Table 5 Enset landrace nomenclature after names of places, animals, morphological traits and use-values in Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia
Naming of landraces | Representative landrace vernacular names with their English translation | Implication of the vernacular names |
|---|---|---|
After names of places | Boroda-wanadiyia (from Boroda Woreda), Dawro-arkiya, (from Dawro Zone), Kambata (from Kambata Zone), Kucha-arkiya (from Kucha Woreda) | Origin of the landraces from bordering and nearby Woredas and Zones |
After names of animals | Bora (Oxen- for feeding preference), Fara (Horse-feeding preference), Genessa (Antelope-indicating erect leaves like antelopes ear), Godariya (Hyena-to indicate big size and ugly color of the landrace) | *Implying landrace size, color, leave shape, suitability of landrace to feed different animals |
After names of crop plants | Banga (Hordeum vulgare L.), | *Implies taste similarities of the corm of landrace as barley foods |
After typical agronomic characteristics | Dirbuwa (fast/hurry) | Early maturity of the landrace |
After typical morphological characteristics | Lembuwa (Dropping), Lochingia (Thin), | Leaf Morphology |
Maziya (Big, fat) Silqantiya (Weak, unable to stand) | Implying plant size and pseudostem strength | |
Agino (the Moon, related to the Moon's color) | Referring to white/creamy color of pseudostem | |
Suitia (blood or bleeding, red sap color) | Referring to the sap color | |
After sensory cooking qualities of landraces | Chemia (Bitter not sweet), Sassa (silent, not delicious), Gassa (offensive bad smell), | Implying landrace food taste and smell |
After typical use of landrace | Tuffa (fiber, fibrous pseudostems) | Referring to the fibrous nature of the landrace and its importance for fiber |
Argama (Clan group in Wolaita) | *Refereeing to the Clan cultivating the landrace | |
Names given after different physical entities, biological organisms and names of people | Ankuwa (Vulcher); Buluwa (Solanum campylacanthum Hochst. ex A. Rich.); Mahia (Tiger) Sanka (Door); Bala and Erasha (Name of a person) | ‡Unexplained meaning |
Difficult to know landrace nomenclatures | Achaka, Adinona, Ala-genna Lalukiya, Mochiya, Shalakumiya, Shamaruwa and many others in Table 3 | ‡Unexplained meaning and implication |