Yakani Spirit in the Making of Spirituality and Social Order among the Lugbara of Uganda
Abstract
This was a historical study of the Yakani spirit among the Lugbara people of West Nile in Northwestern Uganda. The Yakani Spirit and cult continues to take a central position in the history and identity of the Lugbara of Uganda. Despite modernisation and Christianity, Yakani continues to thrive among the Lugbara people. The Yakani spirit played, and continues to play a critical role in the making of the Lugbara social order through the colonial period to the present. The objectives of the study included to: a) Trace the origin of Yakani spirit among the Lugbara; b) Explore the Lugbara perception on the concept of Yakani Spirit among the Lugbara people of North-Western Uganda, c) investigate the Yakani cult practice among the Lugbara and d) examine the extent to which Yakani spirit practice constituted a revolution during the colonial period. The key finding indicated that Yakani was a tool for fighting colonial rule, a transitional justice mechanism, and a means of healing the land. Yakani spirit and cult constituted a revolution and provided a cultural worldview of the Lugbara cosmological understanding of good and evil and the interconnectedness between the spiritual and physical worlds.
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