What is the difference between "nyati" and "m'bogo"? My 9-year-old kid is doing a report in school on Cape buffalo and he tripped me up on this. Also, how are these words pronounced?

Thanks in advance, Okie John.

Both are names for the cape buffalo, just depends what part of Africa you are in. Also buff are sometimes referred to as dugga boys or quatali.

As the previous post told you it depends on where you are in Africa. for example in Zululand it's nyati, pronounced inyati and the word refers to all Buffalo. In some other parts of Africa a Buff or Buffs are referred to as Mbogo, pronounced as in the m in miles followed by bogo.

In ki- swahili a Buffalo is referred to as nyati (inyati), but a wounded or injured Buffalo is mbogo.

Or at least, that's the way I learned it in the various languages......the problem with Africa is that it's constantly changing and just because that's the way I learnt it umpteen years ago, may not mean it's the way it will be taught in thr future.

BWANA ... okie john



Here is some basic useful (Safari information) for you and guests pertaining to the Swahili language



In Swahili, safari means "journey".



In English the word has been narrowed to refer to an expedition in search of wild game.



( Remember the OLD BOB HOPE AFRICA MOVIE !!! ) Call Me Bwana (1963)



Some of these words might still be in the memory banks as they were used often in those OLD movies .



The younger guests wont have seen or remember those movies ....



ONLY us OLD MATURE SOB BASTARDS will remember them if we really try hard



Regards, Peter OLD SOB ( BUT not as old as Bob Hope, bless his soul )

---------------------------



animal : mnyama



antelope : pofu or kulungu



army ants : siafu



baboon : nyani



bird : ndege



bushbaby : komba



camel : ngamia



crocodile : mamba



dik-dik : dikidiki



duiker : funo or mindi



eland : pofu



elephant : ndovu or tembo



flamingo : heroe



fox : mbweha



gazelle : swala or swara or paa



giraffe : twiga



hartebeest: kongoni



hippopotamus: kiboko



hyena : fisi



insect : mdudu



leopard : chui



lion : simba



monkey : tumbili



mosquitoes : mbu



ostrich : mbuni



python : chatu



rhinoceros : kifaru



snake : nyoka



spider : buibui



warthog : ngiri



water buffalo: nyati



wildebeest or gnu : nyumbu or mbogo



zebra : punda milia



danger : hatari

Peter,
nmyama is animal or meat, the indigenous of Africa consider that one in the same however! and in some tribes one can drop the nm and still have meat and use that word for animal, all in how its used..interresting

African languages have evolved into alphabet soup!~

Hi Ray



You and I BOTH remember Bob Hope well (-: You OLD B



Yes the African languages have been inter- mixed and manipulated. It is a now a pot pouri of words that have been bastardised over time ..



For those ( not hunting related ) whom want to learn a bit about Africa they say this is a good read for the upcoming holidays







Reviews



If you want one book to give you a feel of the continent (and one which has lots of references to the Serengeti, and Oldupai), read this one.



Review from Wildwatch.com March 2000:



First published as a massive hardcover, this is a more compact and affordable edition of a book which won the coveted Alan Paton prize for Literature (South Africa) in 1998 and was hailed as a masterpiece by Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni.



Never before has an author attempted to describe the entirety of the African scene, from the very first geological rumblings to the modern political scenario at the beginning of the new millennium. Reader's treatment of the rather complex matters of geology, climatology and palaeontology give a strong indication of his journalistic background, for he succeeds admirably in conveying the known facts in a lively and illuminating way.



The evolution of modern man - from the origins of Homo sapiens in what is now Kenya and Ethiopia - is discussed in detail. Remarkably, the author postulates (on the evidence of DNA sampling that has come to light in recent years) that no more than fifty of these early hunter-gatherers moved north to cross the Mediterranean and colonise the new frontiers of what is now the Middle East and Europe. Thoughts on why these 'emigrants' subsequently fared so much better than their relatives who remained on African soil is one of the most fascinating aspects of the book, with disease and climate being regarded as major inhibiting factors.



The rise and fall of former civilisations in Africa are discussed in detail and against the backdrop of 'commodities' such as gold, ivory and slaves. John Reader's real and often brutal discussion of the turbulent periods of colonisation (the so-called 'scramble for Africa') and the eventual independence of the nation states makes for captivating reading. The legacy left by the colonial powers on the continent and its people is something of which the European nations can never be proud, yet the picture since independence has hardly been better, with civil wars ravishing Congo, Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Rwanda and Uganda, among others.



The book closes with the coming to power of Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 1994, to end on an upbeat note: 'He and South Africa offer hope for all humanity - yes, hope from a continent that for too long has seemed to generate nothing but despair'.



Here is a book that anyone interested in a holistic view of Africa - where we have come from, and where we may be going - must read.

When I was a lad in England, I remember going to Saturday morning pictures to see "Nyoka the Jungle Girl". Didn't know it meant snake!
peter.

Peter

Pull up a pew and relive your chilhood Nyoka

Regards, Peter