Dead Animal Names
Hadza has received some attention for a dozen 'celebratory' (Woodburn) or 'triumphal' (Blench) names for dead animals. These are used to announce a kill. They are (in the imperative singular):
| Animal | Generic name | Triumphal name |
|---|---|---|
| zebra | dóngoko | hantáhii |
| giraffe | zzókwanako | háwahii |
| buffalo | naggomako | tíslii |
| leopard | nqé, tcánjahi | henqéhee |
| lion | séseme | hubúhee |
| eland | khómatiko | hubúhii |
| impala | p(h)óphoko | dlunkúhii |
| wildebeest hartebeest |
bisóko qqeléko |
zzonóhii |
| other large antelope | hephéhee | |
| small antelope | hichíhee | |
| rhinoceros | tlhákate | hukhúhee |
| elephant hippopotamus |
beggáhuko wezzáhiko |
kapuláhii |
| warthog boar |
dláha kwai |
hatcháhee |
| baboon | neeko | nqokhóhii |
| ostrich | khenángu | hushúhee |
The words are somewhat generic: henqehee may be used for any spotted cat, hushuhee (hushuwee) for any running ground bird. 'Lion' and 'eland' are distinguished only by gender. Blench (2008) thinks this may have something to do with the eland being considered magical in the region.
An IO suffix may be used to reference the person who made the kill. Compare hanta 'zebra' with the more mundane verbs, qhasha 'to carry' and kw- 'to give', in the imperative singular and plural (Miller 2009):
| hanta-hi-i (hanta-ta-te) |
hanta-hi-ko-o (hanta-hi-kwa-te) |
| zebra-DO.3fs-IMP | zebra-DO.3fs-IO.1sg-IMP |
| a zebra! | I got a zebra! |
| qhasha-hi-i (qhasha-ta-te) |
kw-i-ko-o (kw-i-kwa-te) |
| carry-DO.3fs-IMP | give-DO.3fs-IO.1sg-IMP |
| carry it! | give it to me! |
Read more about this topic: Hadza Language
Famous quotes containing the words dead, animal and/or names:
“One thing about being successful is that I stopped being afraid of dying. Once you’re a star you’re dead already. You’re embalmed.”
—Dustin Hoffman (b. 1937)
“‘Tis said that courage is common, but the immense esteem in which it is held proves it to be rare. Animal resistance, the instinct of the male animal when cornered, is no doubt common; but the pure article, courage with eyes, courage with conduct, self-possession at the cannon’s mouth, cheerfulness in lonely adherence to the right, is the endowment of elevated characters.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The instincts of merry England lingered on here with exceptional vitality, and the symbolic customs which tradition has attached to each season of the year were yet a reality on Egdon. Indeed, the impulses of all such outlandish hamlets are pagan still: in these spots homage to nature, self-adoration, frantic gaieties, fragments of Teutonic rites to divinities whose names are forgotten, seem in some way or other to have survived mediaeval doctrine.”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)