Abstract
This article discusses the role of British colonialism in the rise and development of Acholi ethnic identity in Uganda. The authors used oral tradition and archival sources to determine when and how the Acholi ethnicity evolved. They conducted interviews with key informants including chiefs, elders and opinion leaders. Their main argument is that the Acholi as a distinct and collective identity are a British creation. Before British colonialism, the Acholi were a divided people living under different chiefdoms numbering up to about sixty. The name ‘Acholi’ was non-existent. The people who became Acholi were known by the names of their respective chiefdoms. The British abolished those chiefdoms and in their place created a single ethnic identity called Acholi.
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