I taught and lived with a Kenyan tribe called Iteso. They are located in western Kenya. Their tribal language is called Teso. A few of the teachers I worked with taught me a few words in Teso. The village knew I knew English and also figured I knew some Swahili, however they were really surprised (and impressed) when I could greet them in Teso. So here are the words I learned. Since I learned them through hearing and speaking, I’m using sound files to say the words for you. I’ve included a pronunciation guide for those of you who are sound file challenged.
English Meaning | Pronunciation | |
The way people would greet one another | Abaquero | |
and the response | Ajoka | |
Another greeting | Yoga | |
and the response | Yoga noi | |
or I could use this response | Noi Noi | |
Thank you | Yalama | |
Thank you very much | Eyalama noi | |
Rabbit | Ipo |
Ok, I admit rabbit is a strange one to know. I learned that when a rabbit ran through the school compound. One of the teachers taught me the word for rabbit.