Mr.Jaiteh,

I would apprecite it if you send me a copy of the list of the Gambian First Names mentioned below. As for the one presently under consideration namely,the Gambian Surnames and their meanings and /or  their genesis,I think it would be faster if each and every member of the this forum provides his/her surname,what it means and how it came about, if possible.Those who don't know could easily call grandma back home.

It is important to note here that the sources of our traditional knowledge back home are disappearing faster than anyone of us could imagine,all the more reason why it is so important for us and for our kids,esp.those in the diaspora, to have such a document as is proposed here.

So mine is as follows:

 

SURNAME: Drammeh

CLAN DESCRIPTION: Santang Farrah Kanji-Mori (Mandinka)

DEFINITION: Santango is a tree in Senegambia region known for its strenght and size;Farrah means to split into two halves;Kanji-Morri means the Islamic scholar to whom people appeal for help or protection in times of crisis. 

THE (Epic) STORY BEHIND IT: The first Drammeh supposedly split open a Santang tree by channeling all his magical powers into it to demonstrate to all the pretending medicine men and magicians in town that such would be the fate of anyone of them who tries to mess with him or his family.

 Regards Basss!

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@



 

>From: Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list              <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: What is in the other names?
>Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 11:38:40 -0400
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Received: from mc6-f7.hotmail.com ([65.54.252.143]) by mc6-s11.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713); Tue, 18 May 2004 08:43:55 -0700
>Received: from maelstrom.stjohns.edu ([149.68.45.24]) by mc6-f7.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713); Tue, 18 May 2004 08:39:41 -0700
>Received: from maelstrom.stjohns.edu (149.68.45.24) by maelstrom.stjohns.edu (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id <[log in to unmask]>; Tue, 18 May 2004 11:39:35 -0400
>Received: from MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU by MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP          release 1.8d) with spool id 3482669 for          [log in to unmask]; Tue, 18 May 2004 11:39:34 -0500
>Received: from mail.ciesin.columbia.edu (129.236.39.25) by          maelstrom.stjohns.edu (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id          <[log in to unmask]>; Tue, 18 May 2004 11:39:34 -0400
>Received: from netscape.net (pathfinder.ciesin.columbia.edu [160.39.1.250]) by          mail.ciesin.columbia.edu (1.0/1.0) with ESMTP id i4IFcps22597 for          <[log in to unmask]>; Tue, 18 May 2004 11:38:52 -0400          (EDT)
>X-Message-Info: cmh8WMAfDXq1zvsnTAcNjdNhWlh2cAWVbaVeyGjJ4lo=
>User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4)            Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)
>X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
>Message-ID:  <[log in to unmask]>
>Return-Path: [log in to unmask]
>X-OriginalArrivalTime: 18 May 2004 15:39:44.0578 (UTC) FILETIME=[57C75220:01C43CEE]
>
>Hello all,
>Years ago we had a catalog of Gambia first names.  I wonder if we
>can do
>the same for last names. More important would be the vaious other
>names
>that come with last names. I will start by Koto Oko's Drammeh
>Santang
>Fara. It will be useful if people could give an english translation
>of
>a  "Mam's University" account of how the other names came to being.
>Please note that no one version will be taken as the most authentic.
>The
>other names can be in any language.
>
>Some Examples:
>Surname   ------other names (the
>language)------
>---------- Mam's University account
>Jaiteh   -------   Jaiteh Kaba; 'Wulumbang Tero' (Mandinka) (Friends
>of
>the swamp).  ----     may have been a swamp dueller, perhaps rice
>famer
>Drammmeh ---Santang Fara; kanji Mori, (Mandinka) (?? Bassssss where
>are
>you?)    ----- Mori (Mandinka for Islamic Scholar)
>Keita----------Keita Jula (Trader), Mansaring(Royalty),
>(Mandinka)                             -----Were rulers in Manding
>and
>traders as they migrated west(Gambia)
>
>
>Who's next?
>
>Malanding Jaiteh
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to:
>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
>To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
>[log in to unmask]
>
>To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the
>Gambia-L Web interface
>at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn to simplify your finances and your life in Streamline Your Life from MSN Money. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~