COLOURFUL 'FAMILY NAMES', A PART OF THE GOAN REALITY Street names might be alien in Goa, and house numbers hardly get used. But family nicknames -- literally by the dozen -- are liberally deployed in parts of the State.
A new book on the Bardez village of Saligao lists six whole pages of nicknames deployed locally -- mostly in Konkani, and bequeathed from father to son, across the generations. This centuries old tradition came up because Catholic converts might have ended up with identical names, and needed ways to distinguish themselves from each other, suggests Fr Nascimento J Mascarenhas, the author of 'Land of the Sal Tree', a just-published book on Saligao. So, households were given nicknames "that reflected either a peculiar physical characteristic or a personal trait of the homeowner". This led to an abundance of "colourful" family nicknames, which have also been taken overseas by some who migrated there. Some names are unusual -- like 'bot modi' (broken toe), 'kan katro' (cut ear) or 'fujao' (chicken pox). Some families got described as 'caulo' (crow), 'goro cul'lo' (white crab) or 'cauo cul'lo' (black crab). 'Pinglo' (or, blonde) was the nickname given to a household with light coloured hair. Some families got nicknamed after animals, birds and fish "presumably because of their perceived resemblance to their non-human counterparts". There was the 'bokdo' (goat), 'tal'lo' (sardine), 'combo' (rooster), 'bebo' (toad), 'manko' (frog), 'dukor' (pig), 'kolo' (fox), 'vagio' (tiger) and 'soso' (rabbit). Personality traits also played a part in earning families a nickname. Such as 'Sourac' (hot curry), 'Saibin' (Blessed Virgin), 'Godgoddo' (thunder) and 'Kochro' (trash). "The deportment of some villagers didn't go unnoticed either. There was 'Dando' (rod), 'Raza' (king), 'Girgiro' (propeller), 'Bodvo' (angel) and 'Devchar' (devil)," notes the book. Villagers got named after the work they were involved in -- as hatters (Chepekan), florists (Fulkar or Fulkarn), lawyers (delegad), evil-eye removers (dishtikan), ginger-man (alekar), candlemakers (menkar), coconut climbers (madkar), among others. Then, there was Munkoto (firewood), labelled thus because an ancestor used a piece of firewood to chase away kids whose game of marbles disturbed his siesta. There were also some inexplicable names like Bendro (parasite), Poko (empty) and Porque ('why' in Portuguese). "A few other nicknames wouldn't be appropriate to use in a family-oriented publication. But they were used quite freely, and without malice, by villagers," says the book. It adds that a nickname was never viewed with derision, but instead was a prized symbol of a family's recognition and acceptance as an entrenched member of the village community. The book also describes a range of Saligao village issues of yesteryears, among which are some quaint and rustic traditions, customs, folklore and even superstition. ### http://www.flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/7126619367/in/photostream Discuss these and other Goan issues by posting your comments to goa...@goanet.org