Apologies to Djankusó

• Main Author: Richard Price
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BRILL 2003-07-01
• Series: NWIG
• Subjects: Suriname; Maroons; Saramacca; photographs
• Online Access: http://www.kitlv-journals.nl/index.php/nwig/article/view/3444

[First paragraph]
 In 19901 published a photo and captioned it "Gaama Djankusó (tribal chief, 1898-1932) wearing his ceremonial gorget and his "lóndd"' (Price 1990: 410), with the image credited to Morton Kahn's Djuka (1931: facing p. 106). The adjoining text, discussing the Saramaka chief's ceremonial uniform, explains that Before its general shape was altered during the twentieth century, the gaama's cocked hat was called by Saramakas "löndö," the more usual meaning of which is "cunt," because the shape of its orifice resembles the female genitalia. Tebini described to me how Gaama Djankusó (who died in 1932) proudly told him that Queen Wilhelmina herself had sent him his, and he noted that, "like a woman's private parts, it's good forever." (Price 1990:411)