Tasi means "sea"; Tasi means "noble"

[asakiyume]

I know the people at the post office; I'm there a lot. Back when Little Springtime first was in Japan (she's back there again--let's have no earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disasters this time, please, Seafather and Lady) I found out that one of the women who works there has a daughter who lives in Japan. That woman--Tasi--is Samoan.

The other day when I was there, I had Timor-Leste on the mind, and seeing Tasi reminded me that in Tetun, tasi means sea--so I told her so. She smiled, and said, "and in my language it means 'noble.' Aliitasi, 'noble one.'"

So Tasi is just a nickname. Aliitasi is the complete name. It sounded so beautiful when she said it--here, I found it online: Aliitasi.

"'Noble one.' So every time someone says your name, they're respecting you," I said.

"Suuure they are," she said, skeptically.

But I think, yes. Even though they don't know it, even if they're acting disrespectful. Noble One. Even here and now, names have power.

Comments

[littlemoremasks.livejournal.com]

This story reminds me of the time I worked with a Man from Ghana. I can't reallyt be sure of what his name, at least so far as I would understand a name, was. He told everyone to call him "Nana". Think Batman, not Grandma.

Well, as it turns out, one day I called him Mr. Nana. I was being kind of sarcastic, he was getting on my nerves. He told me that I didn't have to call him Mr. because I was already calling him "Nana". I can't remember what the equivalent term he gave me in English to describe it was, something like "Lord" or "Prince".

I called him "Mister M - i - S - T - E - R Mister" a lot after that. And yes, I am a stinker.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Ha!