Tickling is the act of touching someone's sensitive body part with an intention to induce amusement or cause laughter.
And guess what....You can tell someone's tribe from the way they react when tickled.
A Muganda will scream mama nze, which loosely translates "oh my mother!"
They are always quick to call their mothers when it comes to anything sensitive or emotional. Even in times of bereavement, they will always say mama nze, regardless of whether it's their father who's dead!
The Itesos are soft spoken that when one is tickled, she will softly say oyiisiki eong, which means "leave me alone". The problem I find with this is that they use this phrase in a more inviting way than resistance! That's why you'll always see malwa drinkers tickling the ladies whenever they are refilling akiipi,(hot water) in the malwa pot.
A Musoga will jump and shout Eee muna, which means " Eh you!" at the slightest of tickles. However, it's very hard land a tickle on most Basoga women, and you need a bit of luck because of their dress code. They are always in gomesi! And if you went to Busoga, you'd see women gardening, farming, riding bicycles and waitressing in gomesi.They love their gomesi and I have a sneaky feeling they sleep in them!
Batoro are so sweet (God bless them!). Even when they are angry, they will express themselves in a way that is more comforting. Even when you tickle her, in her angry mood she will say Ai kyaali, which is equivalent to Ai bambi or Oh dear!
Karimojong are the hardest to tickle, especially if you aren't one of them.It's hard to spot their most (or perhaps the least) sensitive body part since they're always exposed to nature. Their sensory nerves have a good relationship with the heat that nothing can incite their emotions. No wonder an honourable Mutoro man declined a position to Minister the Karimojong because he couldn't handle the "naked truth".
The Bakiga have been stereotyped as aggressive people who will not accept any nonsense. I don't know about you but I find them to be honest and expressive. That, maybe, explains why they don't have a king. They tend to be lethal when they start swearing. And if u attempted to sneak a tickle, she's likely to jeer and say, nda kwasha, meaning "I'll crash you!"' With such stigma around them, you have to be very careful when planning to tickle one. Besides the likeliness of succumbing to a barrage of verbal artillery, you might find yourself earning a big fat slap. (That's if you're lucky to escape with just one)
Banyarwanda, like Batoro, are just as polite in their response to a tickle. She'll giggle and smoothly say, "wiru we" which means, "also you!".Probably implying to giving you one back as a token of appreciation.
Their counterparts, the Banyankore, are quick to shout wankirigiita, which means "you have tickled me!" You can't tell whether it's a compliment or a threat. Traditionally, the Banyankore men's greeting always goes beyond the elbow and ends up in a wrestle position, giving one a chance to land a tickle. Western Ugandan historians partly blame this to be a major start in grooming so many kayandas of this world..
The Gisu are vivacious people. At a mere tickle, she will shout mulembe, which means "hallo!" and then jump on her feet and dance kadodi. Gisu men always tickle the ladies during the kadodi - circumcision procession - so that they can sing and dance like never before. It's there that the guy just been initiated into manhood starts identifying a potential wife.
If not careful,a Luo lady will crack both of you in laughter on her reaction to a tickle! She would say...Oi Jal! I wot tur pyella! translating Eh sir! You'll break my back. This gets me asking how a tickle could break one's back! She could add... "Inekka nono" meaning...."That completely kills me".
Last but not least, you have to wear a helmet if you are to tickle a Lugbara. At the slightest touch, she's likely to strike your head and shout draru! I don't know what draru means, but then I figured out it's an acronym for Dangerous Relationships Are Rarely Understood.
NB: THIS IS JUST A HANDFUL, COMPARED TO A WEALTH OF TRIBES UGANDA HAS.
PLEASE HELP ME COMPLETE THE LIST (BUT ONLY IF U UNDERTOOK A SURVEY LIKE I DID).
