Note 71 — Chapter XIII · SPEKE IN UGANDA

This word is really a mis-hearing on Speke’s part for Bwana, which, again, is a corruption of Abuna, the Arab word for “our father.” Bwana is the respectful term, meaning “master,” which is applied in the Swahili language to all persons of superior position. It was the name by which Speke was known throughout his stay in Uganda, though it has long since been discarded for “Sapiki.”