What I learned about the Southern Term Mammy While Working With a Ghanaian Nurse Named Mamme (1967 hits)
Because of the fact that the term Mammy was invented during a time in which slavery was still accepted, the term is generally acceptable to whites but totally unacceptable to African Americans! ...
I love learning and just the other night; I met a young Ghanaian nurse named Mamme (Pronounced /ma-may/ ) while working on a nursing unit other than my assigned unit. Being that I’m originally from the South, it sounded much like the archetype of African American slave women called Mammy’s. For fear of pronouncing her name wrong, I chose not to speak her name.
The next night which was the last night I worked with her, I decided to ask her for the meaning of her name which she stated meant “Mother” in Ghanaian culture. It was as if a “light bulb turned on in my head”. At that moment, I explained to her that I was afraid to say her name because of the derogatory way in which it was used in the Southern slave times and she was also able to correlate the name probably was a name given to Ghanaian girls born to Ghananian women.
Simply amazing and now I have a whole new insight on the name Mammy and the southern way of how they messed up such a wonderfully meaningful name by pronouncing it with a "drawal" and calling all Black caretakers Mammys unlike the nice way Nanna or Nanny is used. Interesting stuff, eh! Featured Blog Photo of "Mammy's Cupboard," 1940 novelty architecture restaurant in Adams County, Mississippi
Read More on the Mammy archetype The word mammy originally first started seeing usage in the southern parts of the United States during the Civil War. She is often portrayed within a narrative framework or other imagery of a domestic servant of African descent, generally good-natured, often overweight, and loud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammy_archety...
Southern name Maime \ma(i)-me\ (probably is a variationof the African name Mamme...) Also Maime as a girl's name is a variant of Mamie. The baby name Maime sounds like Mayme and Mame. Other similar baby names are Jaime and Maire. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Popularity of Maime Maime is not a popular first name for women and an equally uncommon surname or last name for all people. (1990 U.S. Census) See Displayed at the link below the baby names popularity of the name Maime for girls. (2010 statistics) Compare Maime with its source form and related girl baby names. http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Ma...
@ Sister Irma's blog Re: Mammy Archetype ... in response to my own blog (above).
I see that you can't appreciate what I learned while working the other night. (Lol) Well we can agree to disagree as usual.
Tuesday, June 14th 2011 at 2:21PM
Jen Fad
@ Sister Irma, I understand your point and I totally empathize with you, but I believe that you are missing the most important point of my blog with that being that I (ME) learned something while I was working with Mamme. I wish that you could put aside the chip on your shoulder long enough to appreciate the fact that I learned something interesting without having to go through or experience it first hand... that is what history is right. Besides, Slavery is over and there are no more Mammy's as far as I am concerned.
Tuesday, June 14th 2011 at 6:04PM
Jen Fad
@ Brother Rich, Yes, I know right! I had to finally ask her the dreadful question. She was really gracious about it, too and not offended. If you could see this really beautiful dark chocolate sister, you would have been really smitten. I told her that she was really in the wrong profession and should be modeling or something to that effect. She was really pretty.
Tuesday, June 14th 2011 at 10:51PM
Jen Fad
@ Sister Irma, Now you get to the REAL reason you had problems with my blog, eh! (Lol)
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 at 10:33AM
Jen Fad
No worries because I'm not mad at you for what your relatives did to you by giving you that nickname but rather mad at them. How could they do such a thing to a child, eh? Well I hope that you received some solace to know that the name is a variation of a really beautiful West African name meaning mother. You are truly a Mother and Elder to many of us on this site!
Wednesday, June 15th 2011 at 10:27PM
Jen Fad
...i SHALL REPEAT HERE WHAT i JUST SAID ON TEH 'BLOG' ABOVE THIS ONE... Jen unless you now call your self Re:mammy archtype and learning according to LOGIC says learning is subjective much like likes and dislikes as well as judging wh o is the saint and thesinner, ect. This value placed on me can only be what in psychology is called PROJECTING ON TO OTHERS BEHAVIORS OF ONES SELF THEY DON'TLIKE ONTO SOMEONE ELSE... (smile)
AND, JEN AS I AM ONLY ABOUT OBJECTIVE REALITIES...NEED I SAY MORE? LOL...
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
@jEN, YES AND TAHT 'PROBLEM' and chip on my shoulder are things are things I am proud of and here are Two examples,
1. L-O-G-I-C states taht for someone to get up set because I cannot experience what they exerienced as learning some thing valueable to them then turn right around and say taht experience is not necessary is defined as an argument that 'BEGS THE QUESTION OR ARGUING IN CIRCLES...
2. i AM ALWAYS SAYING i AM PROUD TAHT SLAVERY IS SOMETHING WE AS A PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED AND HAS HELPED MY PEOPLE TO BE BETTER ABLE TO FACE AND OVER COME EVER OBSTICLE THROWN AT US AS WE ARE... AND I ALWAYS STATE MOZELL'S QUOTE ABOUT WE ARE ONLY 400 YEAR OLD BABIES STILL LEARNING HOW TO SURVIVE. (SMILE)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
jEN YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE ME, but as a child, my very furst nick name was 'mammy'...When I became a teen ager I stop answering to it. This name and going out on and offical date did not work in my book? But, some of th emuch older people still call me by this name,lol (smile)
Where i came from I guess I was too young to know who is responsiable for that on. there was one more teen in my town weho moved ther her nick name was mammy also. (smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
(otfl) (smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
