| askari | native troops in European service (Swahili for soldier, from Arabic) |
|
barracoon |
enclosure or barracks used to temporally confine slaves (Spanish barracón, augmentative of barraca hut, from Catalan) |
|
boma |
stronghold or fort |
| bundu | the bush, wild country |
|
bwana |
master or boss (Swahili, from Arabic abuna our father) |
| courbash | buffalo hide whip |
| hongo | toll paid to natives for permission to pass through their territory |
|
jambo |
hello (Swahili) |
| juju | Magic, a fetish, charm, or amulet of West African peoples (akin to Hausa jųju fetish) |
|
mambo |
king (Shona from Mawali) |
| Negus | title of the emperor of Ethiopia |
| palaver | a long parley usually between leaders or persons of different cultures (Portuguese palavra word, speech) |
|
ruga ruga |
vicious mercenary bands consisting of native refugees, adventurers, and runaways |
| safari | a hunting expedition (Arabic safariy,of a trip) |
| Schutztruppen | German soldiers in Africa (literally, protection force) |
|
Swahili |
East and Central African trade language with much Arabic influence (Arabic sawahil, plural of sahil coast) AKA kiSwahili |
| toto | servant or "boy" (Swahili toto) |
| Wa-Bangi | Hashish smoking pagans of central Africa. Literally, "the people of bhang (hashish)". |
|
zanj |
Africans (Arabic) |
|
Zanzibar |
Island nation of traders and slavers (Arabic zanj-bar coast of the Africans) |
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Index A-M
Index N-Z
Arabic
British Military Terms and Soldier Slang
China and the Far East
Egypt and the Sudan
French North Africa
India and the Northwest Frontier
Old West
South Africa