Igisoro → Portuguese.
The following is a collection of Igisoro-related terms and expressions recorded in Ruanda.
Kinyarwanda - English
- akánga=nteba
- (lit. "opposite to the nteba") the four pits adjacent to the nteba in the inner rows
- akánga=nteba wó haruguru
- upper akánga=nteba (on the left)
- akánga=nteba wó heepfó
- lower akánga=nteba (on the right)
- akanyána
- (lit. "little female calf") one pit is empty, while the other one in the same file of the player contains a singleton
- búguz
- to play Igisoro
- guc úmuvúno
- opening (2nd stage of the game)
- gucá
- finished (sowing)
- guhénura
- to sow into the back row
- guhá
- (lit. "to give") to execute a move
- gukánga
- (lit. "to betray") to cheat
- gukúba
- (lit. "reunite") putting the counters of the front pit into the back pit of the same file, when capturing is refused; see ndakubye
- gutáng inganji
- (lit. "to impose his triumph") priviledge to capture in the opening stage
- guteba
- counter-clockwise
- gutéera
- to sow
- gutéga
- (lit. "to hold") to count (as a point)
- gutérura
- to collect the counters from a pit, begore they are sown
- gutóoroora
- to revert a move
- haruguru
- (lit. "above") the four files on the player's left
- heepfó
- (lit. "below") the four files on the player's right
- icúba
- pit
- icánga
- (derived from áng = "to refuse") to put the last counter in an empty pit
- igihuhúma
- (lit. "to make a hollow sound") the four pits in the center of the board (the sound of the counters is hollower in the center than at the extremities)
- igihuhúma wó haruguru
- upper igihuhúma (on the left)
- igihuhúma wó heepfó
- lower igihuhúma (on the right)
- igisoro
- 1. board; 2. mancala game of the Tutsi
- igitégo
- one point (for a won game)
- ihené
- (lit. "goat") name of a particular opening
- ink igérekeye
- (lit. "double") both pits in the same file of one player's side are occupied
- inká
- (lit. "cow" (of common breed as opposed to the royal cattle called inyambo) counter, when used in play
- inyána
- (lit. "female calf") both pits in the same file of one player's side are empty (a synonym for weakness)
- kábakigi
- (unknown etymology) name of a particular opening
- kubúguranya
- to play twice, when the opponent hesitates too long
- kubúguz inkángane
- (lit. "to play with irregular counters") having less than 64 counters at the end of the game
- kubúguza
- 1. play; 2. main stage of the game; a synonym for Igisoro
- kugarama
- clockwise
- kugereka
- (lit. "to dispose") setting up the board by placing the counters in groups of four (1st stage of the game)
- kuráaza
- (lit. "make someone sleep") to reject a request for reversal of a move
- kurása
- (lit. "to be hit by an projectile") to capture
- kuvuna
- first sowing move in the opening stage
- kwivunura
- second sowing move in the opening stage
- madóndi
- (derived from dond = "to make short and repetive sounds") name of a particular opening
- ndahise
- (lit.: "I pass") to forego a capture
- ndakubye
- (lit. "I retreat") moving counters to the adjacent pit in the outer row after ndahise; see gukúba
- nteba
- (derived from: teb = "to return") reverse pits in the inner rows (A2; A7; B2; B7)
Reverse pits
- nteba wó haruguru
- upper nteba (on the left)
- nteba wó heepfó
- lower nteba (on the right)
- nyuma
- (lit. "back") in the back row
- nyuma y áakanga=nteba
- pits behind the akánga=nteba in the back row
- nyuma y igihuhúma
- pits behind the igihuhúma in the back row
- nyuma ya nteba
- pits behind the nteba in the back row
- rucugiitamugabo
- (lit. "provoking the opponent") name of a particular opening
- ubusoro
- (lit. "small balls") counter, when not used in play
- ugutwi
- (lit. "ear") reverse pits in the outer rows (a1; a8; b1; b8)
- ugutwi wó haruguru
- upper ugutwi (on the left)
- ugutwi wó heepfó
- lower ugutwi (on the right)
- umutwé
- (lit. "head") the four endholes of the inner rows (A1; A8; B1; B8)
- umutwé wó haruguru
- upper umutwé (on the left)
- umutwé wó heepfó
- lower umutwé (on the right)
- urunyána
- (lit. "line of cows") board position with many singletons
References
- Bizimana, S.
- Umukino w'igisoro. Reji y'Ingoro y'Umurage w'u Rwanda, 1991.
- Coupez, A. & Benda, V.
- Terminologie du Jeu d'Igisoro en Rwanda. In: Africa-Tervuren 1963; 9 (2): 37-41.
- Huylebrouck, D.
- Afrika en wiskunde. VUBPRESS, Brussels (Belgium) 2005, 127-144.
- Kimenyi, A.
- Cow Metaphors. Paper read at Yale at 29 Annual Conference on African Linguistics. California State University at Sacramento, Sacramento CA (USA) 1999.
- Merriam, A. P.
- The Game of Kubuguza among the Abatutsi of North-East Ruanda. In: Man 1953; 53 (11): 169-172.
Copyright
© Ralf Gering
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.