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:
“It is a dead heart.
It is inside of me.
It is a stranger
yet once it was agreeable,
opening and closing like a clam.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Woman is a vulgar animal from whom man has created an excessively beautiful ideal.”
—Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880)
“Our foreparents were mostly brought from West Africa.... We were brought to America and our foreparents were sold; white people bought them; white people changed their names ... my maiden name is supposed to be Townsend, but really, what is my maiden name? What is my name?”
—Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977)