As a result of the continuation of the study on the subject analysed in the previous entry, Guava: the living, the dead and the enigma of the fruit, it is necessary to specify some aspects of the etymology of the Island Arawak word guayaba, with a view to a greater accuracy of the results, without changing the essence of what was exposed in that work.
We had presented the following etymology of the word guayaba:
gua, ‘our’ + ya, ‘spirit’ + –ba, ‘other’ = guayaba, ‘our other spirit’.
However, in Lokono the meaning of the suffix –ba is ‘again’, also’1, therefore the following form is more accurate:
gua, ‘our’ + ya, ‘spirit’ + –ba, ‘again’ = guayaba, ‘our spirit again’, ‘our new spirit’.
In Lokono the suffix –mi, ‘new’, after the name of a person or animal, indicates that the person or animal is no longer in the world of the living2. This seems to be the same use that the Antillean agro-pottery Arawaks make of the suffix –ba in the word guayaba.
On the reasons for the existence of this alternative name of the opía, we also include some adjustments. As C. H. de Goeje points out, for the Arawaks it was taboo to use certain names in certain situations or at certain times (day or night) and they believed that not complying with this prohibitions could offend the spirits3. Taking into account the fear of the opias that the Antillean agro-pottery Arawaks showed during the night, it is very possible that they did not mention them by that name at night. This may help to explain why Pané says that “at night they became fruit”, when in fact what happened is that at night they were called by another name.
Since the publication of this clarification, we have updated the content of the entry, Guava: the living, the dead and the enigma of the fruit, to bring it into line with this considerations.
References
- Goeje, C. H. de. 1928. The Arawak Language of Guiana. Cambridge University Press. New York. Pages 101-102.
- Goeje, C. H. de. 1928. 1928. Op. cit. Page 203.
- Goeje, C. H. de. 1928. Op. cit. Page 237.