Traditional lifestyle of the Luo
Social Organization
The basic social unit of the Luo was the family. The l= uo valued large families and therefore practiced polygamy. Jadoung (big one) referred to the head of the family. Several families traced their origin to= a common ancestor formed a clan. Within a clan there existed a council of eld= ers called the doho. Members of the doho were responsible for settling inter cl= an conflicts. Above the doho was the oganda (group of clans). At the oganda le= vel was a council of elders (buch piny) whose chief elder was known as ruoth. T= he buch piny was the law of the land and administered everything on behalf of = the luo community.
The luo believed in a super natural being called Nyasa= e. Nyasae was believed to be the creator and answered their prayers. Sacred shrines and trees existed for sacrificial purpose. Huge rocks, high hills a= nd even the lake were associated with the supernatural. Ancestral spirits were honored and for reason children were named after the dead so as to appease = the spirits
The luo engaged in cattle rearing, fishing, farming and craftsmanship. They made pots, baskets, ornaments and stools. They also made clothing items from goatskin and sisal. In addition they also made boats and canoes, which they used when fishing
Unlike their neighbours and other communities in Kenya= , the luo did not practice circumcision but had a different initiation process altogether. Extraction of six lower teeth was carried out and this ritual w= as considered to be crucial as it was only after this stage that one could mar= ry
Men were allowed to marry as many wives as they wished provided that both didn’t belong to the same clan and that the man co= uld afford to marry. Among the luo the more wives one had the more wealthy one = was and therefore fathers took great care not to marry off their daughters to p= oor people as this was seen as a sign of laziness or a bad omen.