Dagha Boys
I refer to Gregor Woods’s article “Buffalo Don’t Back Down” (Jan/Feb 2023 edition) in which he refers to old buffalo bulls as “dagha boys”. I wish to determine the correct usage and spelling of this term. I have read “dugga”, “dagga” and “dagha”. I think the dagga one is definitely incorrect but I am unsure about the other two. Could Gregor please explain why he uses the spelling “dagha”? – André van Heerden, Western Cape
Old buffalo bulls were named dagha boys for their habit of rolling in mud, which forms a hard, dry crust over their skins to protect them from insect bites. The word is from the Nguni-speaking tribes (Zulu, Ndebele, Swazi, Xhosa, etc) and simply means mud, pronounced ‘i-boomba’).
