Thursday, January 26, 2006

What's in a name?

In Samoa, anything and everything. I've never come across a culture so ready to embrace the unusual, or more plainly the "other", when it comes to names. They truly take the idea of loan words to new heights. Some rippers that have come my way lately include:

Oceanbaby
Czarina
Comeboy Michael
Miracle
Raumahinatehinemahora
Ausetalia (Australia)
Census Johnson (a great Samoan rugby player)
Kingcup
Ofisa Ofisa
Komiti Komiti
Fa'afetai (thankyou)

Unfortunately I've misplaced the best/most astonishing name I've come across yet. I'll do my best to hunt it down and add it to this list.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Comeboy Michael would have a fairly successful time of it in Darlo.

I had to read that post twice to grasp that they were actually *people's* names.

Anonymous said...

Samoa isnt the only place where interaction with the modern wider world can lead to some interesting ideas for names.

'Tractor' and 'Bowling' are just two examples of some of the more creative nicknames for Thai students I have come across in recent times...