Naming as cultural epistemology: Knowledge, belief, and identity in Lango personal naming
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Date
2026-05-21
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East African Nature and Science Organization
Abstract
This epistemological study examined Lango personal naming practices among Northern Uganda’s Lango people as rich cultural narratives that encode identity, ecology, and spirituality. Employing a qualitative design grounded in interpretivist and constructivist paradigms, we analysed 131 personal names collected from 78 purposively selected elders, clan leaders, traditional birth attendants, linguists, and cultural custodians. Data were generated through in-depth interviews, key informant sessions, focus group discussions, and documentary analysis, conducted in Leb Lango and translated for thematic content analysis using open, axial, and selective coding. The findings organised names into eleven thematic domains: birth circumstances and physical conditions; environmental and ecological contexts; hardship, suffering, and resilience; joy, blessing, and prosperity; social conflict and relationships; spiritual and apotropaic functions; power, warfare, and strength; time, sequence, and birth order; place and spatial context; personality and destiny; and rituals, symbolism and kinship. Within these domains, names operate as micro-histories—descriptive, situational, and symbolic cultural artefacts that preserve lived realities and collective memory. Illustratively, Oceng/Aceng signifies daylight birth and social visibility; Alele encodes rainfall and ecological fertility; Okech/Akech reflects famine and resilience; while Owiti/Awiti embodies apotropaic protection through symbolic rejection. Contrasting with Western naming systems that often emphasise aesthetics, Lango anthroponymy reveals profound socio-cultural depth, embedding environmental awareness, emotional experience, and metaphysical beliefs into identity formation. Theoretically informed by symbolic interactionism, Geertzian thick description, and indigenous knowledge systems, the study positions Lango child naming as an epistemological practice through which knowledge is produced, transmitted, and sustained across generations. The study contributes to African onomastics by highlighting the specificity of Lango naming practices, particularly their agrarian ecological consciousness, unreserved acknowledgement of adversity, and protective metaphysical orientation. It underscores the urgent need for systematic documentation, integration of indigenous naming knowledge into educational curricula in Northern Uganda, and expanded comparative research across Nilotic societies to preserve and advance this dynamic and meaningful identity system.
Description
This paper examines United Nations SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 11 (Sustainable Communities) by showing how Lango personal names embody traditional knowledge. It supports adding this naming system to Uganda’s school programs to encourage learning that respects culture and keeps shared memories alive. In relation to Uganda's National Development Plan IV (NDP IV), the study aligns with the plan’s goals of developing people’s skills and building community identity. By describing eleven naming themes—like nature, strength, and spirituality—the paper shows how using local traditions can help keep culture alive, build social bonds, and pass on knowledge in Northern Uganda.
Keywords
Lango naming practices, Ethnolinguistics, Indigenous knowledge systems, African onomastics, Cultural identity, Symbolic interactionism, Northern Uganda.
Citation
Agea, J. G., & Eton, M. (2026). Naming as cultural epistemology: Knowledge, belief, and identity in Lango personal naming. East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion, 9(1), 251-273.