A lot of people ask me about Lutigi. Lutigi is a word that I learned when I was living in Burkina Faso. It wasn't my Burkina name, that name is Wurodelakia, which I thought would be difficult for people to remember/pronounce/type. Wurodelakia was the name given to me on my first day by group of my male neighbors who had gathered to meet me and to decide on the name for which I would be called for the following two years. I love my name despite the close ties to it's Christian ties, as it means "God-given", a common name in West Africa.
After about a year of trials and tribulations in my village, Balla, my best friend Christian walked into my courtyard with a hand behind his back and a goofy smile on his face. The first time he strolled up to me in this fashion, he presented me with two very nice and very raw steaks. Trust me, this was a rarity in both food and occasion. I had his wives cook it up immediately and his family and I feasted. So when Christian was approaching me in the same manner for a second time, I thought that our mutual friend and hunter, Lamousa, had a successful day once again. Instead, what Christian brought me that day was the smallest, cutest little ball of of a puppy, shaking nervously in Christian's hand. I spent a lot of time looking for the best name for him. The Burkinabe people, like most West African peoples, aren't ever known as a kind population towards dogs: people, yes; dogs, no. So after a bit of time and after leafing through a few books, I settled on Lutigi; a word that means Chief of the Courtyard in the local language. After that day, after laughing histarically and rolling eyes, the town almost lovingly called out my dog's name every time we passed.
I'm starting this blog not to describe my times in Burkina, which took place several years ago, but instead to describe my life and the sh&t I'm going through. I've written blogs specifically about my travels in the past, but as I move into a stage of my life where I'll be traveling to new places more often, I find this method ridiculous. So, instead, I'll be posting whatever random things that I think up, no matter where or who I am that day. I'll try to be somewhat regular in my posting, but no promises.
After about a year of trials and tribulations in my village, Balla, my best friend Christian walked into my courtyard with a hand behind his back and a goofy smile on his face. The first time he strolled up to me in this fashion, he presented me with two very nice and very raw steaks. Trust me, this was a rarity in both food and occasion. I had his wives cook it up immediately and his family and I feasted. So when Christian was approaching me in the same manner for a second time, I thought that our mutual friend and hunter, Lamousa, had a successful day once again. Instead, what Christian brought me that day was the smallest, cutest little ball of of a puppy, shaking nervously in Christian's hand. I spent a lot of time looking for the best name for him. The Burkinabe people, like most West African peoples, aren't ever known as a kind population towards dogs: people, yes; dogs, no. So after a bit of time and after leafing through a few books, I settled on Lutigi; a word that means Chief of the Courtyard in the local language. After that day, after laughing histarically and rolling eyes, the town almost lovingly called out my dog's name every time we passed.
