Names

Some Native Americans have two names, one of which is never
made public because of the power it would give another
person over them.

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It is common in parts of West Africa for people to name
their children for the day on which they were born. Sunday
is Awushie, Monday is Adojoa, Tuesday is Abla, Wednesday
is Aku, Thursday is Awo, Friday is Afua, and Saturday is
Ama.

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In seventeenth-century Europe people made anagrams from
names and believed these words formed from rearranging the
letters would give a clue to a person's characteristics.
Teresa is a teaser, Pat is apt, Greta is great, Mona likes
to moan, and Dora travels on the road.

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There were tribes in the mountains of northwest Africa
known as anonymi, or people without names. These small,
isolated groups of people were described by Pliny, an
ancient Roman historian.

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The Ojibway Indians of North America once considered it
dangerous to speak the names of their own husbands and
wives.

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The people of Indonesia may change their names after they
have suffered some misfortune or have had a serious illness.
They believe a new name will confuse the evil spirits that
brought them grief.

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