The Origin of Names in the Yeke Culture
It is the father or the mother who names their children. The naming of a child can be on the basis of the father’s clan or the mother’s clan. It is customary to give a child the name of an ancestor or of a deceased, so that he/she can be invoked in the event the child gets ill, or when the one who has become his/her “reincarnation” is facing grave problems. But there exist names which are given on the basis of circumstances surrounding the child. Here are some examples. For a child born:
1. At sunrise (MALABO)
Boy : KALABO ; Girl : NAKALABO
2. Around 10 in the morning
Boy : KASASE ; Girl : NAKASASE
3. Around Noon
Boy : KAZYOBA ; Girl : NANGANGE
4. Around 3 in the afternoon
Boy : KUHUKAMA ; Girl : NAKUHUKAMA
5. Around sunset (MPINDI)
Boy : MPINDI ; Girl : NAMPINDI
6. At night (BUFUKU)
Boy : KAFUKU ; Girl : BWILE
7. In the rainy season :
Boy : MAVULA ; Girl : NAMVULA
8. In the dry season :
Boy : SHIWA ; Girl : NASHIWA
9. On a day of mourning :
Boy : MINSOZI ; Girl : MADILA
10. On a day a sad event has occurred :
Boy and Girl: MWIZALUBI (the one who has come on a sad day)
11. On a day the beer is of age (BUSELE) :
Boy : MASELE ; Girl : MASELE
12. During the time of scarcity :
Boy : INANZALA ; Girl : INANZALA
13. In a time of war (BULEMO) :
Boy : MALEMO ; Girl : MALEMO
14. Twins :
First born, Boy: KULWA; Girl : NAKULWA
Second boy: TOTO; Girl: TOTO or KATOTO
15. In the case of triplets, the third is named NANTATUMWA (boy or girl), a child who cannot be sent, for fear that such a child would die if they were sent to do something, or sent somewhere. It is my personal belief that, triplets were such a rarity, that the third born would be treated as a special child.
It has to be noted that the names aforementioned have kept their original meaning. Though their meaning has not changed, circumstances have. The naming of a child does no longer reflect the context in which the names were conceived. Therefore, a name like KALABO or KAZYOBA, do not necessarily mean that the child was born at dawn, or sunset. These names have become family names; an imitation of European culture.
Other names were mispronounced by Europeans, as in the case of places, or nicknames. A good example is the name of MUNONGO, my family name, which is the twist of a nickname in Kiluba « MULONGO WA MPAJI », which means, « A FILE OF RED ANTS». This is a nickname that, KALASA son of M’siri and first representative in the Buluba in Kibanda, gave himself. He wanted to indicate to the Baluba that they ought not to provoke him. Even though the Bayeke were present in small numbers, a file of ants (the Bayeke) would follow should anything happen.
His younger brother who succeeded him, MUTAMPUKA, the future MWENDA IV, kept the mispronounced name, which is carried by his children and grandchildren today.
Another example is that of someone who has made a long journey to bring financial gains, or moral uplift ; they would be called MUSABILA KU MAGULU or MUSABILA of the verb KUSABA = to become wealthy, and MAGULU = feet; in other words, the one who has made fortune and was not afraid to walk a long distance. His grandchildren can be greeted as SHA MUSABILA.
Good luck in finding the name for your next child.