Taboos That Keep People at Bay in All Sorts of Areas

by crapavalanche

Taboos That Keep People at Bay in All Sorts of Areas

Taboos, or prohibitions, can cover many different aspects of life. They can come in many different shapes and sizes and are frequently an unconscious phenomenon, passes down from generation to generation. They are basically the unwritten rules and regulations of a society, or group and usually spoken of in terms of: ‘When in polite society you…’

Taboos can cover:
·    Sexual activities
·    Diet
·    Offensive language
·    Body functions
·    Relationships
·    Death
·    Birth
·    Marriage
·    Gestures
·    Health
·    Forms of greeting
·    Work ethics
·    Circumcision
·    Exposure of body parts
·    Illicit drugs

It appears some taboos began simply through a fear of a demonic force. Yet, it is over a period of time that taboos evolve, either socially, legally or through religious authority. Some are logical and serve a real purpose, while others are totally illogical. Many people react with a gob-smacking reaction of disgust when observing a taboo they are not familiar with. More often than not it is through the enforcement of taboos that the safety of the rest of the group is protected.

Tuesday16th September, in the tropical islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, was a holiday for anyone from the Penama province of Vanuatu, a peace ceremony was performed between the Vanuatu Agricultural and Technical Centre and Chief Molbarab. The chief had been counting on votes from the Centre to put him back into office in the general election. When the promised votes failed to materialize, emotions quickly ran high between the chief’s family and the Centre. It was alleged the Chief would close the Centre down, by placing namele leaves at the entrance to the Centre.

Namele leaves from the Chief’s Palm, are the perfect deterrent. In Vanuatu’s ancient culture, if two leaves are crossed and placed at the entrance to a business, the staff will adamantly refuse to enter the property. The business will be ground to a resounding halt, until such time as the dispute is cleared up.

Namele leaves and pig tusks are both seen on the Vanuatu flag. Pig tusks for the symbol of wealth and namele leaves for peace. However, the namele leaves have a double purpose. They are a sign of peace, as well as a taboo. If a senior village family, or person, feels they have an ownership to a particular fruiting tree, all they have only to tie a namele leaf on the trunk. Should anyone dare to partake of the forbidden fruit, they will be liable to a fine, imposed on them by the chief of the village.

Namele leaves were placed across a dental clinic, in Vanuatu, as a result of a dispute. Even though patients walked for miles and were booked in for appointments, the clinic was compelled to keep its doors closed until the dispute was settled.
In another incident in the Vanuatu islands, a dispute erupted over the illegal use by six persons, of a piece of land as their village garden, The owner, a chief, placed several sets of crossed namele leaves around the edge of the property. To make the taboo of the leaves even stronger, the chief killed a pig over the top of the crossed leaves. The offenders, who had illegally used the land, were ordered by the chief to pay one pig each. When the six offenders dared to refuse to yield to custom law, they were dragged away to be judged under white man’s law. The court ruled that the men were banned from use of the land, forced to pay full court costs for the defendant and still have to pay the chief one pig each.

The namele leaves are only example of the many taboos that run through the exotic and vibrant society of the ancient culture of Vanuatu, the ‘Must See’ adventure travel destination of the South Pacific.