Fishing people Lebu's personal naming practices

DOI Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • セネガルのレブーにおける命名法
  • セネガル ノ レブー ニ オケル メイメイホウ

Search this article

Abstract

Among Lebu people in Senegal, a new-born child's name is announced one week after its birth on the occasion of naming ceremony (ngénte). The name is selected by its father from his relatives' or friends' names. The person after whom the child is named is called turandoo. A turandoo should make gifts for the child occasionally and help and support him or her materially and morally.<br>In March and April, 2005, I made an inquiry about personal naming practices of a family in a Lebu village. The object of this paper is to show the data and consider the matter. The family is a polygamous extended family based on patrilocal residence rules. A male child's turandoo is his father's father (11.3%), his mother's father (5.7%), his father's brother (5.7%), his father's male cousin (3.8%), his father's half brother (of the same mother) (9.4%), his father's friend (24.5%), a leader of his Islamic brotherhood (3.8%), and so on in 53 cases. A female child's turandoo is her father's female cousin (14.3%), her father's mother (11.4%), her father's sister (5.7%), her mother's co-wife (17.1%), her father's mother's co-wife (5.7%), and so on in 35 cases.<br>In other words, a boy is named after his father's relatives (45.3%), friends (24.5%), Islamic persons (11.3%) and half brothers (9.4%); a girl after her father's relatives (57.1%), wives (except for the girl's own mother) (22.9%), half sisters (5.7%) and father's wives (except for the girl's own grandmother) (5.7%). Therefore, there are four major options of the child's turandoo; for a boy his father selects non-family men (about 35%), and characteristically-polygamous-family men (e.g., his half brothers) (about 10%), for a girl characteristically-polygamous-family women (e.g., his wives, half sisters, father's wives) (about 35%), and for both a boy and a girl his consanguineous family (each about 45; 60%).<br>Lebu people say that naming by turandoo is for strengthening family ties and easing polygamous family tensions and conflicts. The findings above exemplify this. And I must add that the father also uses his sons' names for constructing outer family relations.

Journal

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top