Instead, members of the group are expected
to cooperate through mutual and reciprocal
exchanges. Rather than engaging in excessive
behaviors of any kind, one is praised for one’s
moderation, humility, and respect for others in the
community. In a similar fashion, one must avoid
negative feelings and emotions because these can
only bring about more negativity in one’s life. In
the end, it is a strong Lovedu belief that smooth
relationships between people will ensure a peace-
ful and harmonious society.
Ama MazamaSeealsoRain; Rain Queen; Rituals
Further Readings
Jones, A. (2001).Looking for Lovedu. New York:
Alfred Knopf.
Krige, E. J., & Krige, J. D. (1943).The Realm of a Rain-
Queen. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Krige, J. D., & Krige, E. J. (1954). The Lovedu of the
Transvaal. In D. Forde (Ed.),African Worlds. Studies
in the Cosmological Ideas and Social Values of
African Peoples(pp. 55–82). London, New York:
The International African Institute and Oxford
University Press.
Mbiti, J. (1990).African Religions and Philosophy.
London: Heinemann.
LUGBARA
The Lugbara religion is practiced by the Lugbara
ethnic group of Uganda and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC). This ethnic group
is specifically located in the West Nile region of
Uganda and in the adjoining area of the DRC.
They speak a central Sudanic language that has its
roots deep in the Nile Valley. This entry begins
with an overview of their religious beliefs, fol-
lowed by a closer look at invocations and shrines,
two important parts of their religious practice.
Religious BeliefsThe Lugbara believe that the living and the Dead of
the same lineage exist in a permanent relationship
with each other. As a result, the Dead are aware of
the actions of the living and care for them because
they consider the living to be their children.
However, in some circumstances, the Dead may
send sickness to the living to remind them that they
are the acting custodians for the Lugbara lineages
and their shrines. The people conceive of the
Supreme Deity (Adroa, the creator of the universe)
as containing elements that lead to either good or
bad; that is, either in a guise that is remote and far
off, but benevolent (good), in which case he is
termedOnyiru, or in a guise in which he is close to
people (such as in the streams) and is dangerous
and bad, in which case he is known asOnzi.
Adroa is considered to have created the
universe and the world and then initiated the
Lugbara society by creating the super-human
Hero-Ancestors Gboro-Gboro (male) and Meme
(female) and some domestic livestock as the first
step. Many of the Lugbara traditions focus only
on Meme, whose womb was filled with all living
things of the world. A gazelle was the first crea-
ture to leave Meme’s womb, when it ruptured it
with its hoof. After this, all the animals come out,
with man being the last. The first human beings
are said to have been twins: Arube, a boy, and
O’duu, a girl. These twins, unlike their parents
Gboro-Gboro and Meme, were believed to be
ordinary human beings. Meme died immediately
after giving birth to these twins. It is said that
when these twins grew up, they married each
other and produced children who, through succes-
sive generations, multiplied to produce the
Lugbara society.
Ancestors are important in the lives of the
Lugbara people. For them the ancestors communi-
cate with the living, influence their luck, and can
be appeased by those in authority. As such, the
authority figures in the Lubara community, who
are known as lineage elders, play an integral part
in the lives of the rest of the Lugbara. A lineage
elder is said to “own” an ancestral shrine, and this
ownership serves to reinforce his power to com-
municate with the ancestors. The elder can invoke
a curse on a relative, and people with illnesses
often consult diviners to interpret the conditions
of their lives and determine which elder might
have caused the illness.
These ancestral shrines are of many kinds.
However, the most prominent ones are those386 Lugbara