‘Dwete a Lango’: Lunar Timekeeping, Culture, and Sustainability in Northern Uganda
| dc.contributor.author | Agea, Jacob Godfrey | |
| dc.contributor.author | Eton, Marus | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-09T10:35:44Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-09T10:35:44Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-07-08 | |
| dc.description | The study contributes to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), Target 2.4, by demonstrating the role of indigenous knowledge systems, such as the Lango Lunar Calendar, in supporting climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable food production, and ecosystem management. It further advances SDG 13 (Climate Action), Target 13.1, by highlighting traditional environmental knowledge that enhances community adaptation to climate variability, as well as SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), Target 11.4, by preserving cultural heritage and indigenous practices. The research aligns with Uganda’s National Development Plan IV (NDP IV), particularly the Agro-Industrialisation Programme, the Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change, Land and Water Management Programme, and the Human Capital Development Programme, by promoting sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience, and indigenous education. Documentation of Dwete a Lango provides evidence to support the integration of indigenous knowledge into climate adaptation strategies, education curricula, and cultural preservation policies, thereby fostering sustainable rural development and community resilience in Uganda. | |
| dc.description.abstract | In this paper, we examined the Traditional Lango Lunar Calendar (Dwete a Lango) as an indigenous knowledge system that historically guided agriculture, food security, environmental management, social organisation, and cultural practices among the Lango people of Northern Uganda. The study was motivated by the rapid erosion of indigenous knowledge resulting from westernisation, modernisation, formal education, globalisation, religious transformation, climate variability, and changing socio-economic conditions. Despite its historical significance in organising rural livelihoods and maintaining ecological balance, the Lango lunar calendar has received limited scholarly documentation and analysis. We adopted a qualitative ethnographic research design grounded in indigenous knowledge and cultural ecology theories. Data were collected through oral interviews, focus group discussions, and document review involving elders, cultural leaders, farmers, herbalists, historians, academics, and local government officials from selected districts in the Lango sub-region. Findings revealed that the calendar comprised thirteen lunar months, each linked to distinct environmental conditions, agricultural activities, food systems, rituals, hunting practices, ceremonies, and social behaviours. It also functioned as an indigenous meteorological system that enabled communities to anticipate rainfall patterns, schedule planting and harvesting, manage hunger periods, coordinate cultural events, and guide childbirth and child naming according to the lunar month. However, the study established that the use of the calendar has declined markedly, and in some areas disappeared entirely, owing to westernisation, climatic unpredictability, religious influences, youth disengagement, and weak intergenerational knowledge transmission. Nevertheless, important elements remain relevant for climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, indigenous education, and cultural preservation. We conclude that revitalising the Lango lunar calendar could strengthen sustainable rural development, reinforce cultural identity, and enhance resilience through locally grounded knowledge systems. We therefore recommend systematic documentation, integration into educational curricula, promotion through community cultural revitalisation initiatives such as Itoogo me Lango, and supportive policies to preserve and sustain this valuable indigenous heritage. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Agea, J. G., & Eton, M. (2026). ‘Dwete a Lango’: Lunar Timekeeping, Culture, and Sustainability in Northern Uganda. African Journal of History and Geography, 5(1), 144-164. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2790-7597 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dir.muni.ac.ug/handle/20.500.12260/1017 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | East African Nature & Science Organization | |
| dc.subject | ‘Dwete a Lango’ | |
| dc.subject | ‘Itoogo me Lango’ | |
| dc.subject | Indigenous knowledge | |
| dc.subject | Lango lunar calendar | |
| dc.subject | Cultural ecology | |
| dc.subject | Agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Climate adaptation | |
| dc.subject | Seasonal systems | |
| dc.subject | Northern Uganda | |
| dc.title | ‘Dwete a Lango’: Lunar Timekeeping, Culture, and Sustainability in Northern Uganda | |
| dc.type | Article |