yorka

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From Kari'na ijoròkan, ultimately from Proto-Cariban *ijoroko (“evil spirit”) with a suffix; compare Apalaí joroko, Trió joroko, Wayana jolok, Pemon iworok, Ye'kwana Odo'sha, as well as (from non-Cariban languages) Lokono jaloko.

Noun

yorka

1. spirit of the deceased; specifically, in the Afro-Surinamese winti belief system, a spiritual entity specific to an individual that can remain among the living upon the death of the individual, in a benign or malicious manner, retaining the individual's memories and personality

Related terms

• kra (“soul, spirit; a spiritual entity that determines an individual's life and returns to its origin upon the individual's death, ceasing interaction with the human world”)
• dyodyo (“soul, spirit; a spiritual entity linked to the birthplace of an individual who acts as guardian of this or several individuals”)
• sili
• yeye