Dictionary of Words for Ju/’hoan Religion

Audio Recording of Bushman Words:
In this audio recording Beesa Boo pronounces 122 of the words in the dictionary presented here (words not recorded are: !’huhn, tau, and all the listed words that follow G//auansi).

!aia: waking up your strongest feelings and becoming reborn.
=hoe: pulling out sickness with your hands.
/’ua-n/om: giving a needle (or arrow, or nail) of n/om to another person.
//auhsi: needle which holds n/om.
n!aihsi: old word for needle (what carries and transmits n/om).
//auh: another word for needle.
thara: shaking caused by n/om.
g!oah: name of dance with song and n/om from g!oah plant.
kabi: visitation or message from Sky God or ancestors which is different from a dream.
!’un: dream.
!’uhn: n/om-kxao’s sound that is made when pulling out sickness or dirty needles.
cunkuri: a particular kabi when you see the Sky God or ancestors.
/’an-jukonaqnisi: a kabi of receiving needles.
n/haitzi: good feeling that arises when laughing together with friends.
g//aoan-n/hai: laughing caused by ancestors (ancestral spirits).
n=u’uhan: someone pretending to be a n/om-kxao.
n=u’uhan-kxaosi: those who show off and boast about their n/om.
n!o’an-ka/’ae: the original force which changes everything .
g//aoan=’angsi: the original ancestors.
g=kao n!a’an: father of the original ancestors.
ghauh-!o: mother of the original ancestors.
n!angsi: eland headed people.
n!ang-n/aisi: eland headed tribe.
/ae-N=unhn: an ancestor who sends down n/om as a drink from God. The drink is God’s urine
     and looks like water.
mi-n/ai-dci: an expression meaning “my head is wet from God’s water”.
dshau-n!a’anao//xai-g!oqma: an old woman who makes scary sound in a dance.
tjin-kxuisi-tsa’an-tsa’an: the scary sound made by the old woman in a dance.
kxaetci!hun: tapping on body that means it is time for hunting.
n=a’m/’an: the tapping that ancestors and God make on the body.
!kau: the feeling of a shock on one’s fingertips that means that a lion is near.
kaakare: the dizziness of doctors after a dance that is caused by n/om.
!hui: thread or rope to God.
tso: thread or rope for lion thuru, that is, for changing into a lion.
maq: thread for any ancestral spirit, whether good or bad.
!ain-!’u: spot on back of the neck where pulled sickness may leave the n/om-kxao.
g//abesi soahn: “the g//abesi(diaphragms) are soft,” that is, ready to receive needles.
n/om-kxao: an owner (“own the feeling for”) of n/om.
!aiha: a n/om-kxao who can heal by pulling out sickness.
tco-kxao: a n/om-kxao powerful enough to give others arrows, nails, or needles of n/om.
!ka tsau /’an: the heart rises more.
n/om-da’a: name of the fire inside the n/om-kxao.
gua-gua: when a fire has big flames.
g=kao n!a’an: the respect name of the Sky God.
!xun!a’an: Sky God.
/xuri kxaosi: tricksters.
n=hang: (bloodwood) name of tree whose powder (made from the inner part of the tree) can   
     make rain.
!ai-tcia: something dangerous and deadly like poison, lightning, and serious illness.
!‘han-n!ang: the inside of the water hole where some n/om-kxaosi visit in a kabi.
g//abesi tuih: the waking up of g//abesi and needles; one feels heat and tightness.
n!aroh-//xam: first experiential station of a n/om-kxao. This refers to experiencing the power of
     a fire, which is where you meet and deal with fear.
g!a’ama-n!ausi: second experiential station of a n/om-kxao where the heart rises. This is when  
     healing can take place.
thara n/om: the third experiential station of a n/om-kxao where needles are given.
djxani-kxao: a n/om-kxao who is dancing.
gu-tsau: clapping that lifts the dancer’s legs in a dance.
n!o’an-n/om: throwing a dirty arrow to hurt someone.
!xu dsuu-n!o: God’s ostrich egg.
n!ao: spirit of weather conditions at birth, giving good or bad luck to the person and the  
     community.
da’a: fire in the sky seen by a n/om-kxao when traveling along a rope or thread.
!xaua-khoe: ignorance caused by being selfish and greedy. It is the opposite of love.
tchisi: arrows of n/om.
g!oahnaqnisi: g!oah needles of n/om.
=oah tchisi: giraffe arrows of n/om.
//auhsi: Sky God’s needles of n/om.
djxani-!uhsi: refers to two n/om-kxaosi shaking together.
kxae=xaisi: seeing the feelings (what is meant by “seeing properly”).
ega: “something for me” which is the message of the body tappings.
g=aqba-n!a’an: “Heart of the Spears,” referring to the most powerful n/om-kxao.
!xu tci: a gift from the Sky God.
!xu g!u: Sky God’s medicine water.
n!uan-tso: standing or climbing on the thread to God.
//xoan: the heavy breathing sound of climbing the thread to God.
tco: respect name for n/om.
=oah tchisi: respect name for giraffe arrow of n/om.
n!ang tchisi: other animal arrows of n/om.
g!oah n/oma: n/om from g!oah plant.
//an: (appeal to) when people hear a song from a faraway village or from the ancestors and they  
     feel they have to go to the dance.
!’hana: g!oah n/om stick used by dancers in the past.
n/aahm: being very happy while dancing in one spot.
san//ae: sinew, the old word for thread traveled on by a n/om-kxao.
n!hai !oqru: very dangerous skinny green lion.
gua: beginning of !aia when you first feel the power of the fire.
kau-hariri: the actual sound made by a !aaiha when illness is pulled.
!’huhn: name of the sound made when releasing sickness.
/’u a !xui: an animal chasing its tail (a way of referring to changing circles).
=ahmi: refers to Bushmen as “circle people” and the circles around the sun and moon that
     remind people of important things.
!huijuasi: the “straight line people” who aren’t Bushmen (e.g., the white people).
!ai: real death which has nothing to do with !aia, the waking up of a n/om-kxao.
g=ain-g=aing=ani: the name of First Creation.
g!xoa: the name of Second Creation which means “now there is speech.”
n!’haam: spider.
!kabi: when the n/om-kxao sees First Creation in the dance (seen as a constant whirling).
=ahmia-khoe juasi: another way of referring to the circle people and seeing everything move in
     circles.
tau: n/om string.
n!’haam-n!’haam: spider web of n/om that covers head of a n/om-kxao, trying to stop healing
     because it blocks seeing sickness.
n!aroh-ma: beginning learner of medicine.
=ara-khoe: shaking of a n/om-kxao’s heart onto another person’s heart.
g//aoa da’atzi: healing songs to quietly sing around a home fire.
n!aih-/ho: place where a fire is made for dancing and healing.
n!ang !xui: tail of an eland used by a n/om-kxao in the dance.
!uu: dance skirt.
kxao-kxaoa!kui: ostrich feather of decoration for n/om-kxao.
thuru: when a n/om-kxao changes form into an animal or anything else.
n!uan-ju: refers to the spirit of an animal standing on top of a person to help heal them.
tchi-n//han: sending a deadly animal like a snake to harm someone.
g!a’ama-ju: when a n/om-kxao catches the sick feeling of an animal.
maniju=’angsi: turning against someone.
ju!kag!ua: the liquid around the heart caused by anger.
//xaece: when a n/om-kxao protects himself by pushing back another person’s anger.
maqdore: the strange wind used for attack and protection by a n/om-kxao.
g//a’inkodin: an original ancestor who stared at things and made them move.
!ai//aah: mask of death that looks like an animal head that when placed on you causes sickness.
xaam: respect name of the lion.
!xu hui mi: words of an often used prayer meaning “God help me.”
ju ka g=om: moment when a n/om-kxao is so full of n/om that he can no longer speak, but can
     only sing.
n=oahn: when the ancestors make strange sounds through the n/om-kxao.
kaoha-kxo: God’s pot that he cooks a n/om-kxao in.
!ku: (wild syringa) God’s tree that holds the medicine water.
are: love, which is the most important word for a n/om-kxao.
ta’msi: feeling.
ta’ma kaice g/aoh: very strong feeling.
=uuma-khoe: sharing.
xaro: gift.
=umsi !Xu: religious beliefs about God and healing.
g//aoansi: ancestral spirits, trickster spirits, or spirit of God.
g//aoan: singular form of above.
djxani: dance.
=oah djxani: giraffe dance.
!xo djxani: elephant dance.
=hoe djxani: healing dance.
n!ang djxani: eland dance.
//’ai djxani: grass dance.
g!o’e djxani: oryx dance.
n!hai djxani: lion dance.
zo: bee, which has tremendous n/om.
g=aihg=aing=ani: time when there was no speech (later called First Creation).
n/oa: (eland’s bean) bush associated with eland in Second Creation.
n!huru: (Ipomoea verbascoidea) plant associated with eland in Second Creation.
/’ana: acacia tree associated with giraffe in Second Creation.
n=ah: buffalo thorn tree associated with kudu in Second Creation.
//’ai (ostrich egg) and //oq’m:(finger grass) grass associated with oryx and gemsbok in Second
     Creation.
manisi n!a’an-n!a’an: “the great turning around” that refers to the beginning of Second Creation.
xurua o n/om ga: man’s tortoise shell for holding medicine.
//’ora: women’s tortoise shell for holding perfume.
san !auah: skin bag for holding perfume.
n//oaq!’ae: bush used for making perfume; made of ground leaves and used to cool down a
     n/om-kxao in the dance.
=ang: bush used to make medicine for men’s tortoise shell (combined with animal fat) and used
     to heat a n/om-kxao in a dance (done by adding charcoal to medicine and smudging with the
     smoke); also used to help illness leave the body.
g!oan: (rhodesian teak) plant whose roots are ground to a red powder and used by men for good
     luck in a hunt (vertical line drawn between eyes and line drawn around upper arms).
tco-tcaq: sweat; for a n/om-kxao who is dancing, sweat is a medicine used to help give
     needles to others.
n=hang: a red pigment from the Sky God’s special plant that the Sky God rubs on a person for
     protection (this takes place in a kabi).
tci-n/oa //ah jan: hat from Sky God that is received in a kabi.
=um !xu kokxui: refers to the belief in God brought about by the love you feel for God.
!’hana: man’s dance stick used by n/om-kxao to give needles to others through pointing.
!kaihn: a form of g//aoansi n/om, used by g//aoansi to trick you into following a bad direction.
kaqian: g//aoansi n/om used to make you sick or die.
n/om-tzi: singular n/om (for example, applied to a n/om-kxo who only has giraffe arrows).
n/om-tzisi: multiple n/om (for example, a n/om-kxao who has several kinds of arrows, nails, or
     needles).
ca-ca: plant root used to protect boys and girls from dangerous n/om associated with girl having
     menstruation or following delivery of a baby.
//kaquu din: fruit bearing tree in the Sky God’s village referred to as “the tree of death.”
n=ah: camelthorn tree in the Sky God’s village.
g//aoan //koa !a’ansi: little g//auansi children from long ago.
n/huin: spirit (breath).
g!xa maq: breathing out the soul.
n/huin n!ang: breathing in (bringing back) the soul.
kxae /xoa: soul (the living self with its memories).
!xu kxao: means “I am an owner of God, ” that is, “I am the owner of the feeling of love for God.”
tci-dore: name for trickster that is used when you are angry with him.
//hann!ang: top of head where needles can be given; place where fully cooked needles (turned to
     steam) exit the body.
g!oh: steam (needles fully cooked are called g!oh).
/aqn-/aqnce: Sky God’s wife’s name which means “Mother of Bees.”
mba-n!a’an: Great Father; how Sky God is addressed in prayer.
gaqm: to awaken, used to refer to cause of !aia (analogous to striking a match). When lit, the
   n/om-kxao is in gua, the first stage of !aia.  The fullest !aia is thara.
g//aoansi tchi: arrows of sickness.
!’oahn: open up the heart (the most important learning for a n/om-kxao).
!kunsi: respect name for Gemsbock people.
g!xoa-g!xoa koarasi: the Knee Knee None people, creatures without knees about which little is
     known.
g!kun//homdima: woman in First Creation who first blew a horn.
waqdohm: tortoise shell to wear in dance that is decorated with bullet shells to scare lions and
     g//auansi away.
hatce koe du kxui mi =’angsi: expression for “what is making me think this way?” which refers
    to how trickster enters the mind.