The word for clock is “yeewirgel waktu”. This is derived from their verb to look, “yeewde,” and means the thing you look at to see the hour (waktu). The story behind this term is that before there were such things as clocks to tell time, the shepherds would use the shadow made by their staff to give them an approximate time of day.
A goat is “mbeewa” and it is a very important word to know, first because the Tukolor are a nomadic people who tend flocks of goats, sheep, and cows. Second, everywhere you look you see goats, you hear goats, and you step on goat droppings. Every home comes with a choir of goats who sing to the inhabitants night and day. The interesting tidbit that our professor shared is that a person who talks too much is called a goat! Living amongst the noisy, every present sound of goats gives this idiom powerful and hilarious meaning.
Until next time - Nallen e Jam!
