In Umor (Ugep), names have traditionally been more than just a means of identifying a person. A name can tell a story. It can preserve an event, describe a circumstance, honour a person, express a belief, or carry the memory of a family and its experiences.
The tradition of naming in Umor dates back to the earliest generations of our people. From the beginning, children could be given names based on events surrounding their birth, circumstances, figures, trees, ancestors, loved ones who had passed on, and even people believed to have been reincarnated.
However, one of the traditional ways of naming a child was through a respected person chosen by the family. This could be a mentor, godfather, godmother, relative, elder, or another respected member of the community. Giving a child a name was not always simply about choosing a word and attaching it to the child.
Traditionally, when someone was given the honour of naming a child, it was often accompanied by a naming ceremony (aekpe). The person who named the child could host family members, friends and members of the community, providing food and drinks to mark the occasion.
But the responsibility did not end with the celebration.
The person who named the child was traditionally expected to take an active interest in the child's life and growth. Such a person could become an important figure in the child's upbringing, offering guidance, support and counsel as the child grew into adulthood. In many ways, the act of naming could create a lasting relationship between the person who gave the name, the child and the family.
In more recent times, naming has increasingly become something primarily handled by the parents. This has changed some aspects of the traditional practice, although respected elders, family members and other important figures can still be invited to name children and participate in the aekpe.
As naming practices continue to change, we believe it is important to document what has existed and what exists today.
This is why Discover Ugep has taken time to compile different categories of Umor names — from older traditional male names to modern male names, and from older female names to modern female names.
Some of the older names are still being researched, and their meanings and origins are not yet fully established. The newer names, on the other hand, often have meanings that reflect the events, circumstances, emotions, beliefs and experiences of the families that gave them.
This is not intended to be the final record of Umor names. It is the beginning of an ongoing effort to document them.
As we continue to speak with our elders, families, historians and speakers of Lokaa, we will continue to research, verify and update these lists. Our hope is that, with time, we can preserve not only the names themselves but also the stories, meanings and traditions behind them.
Because when a name disappears, we may lose more than a word.
We may lose a piece of our history.