Luoland
Encyclopedia
Luoland is the tribal homeland of the Kenya Luo (also called Jo-Luo or Kavirondo), a people of western Kenya, also extending into eastern Uganda and northern Tanzania. This area consists roughly of the basin surrounding Winam Gulf
of Lake Victoria
. Non-Luo tribal areas abutting upon Luoland include those of the Padhola (to the west, in Uganda
), the Luhya and Nandi
(to the north), the Kipsigis (to the east), and the Gusii and Kuria (to the south).
The first Luo migrants to present day Luoland arrived from present day Uganda sometime around 1500 AD. The first European to enter Luoland was Joseph Thomson
who struggled into the Kavirondo village of Kabaras on 28 November 1883. (Thomson was shocked and made much ado over the habitual nakedness of the Luo which was in marked contrast with the tribes he had previously travelled among, but he ultimately decided that "morality has nothing to do with clothes" because the Luo were "the most moral of all the tribes in this region".)
Kisumu
is the largest town in Luoland, and also the third (or fourth) largest city in Kenya
.
Winam Gulf
Winam Gulf is a significant extension of northeastern Lake Victoria into western Kenya.Formerly known as Kavirondo Gulf, Nyanza Gulf, and Lake Nyanza Gulf, it is a shallow inlet and is connected to the main lake by Rusinga Channel , which is partly masked from the main body of the lake by islands...
of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. Non-Luo tribal areas abutting upon Luoland include those of the Padhola (to the west, in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
), the Luhya and Nandi
Nandi people
The Nandi people are a number of Kenyan tribes living in the highland areas of the Nandi Hills in Rift Valley Province who speak the Nandi languages. They are a sub-group of the Kalenjin people....
(to the north), the Kipsigis (to the east), and the Gusii and Kuria (to the south).
The first Luo migrants to present day Luoland arrived from present day Uganda sometime around 1500 AD. The first European to enter Luoland was Joseph Thomson
Joseph Thomson (explorer)
Joseph Thomson was a Scottish geologist and explorer who played an important part in the Scramble for Africa. Thomson's Gazelle is named for him. Excelling as an explorer rather than an exact scientist, he avoided confrontations among his porters or with indigenous peoples, neither killing any...
who struggled into the Kavirondo village of Kabaras on 28 November 1883. (Thomson was shocked and made much ado over the habitual nakedness of the Luo which was in marked contrast with the tribes he had previously travelled among, but he ultimately decided that "morality has nothing to do with clothes" because the Luo were "the most moral of all the tribes in this region".)
Kisumu
Kisumu
Kisumu is a port city in western Kenya at , with a population of 355,024 . It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter...
is the largest town in Luoland, and also the third (or fourth) largest city in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.