I have it on good authority that the term "dugga" or "dagga" or "daga"--which, of course, is paired with "boy" as in "dugga boy" to refer to an old bachelor cape buffalo bull, derives from an "African"--perhaps Bantu but not Swahili--word meaning "mud."



Can any of you African scholars give me the true etymology of this wonderful term?

Here's a previous discussion we had several years ago

Daga Boy



Regards,



Terry



P.S.

In an unrelated matter. After much research, it appears to me that when one is talking about the thick scrub in Zimbabwe it is spelled "jesse" although pronounced "jess". I have often seen it spelled "jess" but the proper spelling seems to be "jesse".

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Thank you very much. That thread is very informative.

To summarize for the curious, our authorities have concluded that the word is ultimately derived from two Bantu based languages, specifically, Zulu and Xhosa, and in particular from the word "mdaka"--which is a word shared by both of these languages, and which means "muddy" or "muddy colored."

As for spelling, it would appear that "daga" is rather the preferred English version--at least in terms of accuracy, if not usage.

"Dugga," it seems to me, may be more phonetically accurate, but "dagga" should be avoided at all costs. Apparently, if one uses "dagga" carelessly, especially in bad company or within the hearing of the authorities, jail time could result. Cf. "drugga" boy or "druggie" boy.

Thanks again.

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Yes, yes. Most American publications have wrongly used the spelling "dagga" over the years. The general movement now seems to be to spell it "dagha" in most publications. Hopefully the young whippersnappers reading _Sports Afield_, and such, won't develop any bad spelling habits, so hard to break later in life. Just ask Ray.

to add to the confusion, "dagaa" in kiswahili means sardine/anchovie

Another interesting thing is that Kiswahili has two names for buffalo; Nyati and Mbogo. I wonder if anyone here knows the derivation or differences between the two?

Hey Alf, is there a reason why you decided not to kill the buffalo once it was wounded? That is a nice photo by the way.

It is always interesting to read these posts about the correct spelling of words that were derived from pronunciations by the locals.

I suspect that many, if not all, were originally spelled many different ways in English and only the most common usage was eventually established as the "correct" spelling.

I have only heard it pronounced "dugga" but you can "spell" it anyway you want I suppose.

.

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Bwanamich,

Not sure of the derivation of nyati or mbogo, but I believe the former refers to buffalo in general and the later refers to a potentially dangerous, aggressive or otherwise impressive bull. True?

Nyati is the common word in Zim for buffalo, but I've never heard the word mbogo used there.

Terry, I've seen it referred to as "jesse" just once, and "jess" hundreds of times in books, African Hunter, etc. Even the book "Months in the Sun" which I am now reading defines the "thick, thorny bush" as "jess".



And, "jesse" just looks a bit too limp-wristed

Bill,



Same thing here. You see it more as "jess", but the correct "African" spelling of it seems to be "jesse".



Look on Page 319 of African Hunter's book Nyati. An article about "the jesse".



We need a Safari Dictionary.



Regards,



Terry

I can say it, I can't spell it and RIPs been smoking it!

No doubt the term has been greatly bastardized and will no doubt continue to be, which is no great catastrophe on this end...

I have gotten by so far with M'bogo, black bastard, and MF (depending on the circumstances at the time of the conversation... Some folks use Nyati and the other two descriptive terms, depending on their geographical location at the time of encounter..the rest go around confusing the camp staff by using a word that has no meaning other than in certain cultures, self included. In fact its quit common for me to speak my butchered Zulu to the Masai, and they grin and shake their heads in agreement, come to think of it, so do the Zulu, oh well....

The Maasai I have hunted with have never said "mbogo" when referring to buffalo. They have always referred to them as "nyati."

I have heard from some PHs that "mbogo" is a more general reference--something like "cattle," which of course is used to refer to any and all breeds of domestic bovines--while "nyati" means specifically the cape buffalo, syncerus caffer caffer.

In an effort to get a definitive answer to your question, I consulted my English-Swahili dictionary, and it defines "mbogo" as "buffalo" and "nyati" as "water buffalo."

Not conclusive, and even a little baffling, but generally supportive of the "mbogo=general" and "nyati=specific" theory.

I have also been a little confused by the choice of "tembo" vs. "ndofu" in reference to elephants. The Maasai I have hunted with have never said "ndofu," but always "tembo"--to which, BTW, I have usually replied, with some embarrassment, "Wapi?"

Yet, "ndofu" is supposed to be the preferred name for jumbo in Swahili.

Anyway, "kwa herini," for tonight.

I realize that I have posted way too much today. Maybe tomorrow I can actually get some work done.

This always happens to me in the weeks just before I go hunting. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas and can't restrain my excitement.

I want to jump in the water early. So now, in addition to boring everyone I meet, I also post here.

AR is the best.

mrlexma

Glad to hear someone else is having the "can't wait to leave for Africa" syndrome, wondered why I talked 30 minutes to a lady who could have cared less about hunting Africa last night. Now if I can just through the next 10 days and stay calm I will make it

CFA

In Swahili Nyati means Buffalo and Mbogo (or perhaps Mbogo!!) means wounded Buffalo.......at least it does with the guys I use.



To the best of my knowledge, it's always Nyati in Zulu. I've never heard the word Mbogo used by any of the Zulu speaking tribes.

These problems in language occur because PHs bring their Zulu, Shona, and whatever to Tanzania as camp staff, then the local tribes mix in camp and some words become universal for the most part...I think.

About all of the indigenous of Africa seem to understand that Mbogo, Nyati and buufuulo are the same thing. and Jumbo seem to work anywhere for hello and Tembo works pretty well for elephant...or so it seems to me although I do try to use the native word in its correct place. Swahili is a bastardized language, but probably the most universal in east Africa and these words seem to work there too.