The Aringa People of NorthWestern Uganda

The Aringa form a very definite sub-unit of the major tribal group of North West Uganda - The Lugbara - and number about 150,000. They live almost exclusively in the county that bears their name within the Arua district of Uganda and speak a dialect of Lugbara.

The Aringa area of Uganda experienced considerable contact with Muslims from Sudan in the middle of the 19th century and most Aringa wholeheartedly call themselves Muslim, though most don't follow the daily ‘salat’ prayers but content themselves with attendance at the Friday prayers at the local mosque. The vast majority of Aringa would be termed 'folk Muslim', mixing elements of Lugbara traditions with aspects of popular Islam. Witchcraft, cursing, sacrifices, divination and amulets are all common and there is widespread fear of the spirits. The Aringa are being targeted by Islam and there is increased mosque building and involvement by Islamic groups in education, health, development and farming.

GENERAL INFORMA'I'ION

Population: 150,000 30% Live in Urban Centres

Location: West Nile Region (Arua District)

Language: Dialect of Lugbara

Religion: 85% are Muslims

The Aringa form a very definite sub-unit of the major tribal group of North West Uganda - The Lugbara - and number about 150,000. They live almost exclusively in the county that bears their name within the Arua district of Uganda and speak a dialect of Lugbara.

The majority of Aringa are completely illiterate and most are involved in subsistence farming or petty trade around the numerous small trading centres and markets. Education, diet, water supply, health care and shelter are considered poor. The main diet consists of cassava and beans and the rural people eat one meal a day - in the evening. Crops of these mainly agricultural people are millet, cassava, peanuts, beans, sweet potatoes and rice.

However, by and large, the Muslim men do little farming, being content to let the women do the bulk of the labour. The most common and popular occupation for the Muslim men is to sit and talk around the market places. More than one wife brings esteem and honour. Decisions are made corporately, not individually, and opinions are greatly influenced by the Islamic teachers. The Aringa join together to defeat external forces and a person who does not co-operate is viewed as being a traitor.

Recreation is mainly Nubian type dancing which has much Arabic influence. They do blacksmith work and fashion bows, arrows, knives and axes.

CHRISTIAN WITNESS

There are, perhaps, 30 small Protestant churches in Aringa, most with a total congregation of less than 100 and an active congregation of less than 25. There are only 6 Pastors in the whole of the Aringa Archdeaconry and very few lay people with any significant Christian training. Generally, these churches exist as tiny islands in a Muslim 'sea'.