There must be several Dusun taboo words that I don't know of. But at least I know two of them. One is crocodile- for the Dusuns who live by the river, saying the real word for it is a 'no, no'. I used to be fascinated when my river friends told me they call 'it' anything but 'buayo' (=crocodile). The reason behind that- it is believed that something threatening shouldn't be mentioned at all or else it becomes more powerful. Hmm...reminds me of 'you-know-who' in Harry Potter!
The other group of taboo words that I know of is in-law related. Yes, a Dusun should never ever say his/her parents-in-law/uncles-in-law/aunts-in-law names. In some villages, saying your in-laws' names is considered very disrespectful. I've been told that if you say your in law's name out loud, the in-law will go blind! There must be an underlying assumption that a Dusun really cares for other people that the thought of causing harm to others is intolerable. Of course no one really believes the reasoning but everyone respects the tabooing rule anyway. I, for one, will never address my mother-in-law with her name...that is just unthinkable. But if someone asks me her name, I'll say it, not SPELL it like some people I know who are super duper loyal to the tradition!
I wonder what other taboo words are there...
4 comments:
mcm mana kalu kes yg kempunan tu?hehe...
hehe...itu pun kira taboo juga tapi bukan word...sia rasa itu belief...good idea ni mo tambah blog :-)
Senyum2 sia baca nie... My older sists SPELL their in-laws's names. Call them loyalists, but they really do. I like to tease them sometime by going around a particular issue and somehow, they need to say a word similar to their in-laws name. Pause sekejap tau, eja lagi.. LOL. I think it's a respect issue entirely, to the elder.
Another taboo that I can remember is the bird called 'pirit' in dusun and the rat,but this is not always taboo.Only if you are an old-fashioned farmer.I still remember my late mother during 'momuhau' time.She won't say 'pirit' but 'ie sontulud tulud'.And if the padi stalks are being attacked by rats,she won't say 'tikus',she'll say 'ie dongotuong'.When I was a kid I used to say the real names just to provoke her and I will receive a swat for my troubles...
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