ong’ong’a famine Widespread famine in Luoland in 1889
oporo Horn from a bull or a buffalo, which gives a low-pitched booming sound; used to sound an attack
orkoiyot Spiritual leader of the Nandi tribe
orundu Traditional Luo kitchen garden
oseke Large communal pot from which elders sip with a long wooden straw
otia The best-quality traditional Luo beer, brewed from sorghum flour
Pakwach See Pubungu
panga Broad-bladed machete
Port Florence Early name given to the town on the shores of Lake Victoria now called Kisumu; named after Florence Preston, wife of the Uganda Railway’s chief foreman plate layer Ronald Preston
powo Tree with a very smooth surface used as a door post in a traditional Luo house
Pubungu A large military encampment established by the Luo in the mid-fifteenth century, located near Pakwach in Uganda
Rift Valley A large geographical feature running north-south through Kenya; the Rift Valley province is one of Kenya’s seven administrative provinces outside of Nairobi
rinderpest Also known as cattle plague, a contagious viral infection that affects cattle, buffalo, and some wildlife and that devastated large numbers of animals in Kenya during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
River-Lake Nilotes Ethnic group from southern Sudan; a breakaway group migrated to Kenya and became known as the Luo
ruoth Luo chief
Seventh-Day Adventists Often known as the Adventists or the SDAs; a Christian denomination that observes Saturday as the Sabbath and established a mission in Kendu Bay in 1904
Shilluk Third-largest Nilotic tribe in southern Sudan
Siaya district One of twelve administrative districts that make up the Nyanza province of western Kenya
simba Traditional Luo hut of a young man, located inside his father’s compound
Simbi Kolonde Small village near Kendu bay and birthplace of Akumu, paternal grandmother of President Obama
simsim Arabic word for sesame
singo Form of traditional Luo barter
siwindhe Traditional Luo hut of a grandmother
slug map An ambitious but ultimately misleading representation of East Africa by Johannes Rebmann, which shows a single huge lake in the center of Kenya; dated c. 1855
smallpox Infectious viral disease that results in a rash and blisters on the body, with a 30 percent mortality rate unless treated
south Nyanza The part of Nyanza province that lies to the south of Winam Gulf
southern Sudan The mainly Christian region in the south of Sudan that experienced a protracted conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the Muslim government forces in the north and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army in the south
spear-and-bead story Mythical story about a conflict between two brothers over the loss of a spear and a bead; the story is retold by a large number of East African ethnic groups, including the Luo
Sudd Vast swamp in southern Sudan formed by the flooding of the White Nile; the name comes from the Arabic word sadd, which means “block” or “barrier”
Swahili Comes from the Arabic sawīhilī, meaning “of the coast”; a Bantu language widely used throughout East Africa (see also Kiswahili)
Tanganyika East African territory lying between the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria; originally called Deutsch-Ostafrika or German East Africa before the First World War, and then known as Tanganyika under British colonial rule; see also Tanzania
Tanzania A republic consisting of twenty-six mikoa or regions; it became independent from British rule in 1961, and when the country merged with Zanzibar in 1964, the new nation took the name Tanzania
tero buru Literally “taking the dust”; a traditional Luo funeral ceremony to scare away the dead spirits
Thika A small town northeast of Nairobi, on the route upcountry toward the popular farming land around the foothills of Mount Kenya
thimlich Dholuo word meaning “frightening dense forest”
Thimlich Ohinga Fortified Luo settlement in south Nyanza dating from before the 1700s
tipo The invisible part or “shadow” of a person, which when combined with the visible part creates life
tong’ ker A royal spear
Tororo Town in eastern Uganda that was an important staging post during the Luo migration in the fifteenth century
tung’ A small sheep’s horn that makes a high-pitched wailing sound audible over a long distance
trypanosomiasis Sleeping sickness
ugali The Swahili name for a dough made from hot water and maize; a staple food in East Africa
Uganda A landlocked former British colony in central Africa that takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Buganda; it became independent of British rule in October 1962
Uganda Railway The railway system that links Mombasa on the Indian Ocean with the interior; the railway was completed in 1901 when it reached Port Florence (now called Kisumu), but it was subsequently extended between 1913 and 1964
ujamaa A dogmatic and inflexible form of socialism in Tanzania introduced by Julius Nyerere
University of Hawaii Alma mater of Barack Obama senior, where he studied economics between 1959 and 1962
uyoma Luo witch doctor or shaman
Victoria, Lake The second-largest freshwater lake in the world, bordered by Uganda to the west and Kenya and Tanzania to the east
Wanandi Early name for the Nandi people
wazungu See mzungu
western Nilotes See River-Lake Nilotes
White Nile One of two main tributaries of the river Nile (the other being the Blue Nile); the White Nile has its source in the mountains of Burundi and is more than 2,300 miles long
Winam Gulf A large enclosed bay in the northeastern corner of Lake Victoria, formerly known as the Kavirondo Gulf
Young Kavirondo Association Political organization formed by the Luo in 1921 to represent their grievances against what they considered to be unjust British colonial rule; it later became known as the Kavirondo Taxpayers’ Welfare Association, with a greatly reduced influence
yweyo liel Literally the “cleansing of the grave,” when the family compound is cleaned after the death of the husband
Zanzibar An island off the east coast of Africa, originally under British control from around 1890; now a semiautonomous region of the United Republic of Tanzania
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PETER FIRSTBROOK worked for the BBC for twenty-five years as a director and producer, specializing in history and international documentaries and winning more than thirty international filmmaking awards. His previous books include Lost on Everest, which was published in seven languages.
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