Naming Colonialism: History and Collective Memory in the Congo, 1870–1960

Index

213 abortion, 51 agronomists and crop supervisors, names given, 70, 88, 92, 95, 99–101, 108, 110–11 ambiguity: as defensive strategy, 13, 75–78; double naming and, 12, 134, 153; dual referents and, 11; gender-linked praise names as ambiguous, 123–24; inverse connotations in names, 59; negotiation and, 138–39; praise names and, 20, 76, 119, 121–24, 134–35, 159–60; resistance and strategic, 122; strategic use in naming, 131 amputations, punitive, 88–90, 94 Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company (ABIR), 87, 90, 107, 128–29 Anglo-Egyptian regime, 32–33, 53, 81, 83, 84–85 animals, names referring to symbolic meaning of, 71–72, 111–12, 117, 120, 189n5; excess or greed, 99–100; goodness, 120, 186n31; immorality, 63; lightning, 95; missionaries given, 63; poisonous creatures, 91, 96; violence, 14, 155 appropriation: and instrumental use of names, 16, 61, 134–35, 139–56, 161–62; of labor or resources, 19, 32, 39, 51–52 (See also foodinsecurity;labor);of traditional symbols by colonial power, 131–32, 142 Arayabu, Jean, 133 Armah, Ayi Kwei, 104 arrests, names relating to, 94–95 authority: names referring to symbols of, 28, 84; names related to colonial hierarchy and, 56, 68–69, 97 Bâ, Mariama, 104–5 Bandungu “Pepper,” 148 Bearts, Father R., 63 TheBeautyfulOnesAreNotYetBorn(Armah),104 beauty or handsomeness, names referring to, 68, 120, 123, 124, 130, 144, 160 Bilonda, Lwamba, 13 birds, names referring to symbolic meaning of, 71–72, 111–12 birth, names given at or near, 22–23, 24; circumstances of birth reflected in, 26–28; kinship or familial relationships reflected in, 27–28, 29 birth rates, 50–51, 87 blood brotherhood, 22, 141, 152 blue, symbolic meaning of, 109–10 Boelaert, E., 17 Bolema (Topoke chief), 115–16 Bolle, Arthur J. G., 73–74 Boula (Topoke chief), 115 breast feeding, missionaries and opposition to, 51 brick making, names related to, 119–20 Bula Matari “Break rocks!,” 56, 85–86, 102, 105, 110, 146, 180n10, 180n12, 180n22; instrumental use of name by colonial agents, 146–47 Bwana Lubuku “Master builder,” 119–20 I cannibalism, 91, 95–96 Casati, Gaetano, 80 Casement, Roger, 86 cash crop economy, 32, 36; abolition of rubber collection linked to mandatory participation in, 87–88; acts of resistance related to, 122; financial analyses of, 92; framed as economic development, 154; hostility toward, 75; hunger and food insecurity linked to, 100; legal system and forced participation in, 47–48; mandatory cultivation and, 19, 36, 47–48, 87–88; marriage practice and, 50, 51; names as critique of, 14, 55, 92, 95, 108, 123; naming andenforcementof,55;punishmentsand abuses linked to, 95–96; symbol appropriation and, 132; village life disrupted by, 36; women’s role in, 117 chiefs’ councils, 48, 137, 139–40, 175n27 children, names given, 26. See also birth, names given at or near choice, selection of names, 18–19, 24 civilization, colonialism frames as civilizing mission, 20, 36, 49, 71–72, 136, 138–39 clan and kinship, 28. See also familial relationships closed associations, 48, 139, 141 collective names, 55–58, 68, 85–86, 118, 126, 157–58; for concessionary company agents, 87; for Congo Free State agents, 85; for missionaries, 58–59; praise names as, 124 colonial political structure, role of local leaders in, 56–58 colonial state, organizational hierarchy in, 68– 69, 96–97 colors, traditional symbolic content of, 109–10, 131–34 Commission of Inquiry, 86, 89, 116, 129, 148, 153–54 concessionary companies: abuse of women by agents of, 116; collective names for agents of, 87; names given to agents of, 53, 55, 107–8 Congo Free State, 33, 53, 85, 158–59; atrocities as endemic during, 104; Belgian government takeover, 145–46; coercion and violence linked to, 35, 36, 39–40; Congolese perceptions of, 12; flag as symbol of, 109–10; mandatory collection of wild products imposed by, 33–36; mandatory cultivation of cash crops imposed by (See cash crop economy); negotiations embedded in relationship with, 136–37; road construction as project of (See roads androadconstruction);violenceasinstrument of domination, 116. See also state of- ficials and agents copal collection, 33, 35, 97, 102 Cornet, V., 147 corvée labor, 19, 32, 37–38 cotton, 37–38; “cotton roads” and corvée labor, 37–38; economic impacts of, 37, 142–45; justice system and cases related to, 45–47; names related to colonial cotton industry, 3, 13, 68, 70–75, 88, 95–100, 108, 109; propaganda and, 142–43 court system, efforts to suppress testimony by...