Monday, 10 August 2009 Gambian family names: Some of the meanings http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3673&whichpage=1 In the above link, we have tried to discuss and explain the meanings of our Senegambian or broad west African family names. correct or add meanings of your family name if you know it. It is only through written knowledge that our future generations can comfortably access our the past. oral conversation are getting more and more distorted and unrealiable. Our grannies are now full of life, they don't have time for history lessons. Modernity and its trapping have penetrated them as well. I am very please that, our capable Serre brother Tamsier have provided us more meaning to common Gambian family names with Serre or even Wollof roots. Please think about the linguistic meaning of your family name. It may have been explained to you as child or in the recent past. Some take the prasing of their family name to be it's meaning. Njie is a family name but Jata njie or in some Mandingo community Njiekunu is a combination of Njie and it's praise. Darbo is praise as Jula, but are they the only Julas... Jula is only a praise. don't be shy, educate us... I hope Tukulore family names like Chongan are explain to us. They sound so unique, one is curious to know what it means. below is some explanations by Tamsier. Author::::::: Tamsier SURNAMES: SAMBA/SAMB = COMFORT. A POSSIBLE DERIVATION OF SAMBA IS ZAMBO [SOUTHERN/CENTRAL AFRICA], WHICH ALSO MEANS TO GIVE COMFORT IN THAT REGION. OTHER DERIVATIVES ARE SAMBU IN MANDINKA AND SAMBO IN HAUSA. MBOOJ = ORIGINALLY 'BO' - OF KARTA ORIGIN. THE SURNAME 'BO' IS WOLOFIZED TO 'MBOOJ' JUST AS THE FULA SURNAME 'BAH/BA' IS WOLOFIZED TO 'MBACKEH'. JAW = OF PEUL/TUKULOOR ORIGIN. POSSIBLY FROM THE SERERE [RELATIVES OF THE FULA AND TUKULOOR] WORD 'NJAW' WHICH MEANS A PREPARATION OF THE CUISINE. IN FACT, JAW IN SERERE MEANS EXACTLY THAT - TO PREPARE THE CUISINE. JOOF = OF SERERE ORIGIN. NAME OF THE ANTILOPE [NJAF] WHICH IS THE TOTEM OF THIS FAMILY. IT SIMBOLIZES STRENGHT, GRACE AND ROYALTY, HENCE THE JOOF TAGA - ‘JOOFA NIOKHOBAI SAMBA’ - WHICH MEANS ‘JOOF ! THE GREAT NOBLES’. NJAFF - SIBOOR = OF JOOF MOTHER AND JOOF FATHER. NJIE - JATTA = OF NJIE MOTHER AND NJIE FATHER NDOUR/NDUUR = A WEED THAT IS ABUNDANT IN THE SALOUM AND ALSO GREW IN UPPER SENEGAL DURING THE RAINY SEASON. ITS STALK WAS USED TO CONSTRUCT FENCES AND EATEN WITH CHEREH [THE SERERE CEREAL]. FORENAMES: WAR/WARR = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING DEVOIR/KILLED LOLLI/LOLLY/LOLLEY = HARVEST SEASON, OFTEN THE HOTTEST TIME OF THE YEAR. KOTCHA/KOCHA/KOTIA/KOUTA/KOTYA = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING CHILD. NJUUGUU/NJOOGUU/NJUGUU = FROM THE ANCIENT FOX DEITY OF THE DOGON CALLED 'DYOUGOU SEROU' - SON OF 'AMMA' [THEIR SUPREME GOD]. ALSO, THERE IS NJUICK/NGUICK = IN SERERE DIALECT, IT MEANS ELEPHANT. NJUICK IS A DERIVATIVE OF GNICK [ELEPHANT]. WAGANE/WAGAN/WAAGAAN = ONE WHO IS CAPABLE. IT COMES FROM THE SERERE WORD 'WAAG' - WHICH MEANS POWER. SEDAR = OF SERERE ORIGIN, MEANING ONE THAT SHALL NOT BE HUMILIATED/THE ONE YOU CANNOT HUMILIATE. SELBEH/SELBE = A SERERE NAME MEANING MASTER. THOUGH THE NAME IS GENERALLY RESERVED FOR WOMEN. THE NAME IS ALSO GIVEN TO THE HEAD OF THE MBAR [HOUSE OF THE NEWLY CIRCUMCISED]. BAKA = FROM THE OLD WOLOF WORD 'BAKK' - A RHYTHMIC MOTIF THAT REPRESENTS A PERSON/FAMILY CLAN. IT IS SOMETIMES USED INTERCHANGABLY WITH THE VERB 'TAGA' [THE RECITATION OF SOMEONE'S GENEALOGY AND FAMILY HISTORY]. MBAKAN [A NAME] IS ALSO A DERIVATIVE OF THIS. DOKEL = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING TO SALUTE JEGAN/DJIGAN/JEGANE/NJEGAN = OF SERERE ORIGINE MEANING PROSPERITY/PROSPER. JIGNAK = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING POSSESSOR OF COW [THE SYMBOL OF AFRICAN WEALTH IN THE OLD DAYS]. NGON/NGONEH = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING DEATH. THIS IS A STRATEGY AFTER SEVERAL INFANT DEATHS. BY NAMING THE CHILD DEATH IT IS HOPE THAT HE OR SHE WILL LIVE A LONG LIFE [THE OPPOSITE MEANING]. NGON IS MALE AND NGONEH FEMALE. MOOSAN = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING HAPPY/JOLY NDOFFENE/NDOFEN = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING ABUNDANCE. IT USUALLY FOLLOWS THE NAME 'KUMBA'. KUMBA IN THE OLD DAYS WAS A UNISEX NAME JUST AS ADAMA IS A UNISEX NAME. LATIR/LATRI/LATYR = [POSSIBLY SERERE OR MANDINKA IN ORIGIN] MEANING LIFE OF THE LAND [OR ISLAND] OR HISTORY OF THE LAND. LODO/LOODO = FROM THE WORD LOORO [WHICH IS PRONOUNCED LOODO]. IN SALOUM, IT IS ONE OF THE SEVERAL SPECIES OF WILD FIG FOUND IN THE AREA. IN FACT, ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER HERBAL MEDICINES FOR FOR CENTURIES. MIÑAAN = OF SERERE ORIGIN MEANING ONE WHO WILL LIVE FOR A LONG TIME. IT COMES FROM THE SERERE WORD MIÑ [DURATION]. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤