Legend has it that the Luo people who migrated southwards along the Nile from Bahr-el-Ghazal in Sudan had happily lived together and settled in the area currently known as the Murchison Falls National Park and the current West Nile region.
King Olum, a brother of Ovungu, Atira, Chuwa, Nyangan, and others, was the father of three sons: Nyipir/Gipir, Nyabongo/Labongo, and Thiful/Ciful (as referred to by the Alur people – The Acholi people refer to them as Gipir, Labongo, and Gipul or Cipul respectively). King Olum’s father was Opodho, a son of Nyilak, who is said to have been the daughter of the paramount chief Kwonga. (Another source points at Nyilak as the daughter of King Kyabambi). Nyilak’s father had envisioned her to inherit the throne upon maintaining her virginity till the tenth millet harvest. Nyilak however fell short of her father’s expectations when she got pregnant by one Ocak who lived in the sky. She gave birth to Opodho, Olum’s father. Nyilak plotted with Opodho to kill Kwonga with the royal spear. This resulted in the installation of Opodho as king. He was later succeeded by his son Olum. Following Olum’s death, Nyilak took care of his three children: Nyipir/Gipir, Nyabongo/Labongo, and Thiful/Ciful.
Nyipir/Gipir and Nyabongo/Labongo conflicted over the throne after their father’s death. One day, an elephant came to eat millet in Nyipir/Gipir’s garden. Nyipir/Gipir rushed to Nyabongo/Labongo’s house to borrow a hunting spear. Finding him absent, an impatient Nyipir/Gipir walked into the house, made off with the spear, and wounded the elephant, which ran away with the spear stuck to its body. He tried to follow it but in vain.
Nyabongo/Labongo was furious when he learnt that Nyipir/Gipir had lost his ancestral spear, snubbing Nyipir/Gipir’s offer of a replacement. Dejected, Nyipir/Gipir told his wives to prepare him some food (roasted peas called “peke”) and to fill his gourd with water. Determined to find the spear, he picked his horn, blew it, and told his brother, “If you hear the sound of this horn, know that I am back with your spear. If you hear nothing, I am dead. Do not moan, but beat the royal drum for the ritual ceremony. Stay well.”
By the evening of his first day in the wilderness, he began to complain of pain in his leg: “Anaku tyenda ee kwe” (“I have dragged my leg in vain”). The place was named Anaka. The sun rose and he continued his journey for days, following the footprints of the elephant till he reached a place full of bats. He lamented: “An dong awotho bor” (“I have now moved too far.”). The place was later called Pabo, (“Far away from home.”) There he sat down and made a fire on a piece of wood. After then killed seven bats, roasted, and ate two of them.
Nyipir/Gipir continued northwards for days till he suddenly caught sight of an old woman – partly human and partly elephant.
“What brings you here, my son,” the old woman asked.
Kneeling down, he replied: “I am looking for an elephant that ran away with my spear.”
The old woman went on: “What are you carrying on your back?”
He replied: “I am carrying roasted peas (peke), the food I am depending on in the wilderness.”
She requested: “Can you give me some to eat?”
Nyipir/Gipir poured some peke in the old woman’s pot and gave her two roasted bats. She also asked for some tobacco to smoke.
She thanked him and said: “Apa mini woro muke, awadifo!” (“How good your foot is! It allowed you to find me. Thank you.”). And the place was named Apa, around Adjumani, meaning ‘The place where Nyipir/Gipir’s foot reached to find the spear.’
As she smoked, the old woman sent Nyipir/Gipir to fetch some drinking water for her. She then led him into her hut and told him to pick his spear from those in her room. Nyipir/Gipir looked around but could see no spear. As the old woman drank the water, Nyipir/Gipir’s vision improved and he was able to see the spear.
“Here it is!” he exclaimed with joy, handing it to the old woman.
She later returned the spear to Nyipir/Gipir who swore before Nyambogo never to hurl a spear at an elephant again, or else his race would forever be haunted by elephants. This is why hunting elephants is forbidden among the Luo.
Nyambogo also gave Nyipir/Gipir some beads (apaya) to wear around his neck to guard him against the forest beasts and other ills that may befall him on the throne. She also warned him to keep the beads as one of his royal regalia. Since then, these beads have become part of the royal regalia among the Luo.
It took Nyipir/Gipir three years in the wilderness before he came back with Nyabongo/Labongo’s spear. While in the wilderness, legend has it that Thiful/Ciful slept with one of Nyipir/Gipir’s wives and made her pregnant.
As he neared home, he sounded his horns several times to signal to his brother that he was coming back with his spear. Nyipir/Gipir, recalling the hard time he had in the wilderness, bitterly handed over the spear to Nyabongo/Labongo.
Days later, Nyipir/Gipir sat down to string his beads on a tendon (fuc). Nyawino, Nyabongo/Labongo’s wife, came along carrying her daughter, Nyakwin Tiniri. As she sat to admire the uniqueness and beauty of the beads, the girl suddenly picked one and swallowed it.
Like fire on a bleeding wound, a fierce quarrel developed as Nyipir/Gipir took vengeance for Nyabongo/Labongo’s spite against him over the spear. He also demanded his bead there and then from Nyabongo/Labongo. Nyabongo/Labongo pleaded with Nyipir/Gipir to wait for the child to pass out the bead, but it was an offer Nyipir/Gipir would not accept. So, Nyabongo/Labongo had no option except to cut open his child’s stomach to get Nyipir/Gipir’s bead. Thus, Nyabongo/Labongo paid for his royal desire by shedding his child’s blood.
A big quarrel ensued between the brothers as other clansmen watched on at their uncle’s (Ovungu) place near the bank of the Nile. Embittered, Nyabongo/Labongo gave a spear to Nyipir/Gipir to hold and swear by. They vowed never to meet again as brothers, but as enemies on the battlefield, who would not spare one another. Concluding the vows, Thiful/Ciful ceremoniously cast the ancestral axe in the Nile
waters, going deep to the bed of the river and splitting the Nile waters into two to allow Nyabongo/Labongo and his people to cross to the east as Nyipir/Gipir and his people moved to the west.
The Alur people refer to the place of separation as Wang-Lei or Wadhi-Lei. “Wang” refers to ‘where’, while “Lei” means ‘axe’ and Wadhi ‘landing site’. To the Alur, Wang-Lei, therefore, translates as the site where the axe was cast in the River Nile as a symbol of separation between two brothers. The Acholi people refer to the site as Wang-Wat-Latong, with similar meaning.