The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #88125   Message #1651183
Posted By: PoppaGator
18-Jan-06 - 05:56 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Iko Iko
Subject: RE: Iko Iko
I've noticed that some Indians pronounce it "fee-nah-nay" while others say "fee-on-day." Commercial recordings also feature both pronunciations.

Years ago, Cyril Neville (whose uncle was a notable Big Chief, and thus would presumably know) told a group of us, with a straight face, that the English translation of "Jockamo Fee Nah Nay" was "Eat my drawers." This was years before Bart Simpson popultized a similar expression; I had never heard such a thing ang of course burst out laughing. None of us took him too seriously ~ you don't expect a straight answer to an inquiry about tribal secret codes, any more than you'd expect a Shriner to reveal their secret handshake or whatever.

I suppose the more scholarly translations provided above are more likely to be accurate, but I'm still not totally sure we can presume to have penetrated the confidentiality of a such a tiny, exclusive, tightly-knit and supremely purposeful group.

About that other thread title: it's a quandry, all right, since the originators assumption that "Iko" is "Cajun" was completely wrong, but the thread eventually came to the correct conclusion. How 'bout "Not-Really-Cajun Music"?