Edwidge Danticat - The Butterfly's Way - Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States

mayi moulencornmeal dish

mesye saraa male variation of madansara. Not very commonly used, but used here to indicate that some males now do participate in the intricate trade and travel network of local and international madansaras

mesi thank you

mizik rasinmodern music influenced by Vodou and ram

monnonk uncle

moun person, human being

m pa pi malI am fine, literally "not doing so bad"

mwen menmI, as for myself, as far as I am concerned

parenn godfather

pen patatsweet potato-based desert

peristil place of worship in Vodou

pikliz a hot relish often made with hot peppers, chopped cabbage, vegetables and vinegar

pwa beans

rara an informal musical band parading

restavek unpaid child servant often treated as the slaves were in colonial time

san manmanmotherless, used pejoratively to insult someone displaying bad behavior

tchaka dish of cornmeal with beans and meat

ti little, often used before someone's name to form a nickname

Tim, tim!interjection used before posing a riddle

vagabon rascal, shameless person

vaksin musical instrument made out of bamboo reed

veve ritual design traced on ground of Vodou worship places to invoke a specific spirit

Yanvalou dance or Vodou rhythm

French Words

certificat state exam at the end of elementary school

gourdeHaitian currency

G riotsstorytellers in West Africa

gendarmepoliceman, a member of the Haitian Army until 1995