This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
As a Luo individual, I have a name that is close to my chest, a 'ying juok' that is a secret known only to a select few. However, my given name, Ochieng, is a public fact, and it is a name that I share with many others in my community.
But what does it mean to have a name like Ochieng? Is it a single entity, or is it a collection of words that together form a name? The answer lies in the way that language works.
According to the Luo custom, a name like Ochieng is composed of multiple words, but it is still a single entity. This is reflected in the way that we use language, where a name like Ochieng is treated as a single unit, rather than a collection of separate words.
This concept is not unique to the Luo people. In many cultures, names are composed of multiple words, but they are still treated as singular entities. For example, in ancient Greece, the goddess Myronymos was worshipped under many different names, but she insisted that she had only one name.
Similarly, in many African cultures, names are composed of multiple words, but they are still treated as singular entities. For example, the name Ochola mak'Anyengo is composed of multiple words, but it is still a single name.
So, what does this mean for us today? It means that when we introduce ourselves, we should not say 'my names are...'. Instead, we should say 'my name is...'. This is because, linguistically, our name is a single entity, regardless of how many words it may be composed of.
As the author of this article, I can attest to the importance of this concept. My name is Philip Ochieng, and I am proud to share it with the world.
