Uganda is broken up in the kingdoms like America is divided
into states or counties; Kaihura is part of the Tooro kingdom, the people of
the Toro kingdom speak Rutooro (a language only used in western Uganda) and
they have pet names.
Pet names differ from nicknames in that there are only
twelve possible pet names:
Bbala
Abbooki
Abwooli
Acaali
Adyeeri
Akiiki
Amooti,
Apuuli
Araali
Ateenyi
Atwooki
Okaali (Okaali is only used for the king)
You can only have one of these twelve pet names,
which means you will share your pet name with many other people, most likely
you will share your pet names with many people you interact with daily. Pet
names are used much more often than nicknames, and by a wider group of people.
My family gives and uses nicknames frequently, but most of my nicknames are
only used by my family, and sometimes close friends. Your entire community uses
pet names, and pet names are often used more frequently than a person’s actual
name.
A pet name is sometimes given to a child so they can
share a pet name with a family member, and sometimes they are given at random.
Pet names have insignificant meanings, for instance Araali means thunder and
Akiiki means braid, but they aren’t given because of any special meaning.
Pet names, while somewhat confusing at first, add
to the charm and uniqueness of Uganda and Kaihura in particular.
-Abwooli
