Namba (clothing)
A namba (or nambas) is a traditional penis sheath from Vanuatu.[1] Nambas are wrapped around the penis of the wearer, sometimes as their only clothing.[2] Two tribes on Malakula, the Big Nambas and the Smol (Small) Nambas, are named for the size of their nambas.[3]
Nambas are characteristic of central Vanuatu. In the northern islands, long mats wrapped around the waist are worn instead.
Etymology
[edit]The word namba is derived from the Bislama word nambas. This is itself borrowed from Port Sandwich or Rerep na-mbas "penis wrapper", from Proto-North-Central Vanuatu *na "article" and *ᵐbʷasa "penis wrapper", with cognates including Tamambo buasa [ˈᵐbʷasa].[4] The form nambas [naᵐbas] has been misinterpreted as bearing the plural suffix -s of English (although such a suffix does not exist in Bislama); through a process of back-formation, this has led certain English authors to make up a singular form namba in English, with nambas as its plural.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Bislama-English". Vanuatu Aelan Walkabaot. Wantok Environment Centre. Retrieved 2007-06-22.[dead link]
- ^ Tetlow, Miranda (2006-05-19). "High and mighty". The Australian online. News Limited. Archived from the original on 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- ^ "Vanuatu Paradise - Malakula". vanuatuparadise.com. Retrieved 2018-11-10.[dead link]
- ^ Clark, Ross (2009). Leo Tuai: A comparative lexical study of North and Central Vanuatu languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. doi:10.15144/PL-603 (inactive 2024-11-05). hdl:1885/146751. ISSN 1448-8310.
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