Page:Hausa Proverbs.djvu/110

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g8 Proverbs in the Hausa Language Bolewa reemo' Marghi lugomm Kanuri karigyimmo* Hausa rakumi The word may be traced roughly as follows : — Aljamal Algimal Lagumal (luguma in Bagarmi) raguma (karigyimmo in Kanuri) rakumi (in Hausa) The giraffe, on the other hand, is an indigenous animal, and these same languages, with the exception of Hausa, have a distinct name for it. Nyillim nyamboh Sarra kolloh Bagarmi korloh Kanuri kinjirr Marghi meetsku Bolewa tell'emm Hausa rakumi 'n daji Incidentally the Songhai language, or rather the Zaberma dialect of it, though not using the same word for camel, also calls the giraffe the bush camel, or gangi yoh ; where gangi = bush and yoh = camel. These names indicate that the camel was known before the giraffe, and as a consequeuce that the Hausa did not originate in a country where the giraffe was known.

  • Barth derives this word from the Kanuri word for a plant

on which camels feed.