relations - Buganda Royal Kingdom" (http://
buganda.or.ug/index.php/news/299-bugan
da-tieng-adhola-strengthen-cultural-relation
s) . buganda.or.ug. Retrieved 2020-05-30.

4. "The arrival of Jopadhola, Iteso in present

day Tororo District" (https://www.monitor.c
 o.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/The-arrival-o
f-Jopadhola--Iteso-in-present-day-Tororo-Di
strict/689844-3997208-l9rteuz/index.htm
l) . Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2020-05-30.

5. Ogot, Bethwell (1967). History of the

Southern Luo: Volume 1: Migration and
Settlement 1450–1500. East African
Publishing House. p. 85.

6. Wanga, Pamela Edwinah; Jagire, Jennifer

M. (2015), "Naming Traditions: The African
American and Luo/Jopadhola Lwo
Experiences" (http://sk.sagepub.com/refere
nce/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-african-cultur
al-heritage-in-north-america/i5294.xml) ,
The SAGE Encyclopedia of African Cultural
Heritage in North America, SAGE
Publications, Inc.,
 doi:10.4135/9781483346373.n208 (https://
doi.org/10.4135%2F9781483346373.n20
8) , ISBN 978-1-4522-5821-8, retrieved
2020-05-30

7. Owor, Maureen (2012). "Creating an

Independent Traditional Court: A Study of
Jopadhola Clan Courts in Uganda" (https://r
esearch-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/32
082556/Owor_Creating_independent_traditi
onal_court_Oct_2012.pdf) (PDF). Journal
of African Law. 56 (2): 215–242.
doi:10.1017/S0021855312000095 (https://
doi.org/10.1017%2FS002185531200009
5) . hdl:1983/482a5260-c690-429c-968a-
c05aab240e40 (https://hdl.handle.net/198
3%2F482a5260-c690-429c-968a-c05aab24
0e40) .
8. Owor, Maureen (October 2012). "Creating
an Independent Traditional Court: A Study
of Jopadhola Clan Courts in Uganda" (http
s://www.cambridge.org/core/product/ident
ifier/S0021855312000095/type/journal_arti
cle) . Journal of African Law. 56 (2): 215–
242. doi:10.1017/S0021855312000095 (htt
ps://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0021855312000
095) . hdl:1983/482a5260-c690-429c-
968a-c05aab240e40 (https://hdl.handle.ne
t/1983%2F482a5260-c690-429c-968a-c05a
ab240e40) . ISSN 0021-8553 (https://www.
worldcat.org/issn/0021-8553) .

9. "Uganda - Customs, Duties & Tariffs".

Foreign Law Guide. doi:10.1163/2213-
2996_flg_com_193046 (https://doi.org/10.1
163%2F2213-2996_flg_com_193046) .
10. Oboth Ofumbi, A. C. K (1960). Lwo
(Ludama) Uganda: History and customs of
the Jo Padhola. Makerere University: Eagle
Press.

Oboth-Ofumbi, A.C.K., Silver Tanga

Padhola, East African Literature Bureau,
Nairobi, 1959
Ogot, B.A. History of the southern Luo,
East African Publishing House, Nairobi,
1967
Owor Maureen,"Creating an Independent
Traditional Court: A Study of Jopadhola
Clan Courts in Uganda" Journal of
African Law (http://research-informatio
n.bristol.ac.uk/files/32082556/Owor_Cr
 eating_independent_traditional_court_O
ct_2012.pdf) (2012) 56/2 pp 215–242.

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