Aba Ouvalier Down with Duvalier!
akra malanga fritter (malanga: edible root)
andeyo/peyi andeyo the Haitian provinces, the countryside, home of the Haitian peasantry
bal dance party
bannann peze sliced and pressed fried plantains
blan white person, but also used to refer to foreigners in general
bonnanj soul, basic life source
Bouki/Malis opposite characters in Haitian folktales-(Bouki the fool and Malis the shrewd)
Bwa chech dry wood, also used as a reply in riddles to the interjection (Tim, tim!)
boulet meatballs
diri kole rice and beans cooked together
djondjon black mushrooms primarily used in a rice dish
dous sweet confection, often with the consistency of fudge
egare lost, dumb, confused
granme grandmother
griyo fried pork
gwayabel light embroidered shirt worn primarily by men
kremas a sweet coconut and milk-based liqueur
kenep Spanish limes
ki jan ou ye? how are you?
kivet washbasin
kolon colonist
konpe friend, pal, also godfather of someone's child
konpa variety of modern popular dance music
kouzen cousin
I ap mode ou It will bite you
lavil the city, downtown
leve mo raising the dead
lougawou woman who is human by day and vampire by night
lwa spirit of the Vodou religion
madansara tradeswoman, vendor, merchant
manman mother
mapou large tree with magic powers according to popular belief
marenn godmother.
marasa twins, also Vodou spirit
matant aunt
matinet a whip constructed with a piece of wood at the end of which are attached thin leather strips
mayi moulen cornmeal dish
mesye sara a male variation of madansara. Not very commonly used, but used here to indicate that some males now do participate in the intricate trade and travel network of local and international madansaras
mesi thank you
mizik rasin modern music influenced by Vodou and ram
monnonk uncle
moun person, human being
m pa pi mal I am fine, literally "not doing so bad"
mwen menm I, as for myself, as far as I am concerned
parenn godfather
pen patat sweet potato-based desert
peristil place of worship in Vodou
pikliz a hot relish often made with hot peppers, chopped cabbage, vegetables and vinegar
pwa beans
rara an informal musical band parading
restavek unpaid child servant often treated as the slaves were in colonial time
san manman motherless, used pejoratively to insult someone displaying bad behavior
tchaka dish of cornmeal with beans and meat
ti little, often used before someone's name to form a nickname
Tim, tim! interjection used before posing a riddle
vagabon rascal, shameless person
vaksin musical instrument made out of bamboo reed
veve ritual design traced on ground of Vodou worship places to invoke a specific spirit
Yanvalou dance or Vodou rhythm
French Words
certificat state exam at the end of elementary school
gourde Haitian currency
G riots storytellers in West Africa
gendarme policeman, a member of the Haitian Army until 1995