29266: Jhudicourtb : More on the origins of AYITI (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JHUDICOURTB@aol.com

Here is some info I found in a glossary on the internet which seems to have
come from research done on the meaning of Vodou words at Max Beauvoir's
peristil in Mariani.

ayi
     1.     Préfixe
      2.     Ayi-bobo, Ayida, Ayidan, Ayi Gwètò, Ayigba, Ayika, Ayimado,
Ayimaké, Ayisyen, Ayiti, Ayi Masa, Ayizan
     3.     A nous, à moi (mine, ours)

Other uses of the prefix AYI
ayimasa:   preceeds name of lwa to name welcoming steps to greet the lwa
(ayimasa gede)
ayibobo:   "We salute the spirits of the land" (exclamation equivalent to
Amen or Aleluilla)
ayimado: preceeds name of lwa to say that the group wants a visit from that
spirit for example    ayimado Freda = we want Ezili Freda
Ayimake:   How we do,    for example Ayimake Vodou= this is how we practice
vodou

The glossary does not have a word "ti" but has "to" meaning "land, country"
So "Ayito" would mean "our land"
We could see a good reason here why the ancestors would have chosen "Ayiti"
among the various names our land has had.