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ArchivesRe: Obama
in reply to a message by Paul
Someone gave us the lowdown on this name some time ago. I've tried scrolling down the page to locate the original posting, but without success.
Obama is a Luo (Kenyan population group) name, and, if I recall correctly, was explained as meaning "slightly crooked" - good name for a politician. It's probably a given name or nickname of an ancestor, referring to a physical defect. On the other hand it's possible that the name follows a common African custom, of giving a child a name that suggests something not quite right about it. This is to forestall the possibility of spirits coveting the child and stealing it away from the parents, a folk belief to explain infant mortality.
Obama is a Luo (Kenyan population group) name, and, if I recall correctly, was explained as meaning "slightly crooked" - good name for a politician. It's probably a given name or nickname of an ancestor, referring to a physical defect. On the other hand it's possible that the name follows a common African custom, of giving a child a name that suggests something not quite right about it. This is to forestall the possibility of spirits coveting the child and stealing it away from the parents, a folk belief to explain infant mortality.
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