Hanyauku: Walking on Tiptoes on Hot Sand- Namibian

On the child spirit, which is the master of us all, and yellow things

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

I wanted to write something light, humble, and cheerful for this week, in the last days of summer. And I made a conscious decision to use a word that represented summer: playful, childish, youthful, and yellow (yes, yellow, very yellow).

And now comes Hanyauku, a Namibian, Rukwangali name for tiptoeing on scorching sand.

Photo by Rendy Novantino on Unsplash

Given the word and its meaning, you understand why the color of hanyauku is yellow. First, it’s from Africa, the hottest continent of the earth. Second, the scene is quite yellow; it’s describing a moment when you are walking on hot yellow sand and the yellow sun is sending all its yellow-bright rays at you. Very rare things would be more yellow.

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When I think about and write about words, I suppose that each one has a personality, a color, a scent, and possibly a flavor. I unconsciously tend to give them identities in some way. Indeed, everything we come across initially appeals to our senses in some manner. It then leads to ideas, judgments, and, lastly, conclusions. We compare them to what we know or build links to understand them. This is how the human mind comprehends and learns.

If this is the case, for hanyauku, color is more distinctive than all the other characteristics.

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Hanyauku is a playful word. It reminds me of the small feet of childhood, of running towards the sea on the hot sand without needing to put on anything to protect your feet. The child does not care much about the end; he’s hopeful because he imagines that he can reach the cool waters without hurting his feet, and in the end, the burning ache of his feet will not even occupy a cell in his mind. All in all, hanyauku is a childhood word resembling a funny dance.

Of course, not all of us had smooth, comfortable and light childhoods where we could spend time by the seashore. Most of us don't remember our childhoods in such a colorful way. But the child spirit is a concept that transcends our individual stories. Play, creativity, spontaneity, reality and virtues, all exist in the child's soul. And if you pay attention, almost everything that is necessary for a happy human soul is hidden in it.

Hanyauku, for me today too, is a word that means saying goodbye to summer. It is the first day of fall for the Northern Hemisphere and in a few weeks the sun will hide itself behind clouds and rain. Everything yellow will turn orange, brown and gray. Saying goodbye to summer with a word that belongs to summer also means saying goodbye to it properly.

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For me, it has been the best summer in recent years. Problem-free and enjoyable. But I have to admit that I am secretly happy as my favorite season of the year is approaching.

Welcome Autumn! Where have you been, I missed you so much!

Notes & Reads:

Gershwin’s Summertime is a good choice to listen to before the summer ends.

New York Times’s summer read recommendations for 2023, To Be Enjoyed in a State of Repose, Preferably Near Water, would be a good choice list to check before going to holiday. We are at the end of summer for Northern Hemisphere, but they say, “These five novels go well with sand, sunscreen and hot afternoons. (Landlocked on a rainy day? That works, too.)”

Have a wonderful week and weekend.

Till next week,

— Gulsun

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