Uyu ndi mtecheteche
Here is a finger naming rhyme…
Uyu ndi mtecheteche
This is the Shaky Little Finger
Finger Play
Finger Play
(Mang'anja)
(English)
Uyu ndi mtecheteche,
Uyu ndi mpwache wa mteche,
Uyu ndi mkala pakati,
Uyu ndi mkomba mbale,
Uyu ndi chitsiru chache,
Tikumenya iwe: Go! Go!
This is the shaky little finger,
This is his younger brother,
This is the one in the middle,
This is the plate-scraper,
This is an old fool,
I beat you thus: Go! Go!"
Notes
Please email me to let us know if you're familiar with this rhyme in current day Malawi. Thanks! Mama Lisa
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This rhyme can be found in "Children of Africa" (1910) by James B. Baird and "A Cyclopaedic Dictionary of the Mang'anja Language" (1892) by David Clement Scott.
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