For many years an Arapahoe Indian woman wrote a weekly article for the local newspaper in America. Her English name was Molly Shepherd. Every week she wrote in broken English about her tribal customs, their songs, their funerals, the prizes for the one who came the farthest way to the funeral and the way they would give away everything that the deceased person owned. It was interesting. It was educational. Despite her broken English she had a gift for words.One article, however, was very brief. It was the afternoon paper on the Friday following the death of President Kennedy. In that article, she said, “Molly has no words for you today. Molly has nothing to write today. Molly has no words today. Molly goes through the whole house saying, “Oooh….”
Did you hear that word? In that one word, ‘Oooh’, Molly has joined the travail of the whole world.
It means the same in most languages, ‘Oooh’.
It is onomatopoeic. ‘Oooh.’ By speaking that one word we are joining ourselves with people of every culture.
Geoff Pound
Image: Oooh
