Kofi Piesie June 22, 2109 

I have three questions for the readers; one, do we greet and speak to everyone that crosses us in our daily passing or do we walk right pass them as if we don’t see or recognize there being,
secondly, do you feel insulted if someone happens to ignore your very existence by not speaking back if you do happen to
acknowledge their being, lastly, are we practicing Good Character, Kindness, Hospitality, Kinship and Generosity?

In this article I am going to talk about the importance of greetings in the form of acknowledging someone’s being more importantly their existence.This importance of this concept is practiced globally by a vast amount of different cultures, which I will give a brief description of some, however I will be focusing predominantly on the Kerebe People of East Africa(Tanzania),and their importance of greetings, as a taple in their culture. It is important to know that the Kerebe people have four variables for greeting which is time, gender, age and relationship, which I will also try to demonstrate.

Greetings are very important in business… A simple definition of a greeting-is an action of taking some time to speak a polite word or give a body gesture of acknowledgement and recognition. Now let’s look further into the meaning of Greeting, Wikipedia says Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other. Greetings are sometimes used just prior to a conversation or to greet in passing, such as on a sidewalk or trail.

Businesses know the importance of greetings, they train and emphasis the importance of greeting clients, customers, or potential partners to their employees. A courteous greeting is an excellent way to make a positive first impression on a customer, companies often stress there is the risk that a customer will not make a purchase in the absence of a
proper greeting.
At work a few weeks ago my co-worker came to me upset. He told me
he was doing a favor for a department he does not belong to. The floor
manager of this different department did not appreciate nor respect the
gesture of my co-workers gesture of kindness. This lead to a verbal
exchange, and he explained to me that he was in department which he did not belong
in and he went to the office manager of that department to inform him
what he had done. His frustration only amplified by the fact the office
manager did not greet, did not speak, nor even look at him, utterly
ignoring him, even began talking to the another floor manager as if he wasn’t
even there. Making him feel as if he didn’t even exist. This manager did
not acknowledge my cousin being/existence so this is what motivated
me to do this article because I see this also so much in our own
communities.

Who are the Kerebe people?
The Kerebe live on a small island called Bukerebe in Lake Victoria, not far from the northern Tanzanian town of Mwanza. They are a highly artistic people group, many reference their wood carvings. The Kerebe people are known particularly for their wood carvings that stand three feet high, believed to be effigies of deceased chiefs. Producing wealth from their vast amounts of fruits, cotton, rice, and fish market of their island as
also allowed them to grow in realms of literacy and
intellectually and spread their culture through dance, oral traditions, with emphasis on their epic narrations. Members of their culture that have demonstrated prestige and maintained respect of their culture are often greeted with wood carved gifts. “Greeting among the Kerebe is greatly phenomenological—this is perhaps what is unique and interesting about it. The whole
formality of greeting places emphasis on being. A greeting is an existential affirmation of being on time. A greeting is therefore always plodding into the nuances of temporarily of being.It is an assurance that one still has another day to live or at least a minute. The Kerebe form of greeting also reveals that their concept of life is child centered, a phenomenon that presupposes that the horizon of the future is what defines the present”p.316

Before I share more about the Kerebe People and how they acknowledge a person’s being by a form of different greeting. I want to touch on other cultures around the world and how they greet an individual or individuals as well lay these definitions of being and existence as foundation for the rest of the article.
•Being-1.Existence.1.1 Being alive; living 2. The nature or
essence of a person
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/being
•Existence-B2 the state of being real or being known or
recognized: C1-a particular way of living:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/existence

How other cultures greet each other around the world
–Tibetan Monks: stick their tongue out to greet people. They also press the hands together and place them in front of their chest to show that they “come in peace”.
-Japan: Bowing they bows differ in angle and duration depending on the person they’re greeting.
-New Zealand: Hongi this pressing their foreheads together and look at each other’s eyes
-Tuvalu: The traditional greeting in Tuvalu is to press their cheeks together and simultaneously inhaling.
-Malaysia: Malays usually stretch out their hands and touch the other
person’s fingertips and then bring their hands to their hearts. It
symbolizes that they’re greeting you from their hearts.
-Kenya: The Adamu greeting of the Maasai’s, the tribe warriors perform an elaborated jumping dance.
-Botswana: Handshake by extending their right arm placing their left hand on their right elbow, pressing their hands together interlocking their hands with the other persons, interlacing thumbs finally returning to the original position and say “Lae kae?” which means “How are you?” in Setswana.
-Shona: A community in Zimbabwe handshake followed by a single clap as a sign of respect. As with many tribes in Africa, the youth greet
the elders as a sign of respect and acknowledgement of their existence.
-Nigeria: In the Yoruba culture, prostration and kneeling as a style of greeting have been practiced for a long time. Boys and men lay prostrating and girls and women kneel when greeting someone thought to be older or in a high position.The most expressive form for men is completely lying down with only the head raised up. For the women, one can either kneel on both knees or just use a single knee without necessarily touching the ground. 

Philip M. Peek, Kwesi Yankah teach us in their work “African Folklore: An Encyclopedia” the Kerebe have somewhat a complex concept of greeting one another especially if one does not know the rules of their language. They have a variations of greeting based on time and gender, the bases of a relationship and the desire to continue a relationship. But this should not be seen as strange for we also practice this methodology as well, we may say a “hello,” “good morning,” “evening,” “whats up,” “whats good,” we may also say things like “peace” as a form of a greeting or departure. And for an example of showing prestige or placing more emphasis on a relationship we may also say words like “one” which could be argued as a greeting or departing term that symbolizes a degree of solidarity amongst us. Like the Kerebe we ourselves may mentally decipher between all these forms of greeting one another before we speak them based off what time of day, who we are speaking to, what is the purpose of the greeting and what we desire or are required by respect of another and our relationship to them before we speak. 

Let’s look at a general word for greeting within the Kerebe culture kubwacha; however based off the different causations of applying different terms above the Kerebe do the same within their culture, but kubwacha is the most coming verbal use of a greeting. “Greetings among the Kerebe define kinship and good neighborliness. They also delineate character and draw lines of relationships. Greetings are a manifestation of humanness and respect for other people, friends, and strangers. To visit and to greet are represented by the same word, kubwacha. A visit (greeting) shows how much a relative values a relationship and the way he or she wants it to continue. It is the highest manifestation of love and solidarity amid fears of life and the struggle for survival” Peek&Yankah p.316

Kubwachaa: Is typically used between 5 A.M. to 6 P.M. Has no restriction of age, gender, and slightly stretch the timing of day as well. A basic or common greetings
Kulyaguzy: Also has no age restriction but is limited to use after or around sunset. “The two verbs above are derived from other verbs: kucha (to appear), which means ‘the appearance of light and the end of the night’ (obwire) or darkness, and kugwa, which means ‘to fall”.p.316
I mentioned above the Kerebe people have four variables for greeting which is time, gender, age and relationship. These two charts of greetings display the variations according to age, time and gender . The charts given show greetings between man and man, woman and woman depending on who starts the greeting formality.

Kuchatatya: This means to great someone who is very young, usually a person who,
age-wise, one could have fathered, regardless of gender. The word is a combination
of two words: Kucha (verb) and tata (noun). The word tata means “father,” but due
to the belief that the “child is the father of man” (Soyinka 1976; Tempels, 1956) the
word tata also means “son.” Kulamya: This is a special verb which is only used as to
greet with reference to a chief (omukama). Kulamya means “to greet a chief.” The
word is derived from the verb Kulama! Which means “to live long. Kulamya therefore
means to wish a chief long life”p.317
The word to greet someone within your age group, giving a one year difference is
Kusuzya. Kusuzya is rooted from the word kusula, a verb which means “to see
someone” usually with a purpose of determining the person’s health.p.317 Think of
how we in the United States when seeing one of our peers, family members or friends
as in a moment of success or good health or beauty as we “ I see you”or “I see you
over there shining” as we greet them. Kulolosya: is used when greeting “…someone
who is younger by at least two years”—a period which seems to have been the normal
spacing time between births among the Kerebe”. Being older and having seeing the
world first, therefore exercising responsibility over somewhat of an overseer the verb
kulola,is the root of kulolosya. “The word implies that the older person was told by
parents to watch over the younger regardless of gender because the older saw the world first”p.317

Final words
As the charts demonstrated and the details provided by Peek&Yankah teach
us“Greeting among the Kerebe is not something that is fixed once and for all and for
everyone. Although a general structure is there, it is time, change, age, sex, and
relationship that finally determine the kind of greeting to be accorded to a person.
Greeting is a phenomenological project that is carried out on a daily basis.” I know
some of us don’t respect ourselves sadly some of us hate ourselves subconsciously, so
we don’t respect and hate those who look like us in our surrounding, therefore the
results is we don’t speak, greet or acknowledge anyone’s presence. Demonstrating
little to no concern about anyone else’s welfare in my opinion. Let’s learn from the
Kerebe People and other African tribes, we need to see others as they are, and pay more homage to those regardless of age, gender, economic status, or popularity. The Zulu people believe that human beings exist only if others see and accept them, so the
community makes the person. As the Sawubona greeting goes: I see you, I accept you
as you are and the response Shikoba: I’m relieved to know that I exist for you.
Thinking this way will allow us to see each other’s, acknowledge each other, be
concern about the welfare of each other, respect each other, be polite to each other
and show kinship to each other.
We are all human and things change daily, a humble greeting may change the very
soul of the lost, revive the spirit of youthful joy in elders, or inspire the youth, “The person one greets as a younger person today can be older tomorrow if he marries or
is married into the family, or when a relationship one was not previously aware of
becomes known. In Kerebe greetings, ontological and temporal issues occupy the
center of being. To be or not to be is daily question in Kerebe culture”p.324
Remember greeting is a way of showing respect to the individual we may be
conversing with, or come in contact with in our daily routines. Greeting can also be a
foundation of forming good relationships even between stranger, a proper greeting
also shows the genuine concern about one’s welfare. There are two more words that
are also part of the greeting formality. “The two responses are “Goodbye” and “Thank
you.” The concept of goodbye among the Kerebe follows the variables of time and
context or circumstance. During the day, the one leaving will say “Msibemo” (Have a
good stay during the day), and the one being left will answer “Yee sugu msibeyo” (Yes
your honour, have a nice stay too where you are going). In the evening and at night, it
is “Mmagilemo/mnagileyo” (sleep well in/sleep well there)”p.323 Sm m Htp( may we
depart in peace)your Brother Kofi Piesie….

Lets Get This Culture

Sources:
• African Folklore An Encyclopedia by Philip M. Peek and Kwesi Yankah
• African religions & philosophy by John S. Mbiti
• https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/being
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/existence