Early last year I wrote a post about Dinka women's names. Today I want to talk about "family" names, also known as surnames and last names. The Dinka system for this is quite different from the system most of us in Western countries use. It's actually more similar to the biblical system.
Children are referred to by a first name and then by the first name of their father, and sometimes also that of their grandfather and even their great-grandfather (in cases where identity or family lineage really needs to be confirmed). There are no names that are exclusively "first names" or exclusively "surnames." Any male name can be both.
For example, this is the pastor of our village church, Alou (pronounced "allo"). His father's name was Kuur, so he is called Alou Kuur. His grandfather's name was also Kuur, so a more complete name for Alou is Alou Kuur Kuur.
Alou named his first son, Kuur. His son is called Kuur Alou. When needed, his grandfather's name can also be specified: Kuur Alou Kuur. And to go back a little further, Kuur Alou Kuur Kuur.
Alou has a daughter named Alek. She is known as Alek Alou. Or Alek Alou Kuur. Or Alek Alou Kuur Kuur.
Alou just had a second son and he named him Alou after himself. So he will be known as Alou Alou. Or Alou Alou Kuur. Or Alou Alou Kuur Kuur.
Lots of names in Dinka rhyme, and this can lead to some combinations that are delightful to the ear.
For example, the boy on the far right is Mayol, his father's given name is Bol, so he is known as Mayol Bol.
One of our pastors is named Hol Hol. If he named a son Bol, the son would be Bol Hol Hol.
The boy in the middle of the picture is Teng Kuur. And the boy on the left in the picture is Kuur Deng. As you may have picked up on by now, Kuur is a very common man's name among the Dinka where I live. Teng and Deng are also very common. There are many men and boys named either Teng Deng or Deng Teng.
I know a family of three brothers whose father's name was Kuur: Deng Kuur, Teng Kuur and Kuur Kuur. Deng Kuur has a son named Teng--Teng Deng for short, Teng Deng Kuur for long. Deng Kuur also has a son named Kuur--Kuur Deng, or Kuur Deng Kuur. Teng Kuur has a son named Kuur--Kuur Teng, or Kuur Teng Kuur. (Are you getting confused?)
The fact that there are so many similar names in our area makes it rather interesting for things like classes at school. At Cush Christian School, there are several students, both boys and girls, with the same given name and father's name. For example, one class has nine girls with the first name Abuk, and a few also have the same father's name, Garang. So the different Abuk Garang's have to be distinguished by their grandfather's names.
To close, I also know a little boy named Makuach Makuach Makuach. :-)
Children are referred to by a first name and then by the first name of their father, and sometimes also that of their grandfather and even their great-grandfather (in cases where identity or family lineage really needs to be confirmed). There are no names that are exclusively "first names" or exclusively "surnames." Any male name can be both.
For example, this is the pastor of our village church, Alou (pronounced "allo"). His father's name was Kuur, so he is called Alou Kuur. His grandfather's name was also Kuur, so a more complete name for Alou is Alou Kuur Kuur.
Alou named his first son, Kuur. His son is called Kuur Alou. When needed, his grandfather's name can also be specified: Kuur Alou Kuur. And to go back a little further, Kuur Alou Kuur Kuur.
Alou has a daughter named Alek. She is known as Alek Alou. Or Alek Alou Kuur. Or Alek Alou Kuur Kuur.
Alou just had a second son and he named him Alou after himself. So he will be known as Alou Alou. Or Alou Alou Kuur. Or Alou Alou Kuur Kuur.
For example, the boy on the far right is Mayol, his father's given name is Bol, so he is known as Mayol Bol.
One of our pastors is named Hol Hol. If he named a son Bol, the son would be Bol Hol Hol.
The boy in the middle of the picture is Teng Kuur. And the boy on the left in the picture is Kuur Deng. As you may have picked up on by now, Kuur is a very common man's name among the Dinka where I live. Teng and Deng are also very common. There are many men and boys named either Teng Deng or Deng Teng.
I know a family of three brothers whose father's name was Kuur: Deng Kuur, Teng Kuur and Kuur Kuur. Deng Kuur has a son named Teng--Teng Deng for short, Teng Deng Kuur for long. Deng Kuur also has a son named Kuur--Kuur Deng, or Kuur Deng Kuur. Teng Kuur has a son named Kuur--Kuur Teng, or Kuur Teng Kuur. (Are you getting confused?)
The fact that there are so many similar names in our area makes it rather interesting for things like classes at school. At Cush Christian School, there are several students, both boys and girls, with the same given name and father's name. For example, one class has nine girls with the first name Abuk, and a few also have the same father's name, Garang. So the different Abuk Garang's have to be distinguished by their grandfather's names.
To close, I also know a little boy named Makuach Makuach Makuach. :-)
And this leaves out the confusing bits about the changing endings of names. The Dinka have some sounds that are not compatible, so the end of the first word changes to become compatible with the second word. This happens to many names. For instance, in Dinka my father's name is Makuach and my grandfather's name is Kuol. But the "ch" sound and the "k" sound are not compatible in Dinka, so the "ch" is changed to a "n". So my father's name becomes Makuan Kuol. This makes my name Achol Makuach (short) or Achol Makuan Kuol (long).
ReplyDeleteHeather, thank you. Yes, this changing of name endings does indeed add to the challenge for us foreigners of learning Dinka names!
DeleteJan, it´s always interesting, educational and amasing to read your blog and most of all, I am happy to see that you are safe and sound as they say. Keep the good spirit! Ghislaine��
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