The Luwo (also called Jur Chol and Luo of Bahr el Ghazal) are a

Nilotic The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...

ethnic group that live in the western parts of

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. They are part of a larger group of ethno-linguistically related

Luo peoples The Luo, (also spelled Lwo) are several ethnically and linguistically related Nilo-Semitic ethnic groups that inhabit an area ranging from Egypt and Sudan to South Sudan and Ethiopia, through Northern Uganda and eastern Congo (DRC), into we ...

of East Africa. They speak the

Jur language Jur, also known as Luwo (Luo, ''Dheluwo''), is a language spoken by the Luwo people of Bahr el Ghazal region in South Sudan. The language is predominantly spoken in the western and northern parts of Bahr el Ghazal. The language is part of the ...

which is a Northern Luo language. They are related to the

Dholuo The Dholuo dialect (pronounced ) or ''Nilotic Kavirondo'', is a dialect of the Luo group of Nilotic languages, spoken by about 4.2 million Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania, who occupy parts of the eastern shore of Lake Victoria and areas to the ...

speaking Joluo of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. The date of divergence is estimated to have been about eight centuries ago. their closest relatives however, are the

Anyuak The Anyuak, also known as Anyua and Anywaa, are a Luo peoples, Luo Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of East Africa. The Anuak belong to the larger Luo family group. Their language is referred to as Dha-Anywaa. They are primarily found in Gambe ...

and Pari

Name

The Luwo are known to the Dinka as Jur Chol which is an exonym taken from the

Dinka language Dinka (natively , or simply ) is a Nilotic dialect cluster spoken by the Dinka people, the major ethnic group of South Sudan. There are several main varieties, Padang, Rek, Agaar, Bor, Hol, Twic East, Twic, which are distinct enough (though m ...

(compare

Jur Beli The Jur Beli (also, Jurbiel and Beli) are an ethnic group living in South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bor ...

). Some Luo politicians object to the name.

Culture

The Luo reside in their lands Piluwo or Luwo Land in the

Jur River The Jur River (also Sue River) is a river in western South Sudan, flowing through the Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria regions. About long, it flows north and northeast, joining the Bahr el Ghazal River on the western side of the Sudd wetlands. The ...

and Wau counties of

Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and is the least populous state in South Sudan, according to the controversial Sudanese census conducted in 2008. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. ...

State and in Aweil Center County of

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km² and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. It borders East Darfur in Sudan to the north, Western Bahr el Ghazal to the west and south, and Warrap and the dis ...

State. The Luo are also

sedentary Sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle type, in which one is physically inactive and does little or no physical movement and or exercise. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying down while engaged in an activity like soci ...

, meaning they have a centralized living area. They grow

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

es, and

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

s. They can

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

hunt Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...

, and beekeep, making them a well-rounded society.

Population

The Luwo are one of the smaller tribes of South Sudan with population about 171,000 - by some accounts the Luo are the 8th largest ethnic group in South Sudan. They may be found in Aweil, Wau and

Tonj Tonj is a city in South Sudan. Location The city is located in ''Tonj South County'', Warrap State, in northwest South Sudan. Its location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. It lies on ...

states or in

and

states by the pre-2015 organisation. A census conducted in 1983 put their population at 80,000.

Notable people

Joseph Ukel Abango Joseph Ukel Abango (born 1939), commonly known as Joseph Ukel, is a veteran-politician of what is now South Sudan and an educationalist by profession. Professional career Joseph Ukel was born in January 1939 in Achot, a village close to the t ...

, former Minister of General Education in South Sudan *Gen

James Ajonga Mawut James Ajongo Mawut (1 January 1961 – 20 April 2018) Was the Chief and top General of the South Sudanese Military, the South Sudanese Peoples Defence Force, (SSPDF). He was appointed on 9 May 2017 and took-over the office on 10 May 2017 after he ...

, Army Chief of Staff in the

Sudan People's Liberation Army The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the army of the South Sudan, Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 198 ...

* Elias Waya Nyipuoc, first Governor of

Wau State Wau may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Papua New Guinea * Wau, Papua New Guinea * Wau Airport (Papua New Guinea) * Wau Rural LLG, (local level government) South Sudan * Wau State * Wau, South Sudan City * Wau railway station * Wau ...

* Mark Nyipuoch, former Governor of

and Current Deputy Speaker of South Sudan's National Legislative Assembly * Mary Jarvis Yak, Deputy Minister of Finance in South Sudan * Archbishop Erneu Dut Wien, First South Sudanese

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Bishop and Archbishop. * Jarvis Yak, First South Sudanese

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

governor in 1960s. *

Joseph Garang Joseph Ukel Garang Wel (1932 – 28 July 1971) was a southern Sudanese politician in the 1960s. Education and career Garang attended St. Antony's Bussere (1944–1948) and Rumbek Secondary School (1949–1953). In 1957, he became the first So ...

, First South Sudanese to Graduate from Faculty of Law *

Mathiang Muo Mathiang Mauot Muo (born 4 March 1987) is an Australian-South Sudanese professional basketball player for the Joondalup Wolves of the NBL1 West. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States between 2009 and 2013 before jo ...

Pione Sisto Pione Sisto Ifolo Emirmija (; born 4 February 1995) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Danish club Midtjylland. He began his professional career with Midtjylland of the Danish Superliga, making 114 total appearanc ...

References

{{authority control Ethnic groups in South Sudan