Glossary of Oshiwambo

meme = mother or woman or miss/Mrs. (pronounced MAY-may)

tate = father or man or sir/Mr. (pronounced TAH-tay)

Cuca shop = small shop selling beer and some other things like cookies

oshana = a large, shallow pool of water that forms during the rainy season

oshilumbu = foreigner or white person

iilumbu = plural for oshilumbu, foreigners or white people

mahangu = millet, the staple crop in northern Namibia

oshithema = a porridge made from mahangu

wa lala po / uhala po / wa tokewa po = greetings for morning / afternoon / night

Oshindonga = the dialect of Oshiwambo that was spoken at our school

Oshiwambo = broad term for the many dialects spoken by the Owambos

Owambo = tribe of people who live in Northern Namibia

Owamboland = area in northern Namibia inhabited by the Owambos