kinyago

How to say it

Meaning

a masquerade or comic performance involving masks or figures, and by extension the performer, the mask, or a scarecrow.

Good to know

traditionally associated with initiation-rite dances; some senses also carry the modern meaning of a small carved figure or curio.

Examples

• Watoto walicheka kwa vituko vya kinyago.The children laughed at the masquerade performer's antics.
• Kinyago kilisimama shambani kufukuza ndege.A scarecrow stood in the field to chase away the birds.
• Je, sherehe ya jandoni itakuwa na kinyago?Will the initiation ceremony include a masked dance?
• Wazee walisimulia asili ya densi ya kinyago.The elders told the story of the masquerade dance's origin.