Note 43 — Chapter XII · UNYAGO EVERYWHERE

This action is called ku luluta both in Yao and in Nyanja. The Rev. H. B. Barnes explains the word, in the latter language, as “to say lu-lu-lu-lu indefinitely. The women do this as a sign of rejoicing; the sound is produced by moving the tongue quickly from side to side with the mouth a little open, and very often the hand is alternately clapped to the lips and taken away rapidly.” The cry itself is called in Nyanja ntungululu. It seems to be universal (under various names) among African women.—[Tr.]