Evening star., 1940-02-24

sNOsSOSVN " SSsSuSS We
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
Emile Mzeri Kusaka Kisoms Msulwa
Nyange sanekondo Kilangilo Mwevuti
Mwempanga Mzimba Zaamaria Zaan-
dangwa.
This is q poor fellows name. When
anybody asks him his name that is what
he tells them and when he is through he
has told much Of the story Of his life.
Among the Wanguru of the British Tan
ganyika protectorate Of East Africa he
has a fairly short, simple, plebian name.
Some Of the customs Of the people
with the longest names on earth have
just been reported to the Catholic An
thropological Conference by Rev. Thomas
McVicar, formerly missionary among
them. Emile, by the way, has q few
other names which he doesn't tell to
strangers, lest they work some direful
magic upon him.
The boys family, says Father Mcvicar,
happen to be good Christians. Emile"
is Christian name. The next two names
in the list are the first names of his
paternal and maternal grandfathers. II
the baby had been a girl she would have
been burdened with the names of both
her grandmothers. "Msulwa" was the
family name of his mother. He got 1t
from the midwife in attendance at his
birth. According to the custom of the
tribe, she might just as well have be-
slowed her own name upon him.
"Nyange" is the name of an important
chief of his clan. 1t fixes his position in
tribal society. 1t means special kind of
frog that shoots water behind it every
time it jumps.
He cannot be addressed by that name
directly. When a fellow tribesman
meets him he says "Sevijula," meaning,
There are many frogs in the river" The
boy. will reply that there is one special
kind of frog whose name he bears.
"Sanekondo" is the name of his pater-
nal grandfather's sisters husband The
fact that one has a name of this sort is
explained by Father McVicar as follows:
1.-The day on which a girl is to marry
| the sisters of the bridegroom come to her
| house. The brides female relatives are
| present and the bride herself is hidden
away in corner. The groom's sisters
search for her and when they find her
| place a necklace of white beads around
| her neck and at the same time give her
| the name of their fathers sister. Later
| the brides first born, if girl, receives
this same name and If boy the name
| of the womans husband"
The rest of the names refer to his
maternal and paternal relatives, the
! place where he lives, the work he does,
and SO, on The name, Of course, be-
| comes rather cumbersome at times and
the fellow has a shorter name which
can be used by folks who are really
familiar with him, zaamwanamzimba
which means lion cub" since he hap
pens to belong to the clan OF the lion.
He would be very angry. however. If q
mere acquaintance addressed him so in
formally.
This particular chap. Father McVicar
says, got off lucky because he was a
very good baby. He accepted the name
given him at birth without crying. If
been taken to the tribal medicine man,
who would have concluded that he was
grieved because some dead ancestor S
name was not added to the list. The
| medicine man would have repeated the
names of all the ancestors until the child
stopped crying. The name which sup
| posedly had quieted him would be added
to the list. If he had another bad
crying spell the same formality would
have been gone through with once more
and still another name added.
Emile can't escape the weight of this
name, Father McVicar says, until he
himself becomes the father of a family
and some son or daughter exceeds him
in eminence. Then he will be referred
to by the name of his own offspring and
in his ripe old age may generally be
known by the name of q favorite
daughter.
| It may sound funny, says Father Nc
Vicar in his report. but not when you
have to keep parish records. make out
birth certificates, keep marriage records
straight and render proper homage to
the deceased at funerals. Then mis-
sionaries to the Wangurus sometimes
talk to themselves.
When Father McVicar first went
among these Negroes and learned little
| of the language he thought some of the
! children should be taught better man.
ners when he heard them addressing
| white-haired old grandfathers as SON."
| Then he found 1t was perfectly respect
| full
Ordinary relationships are only on the
side of the mother. All the fathers
relatives are children" regardless Of
their age. So, Father McVicar found, it
is perfectly proper for any youngster to
call his Observation-Disclosures on his
fathers side child" He would be
soundly spanked if he used the same
term for his mothers grandfather.
Writes in Defense
OF Elderly Pedestrians.
To the Editor of The Star:
| A Nationwide association of motor
lists reported some time ago that most
| pedestrians involved in fatal accidents