African Names; why so serious?

A Name is a word or words, a particular person, animal, place or thing is known by. It is also a reputation a person or a thing has; the opinion people have about that person or thing.

A man's name is his most valuable possession. It is his only possession that can survive death. Onomatologists had discovered that the study of names of a given people could reveal a body of knowledge about them that other sciences may not reveal.

A good name is better than silver or gold, the Bible says. And Africa and Africans take this into consideration when choosing names for their new born.

 In Africa, every person is identified in one form or another, usually by a first name given shortly after birth. Names given to people have definite meanings, and parents, relatives and well-wishers are very conscious when choosing the names of their children or of an individual.

 Thus, names are not merely labels or simply tags which the individual carries along with him. They have a deep social signification and many names studied collectively express a world-view, of the people.

The social significance of names is first demonstrated by the importance Africans attach to naming-ceremonies. In many parts of the continent, naming-ceremonies are a big social event. Some naming ceremonies last sometimes for as long as a week.

Traditional African names often have unique stories behind them. Some of these stories may be positive or negative, depending on the circumstance surrounding the birth-festivities, wars, conflicts in families, divination, accidents, jealousy among wives, rivalries, and so on. African first names reflect one or more of these existential dimensions of life.

Other influences include Order of Birth ; especially for twins, Mood of the family at the time of Birth, Ease of birth and so on.

 

Reasons behind African names

Many Africans believe that the name a person bears is sometimes a key to the understanding of his character and behavior. This is especially true with nicknames and praise names. Thus, among the Igbos, a name like Nwogankwo calls to mind a particular skill in wrestling, whereas among the Swazis of South Africa, a man call Mona (umona — jealousy) displayed jealousy traits in his conduct. Sometimes, the names of birds or animals are used to depict moral and physical qualities, thus the Igbos have names like Agu (lion) : a strong powerful person ; Ele (antelope) : a good runner ; Akpi (scorpion) : one who stings hard ; a mischievous Agwo (snake) : a sly and mischievous person Ichoku.

 Mood of the family at the time of Birth

 Ajuji (born on a rubbish heap) is a Hausa name given to a baby after those born before it failed to survive. It is believed that giving the child a "terrible" name will deceive evil spirits into thinking the child is not loved and as a result, allow it to live.

Samuel is analogous to the Igbo name Chinuru, Chianuokwu, meaning (God has heard my prayers). This may be as a result of a delay in child bearing.

Kiptanui and Cheptanui are often given to babies whose mothers may have suffered extreme difficulties during childbirth among the Kalenjin ethnic group in Kenya.

Yananiso means (bringing the family together) among Zimbabweans.

Order of Birth

If you meet a Ugandan boy or man called Kakuru or Wasswa, he is likely to be an elder twin. The younger male twin is usually called Kato. These are names specially reserved for twins.

Similarly, the Kalenjins in Kenya refer to the first born as Yator (first to open the way) and the last born Towett meaning last.

The Yorubas call the first twin Taiwo (taste the world) and the second Kehinde (came after).

Twin Girls

In Ghana, the unisex names Panyin and Kakra, which basically mean older and younger, are used for twins.

Day of Birth

 Nwigwe (2001 Pg. 75) discloses that the names of the four market days in Igbo tribe (Afor, Nkwo̩ , Eke, Orie/Oye) derive their names from divinities and that a child born on any of ttese days automatically adopts the market day name as his/her natural or general name. He however maintains that the other names given to the child are more significant and meaningful for the family and the relatives and as a result, such names are carefully selected so as to remember and incorporate the circumstances and incidents of the birth.

In Ghana, the following names could be adopted for a child due to the day he/she was born.

§  Monday - Kojo (male), Adwoa (female)

§  Tuesday - Kwabena (male), Abena (female)

§  Wednesday - Kwaku (male), Ekua (female)

These day names can vary slightly depending on the ethnic group.

 

Religion

Across the continent, several local names have religious links. Among the Igbo and Yoruba ethnic groups in Nigeria, a name that starts or ends with Chi, Chukwu or Oluwa has some kind of reference to God.

§  Hailemariam means the power of Mary (Ethiopia)

§  Mawufemor means God's way (Ewe ethnic group in Togo, Ghana, Benin)

 

Good fortune

 

Africans also believe that names have the superficial power of influencing the future and destiny of the bearer.

Uba means wealth (Igbo tribe, Nigeria)

Anifowose means I have something to do with money (Yoruba tribe, Nigeria)

 

Traditionally, Africans made no distinction between first and middle names which did not exist as such. People have not just one or two names but four, five or even six. The giving of plural names is the rule rather than the exception.

 Among the Abaluhya of Kenya, for instance, each of the clans which have a link with the family of the child has a name for it. As there are usually four of them, the child cannot have less than four names. It receives two names from the father's clan, two from the mother's clan, a name designating the season when it is born and another designating the day. Apart from these six, the individual can have others. It will therefore be ridiculous to ask him to say which is his middle or first name. Today, however, because of Western influence, every « detribalized » African is supposed to have a middle name. Many application forms have a space for this and, for administrative purposes, the African is, as it were, forced to use one or two of his names as the middle name(s).

Our indigenous names reveal our world-vision; identify our philosophy and view of life. These names have reminded us of our past, they have united us regardless of our diversity and have spurred us into defending our heritage and culture.

 

 

 

 

 Ihechukwu MADUBUIKE. Decolonization of African Names: Présence Africaine Editions Stable URL:https://www.jstor.org/stable/24349783 Accessed: 29-05-2020 17:50 UTC.