igisigo

How to say it

Meaning

the spirit of a deceased ancestor believed to return and cause harm to the living.

Good to know

belongs to traditional belief; associated with misfortune, illness, or bad luck blamed on the dead.

Examples

• Babwiraga ko indwara ye yaturutse ku gisigo.They said his illness came from an ancestral spirit.
• Ese wemera ko ibisigo bibaho?Do you believe that ancestral spirits exist?
• Nta gisigo na kimwe cyahagaritse akazi ke.No ancestral spirit stopped his work.
• Umuganga w'umuco yavuze ko azirukana igisigo.The traditional healer said he would chase away the ancestral spirit.

The same word in