The cleansing ritual process among the Acholi of Northern Uganda.A case study of Amoko, Amoko Parish Latanya Subcounty Pader District Uganda

The Acholi traditional spiritual cleansing ritual of the angry spirit of LRA rebels, government soldiers and the local people who were killed during a firearm confrontation in Kulu Tem between Amoko and Amoko Lagwai along Latanya-Pader road was held in the Mid-morning of 23rd August 2024. The cleansing ritual was led by the cultural leaders “Kal Kwaro” of Latanya and was supported by KINGFO with funding from the Centre for Victim of Torture(CVT).

Arrival of participants.

On the day of the cleansing ritual, the participants arrived at the ritual site by 90:00 am. In Acholi culture, the interpretation of this time is “Nyango”. According to “Ker Kwaro” of Latanya, the appropriate time for cleansing is between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm. They believe the spirits at that time had calm hearts and were present at the place where they were killed or died. The heat from the sun after 12:00 am would have chased them away to seek shelter and made it hard for elders to perform the ritual under extreme heat. Therefore, it is the most appropriate period for spirits to be approachable and choose whether to feast or reject engagements with the community at the ritual.

?The participants at the ritual were composed of elderly women and men, clan leaders, representatives of the Acholi cultural institution “Kal Kwaro” Acholi of Latanya, adult community members, local leaders (LCII, LCI), Kitgum NGO Forum (KINGFO) and the Centre for Victim of Torture (CVT) as representatives of civil society organization. pregnant women and their husbands including children are not allowed at the event because the elders believed that the spirit would affect the mothers or the unborn babies and children may fail to follow the rules and procedures of the processes and this would render the cleansing ritual unsuccessful.

The cleansing ritual was led by a selected elderly male member from Kal Kwaro Latanya as a lead person for the ritual performance. He worked with a team of about seventeen (17) members of Kalkwaro which were composed of twelve (12) men and five (05) women.

Incantation to the angry spirit “Lamo Dok”

The ritual lead performance together with the participants incanted to the angry spirit about the sacrifice while stating that the problem and misfortune that always affect the people around Kulu Tem should end today. This was to prepare the sacrificial He goat to the unappeased or angry spirit.? “Lamo Dok” was the first step of a ritual performance to welcome the angry spirit to accept sacrifices.

?Piercing of the sacrificial He goat

The sacrificial He goat was laid down while two adults held the hind and front legs. One adult male closed the mouth of the Goat while the others looked on. A lead elder from Kalkwaro pierced through the stomachs of the live Goat as a sacrifice to the angry spirit in the area where the local people witness “Cen”, accidents, magic voice, and misfortune. This was a spot where government soldiers, local people and LRA rebels died during armed confrontation. The sacrificed goat did not make a sound and there was no flow of blood witnessed. To the elders, that was a good sign that the angry spirit has accepted the sacrifice.

Cutting out the “angry spirit’s delicacies” (stomach, and stomach residue- “Wee”)

After piercing through the stomach of the sacrificial He goat, one Male elder cut the stomach and the stomach residue. He removed the angry spirit's delicacies and mixed them with the millet flour as an offering to the angry spirit. The mixed stomach residues “wee” was a form of offer for the angry spirit to feed on and accept the sacrifice.

Spreading the mixed millet flour with stomach residue “Wee ki moko kal” by the Kalkwo and the Elders

The mixed stomach residues were then spread by the Kalkwo and other elders where the incident happened in all directions (east, west, south and north) with collective swearing that brought to an end of the problems or misfortune that were previously affecting the community around Kulu Tem. To the elders, spreading the mixed stomach residues signifies food offers to the angry spirit to appease them and not to bring misfortune again.

Skinning and slaughtering of the sacrificial He goat

The sacrificial He Goat was transferred from the ritual spot to under the tree shade “Tee yat Yar” where it was skinned and slaughtered by three young men. The purpose of the slaughtering was to prepare the sacrificed goat meat for cooking. The removed skin was thrown away. According to the elders, the removed skin is left behind which means all the misfortune is also left behind so that the ritual participants wouldn’t go with at home. The clotted blood remains found were spread where it was slaughtered for the spirit to feed on once they come back.

Gathering the firewood and making fire

About ten minutes after the sacrifice, the lead ritual performance, an elderly man, stood forward and instructed the ritual participants to locate a spot and set fire to cook the sacrificial goat meat. Firewood was gathered and piled for about 9 meters under the tree “Tee yat Yar” on the east side of the road. Two spots were created and prepared with firewood and It was lit on fire with bundles of grass gathered from around the bushy ground.

Roasting the selected part of the sacrificed goat to the elders: The elders selected some parts of the sacrificial goat meat to be roasted before it was cooked. One of the male elders from Kal Kwaro instructed two adult men to roast these parts “Acwiny, Lak Nget, Kapumutu”. According to the elders, these parts are not being tasted by young people until when its tasted first by the elders. To them, it signifies respect during the ritual. After the elders divided, they gave some to the ritual participants. After eating the roasted part of the sacrificial He goat, the elders, and Kalkwaro started drinking alcohol “Kongo Arege”. In Acholi culture, this was an enjoyment that the ritual was successfully done.

Cooking the sacrificed He goat meat: The sacrificial He goat meat was cooked by three women and one man. It was cooked on two saucepans and water from the stream was used when cooking. According to the elders, stream water is usually used when performing rituals. The millet flour was mingled by an elderly woman and was later put on a tree leave “Pot Yat Oduku”. To them, this tree leaves are used in Acholi culture in performing rituals for the angry spirit or other common deaths that require cleansing.

Serving of the ritual meal.

The ritual meal was served by two elderly women to the participants at the ritual event. According to the elders, women are the ones who are supposed to serve ritual meals. To them, its signifies respect and upholding their roles in ritual as provided for in their norms and values as Acholi community.

?Eating of the ritual meal:

The lead ritual performance instructed the ritual participants to be in a group before eating. The elders sat differently as well as young men and women. According to the elders sitting differently was arranged to show respect. The ritual meal was served by three elderly women. However, using soap to wash hands before and after eating was prohibited. According to them in their culture, soap is not being used during the ritual as a way of following the traditional ritual guide and custom.

Precaution and departure: The Chairperson for Kal Kwo Latanya started by asking questions to the ritual participants. did the ritual go successfully? Then the participants replied that the ritual was good and they believed the angry spirit had accepted the offer and the rules for the ritual performance were followed. Chairperson for Kal Kwo, for the last time, sought the attention of the participants to deliver his remarks before all departed to a designated location. All the misfortune that has been affecting the local community has gone today and everybody should be happy and free from today and onward, now everyone can leave the ritual site and proceed to a designated place. The ritual lead performance argued to all the participants to leave the ritual site and no one should remain behind. All the items used during the ritual (saucepan, plates, knives, panga, jerry can, and an axe) were carried along and all the participants left the ritual place to the designated place.

Post ritual gathering:

The participants from the ritual ground all gathered in the designated place about 01 Kilometre south of the ritual ground. Besides other members were preparing food where the ritual validation gathering was held. The ritual validation meeting was attended by the community members, members of Kal Kwaro Latanya, and the local leaders which constituted a total of thirty-six participants (27 Male and 9 Female). The chairperson Kalkwaro Latanya started by appreciating the team of Kal Kwo and the community for their participation in the successful cleansing ritual. He argued that there is still a lack of happiness among the community of Amoko because they have gone through a lot of trauma due to atrocities that happened and KINGFO's support for this ritual was very important in bringing back hope to the community.

One of the KINGFO team has appreciated the effort of Kal Kwaro and the community of Amoko and Amoko Lagwai for this successful community-led event. The ritual validation meeting was officially closed by the LCI chairperson of Amoko Okwele village.

Lastly, food was served to all; visitors departed, and the community sat back to enjoy soft drinks and the local breweries they have prepared.

Gender roles in the ritual

Men's roles during the ritual were directing all processes for the ritual cleansing, taking the sacrificial He goat to the ritual site and collecting and making fire. Men were also involved in appeasing the angry spirit. These included piercing the stomach of the sacrificial He goat, removing the angry spirit delicacies and mixing it with the millet flours as offer to the spirits. There were also inclusive gender roles for some processes conducted during the ritual cleansing event i.e. Both men and women were involved in cooking the sacrificial goat meat, spreading the mixed angry spirit delicacies “wee” as an offer to the spirits. Men and women were also engaged in the incantation “Lamo Dok” to appease the angry spirit and to welcome the sacrifice. However, women's roles during the ritual event were blessing “Goyo Laa” for a successful cleansing ritual event, fetching water for cooking the sacrificial goat meat, serving the ritual meal to the ritual participants and collecting the ritual items used.

?