Cultural Notes: Variety of greetings in Pulaar society

Greetings may be done in a variety of manners such as shaking hands, embracing, bowing, or knee gestures.

Shaking hands (with one or both hands), or holding one’s forearm or elbow, are signs of respect as well as looking to the ground or away from the person that is being greeted.  Looking someone straight in the eye, such as a father, can be interpreted as disrespect.

Older people, authority figures, and strangers are referred to in the plural. In Pulaar when referring to above-mentioned people, you would say respectfully “they went” rather than “he went”.

Often old men cannot and/or will not interrupt their prayer, and consequently will answer a greeting with a nod or a grunt.  Therefore, one may greet them by smiling, nodding, or clasping one’s hands together in front of the chest.

Si Allah jabi means “God willing” (literally, “If God accepts”) and is a common response to “see you tomorrow” or other assertions about the future. Even the firmest of arrangements with someone will always have this caveat.

Greetings can be really long in Pulaar and cutting it short might be considered as rude. So, one should take time to greet people as it shows respect and builds a good relationship.