A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of some act, utterance, person or object, grounded in the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, dangerous, sacred, or permitted only to certain people; such prohibitions appear to be a cultural universal. The English word entered the language through Captain James Cook's 1777 visit to Tonga, where he observed Tongan aristocrats refusing to dine with him and recorded their explanation that 'they were all taboo, as they said; which word has a very comprehensive meaning; but, in general, signifies that a thing is forbidden,' a borrowing of the Polynesian root tapu. Common taboo categories recur across cultures: restrictions on killing and hunting, sexual and reproductive prohibitions, rules around the dead, and food prohibitions such as kashrut and halal. Sigmund Freud offered an influential theory holding that incest and patricide are the two universal taboos foundational to civilization itself. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountThe English word originates specifically from Tonga/Polynesia; the underlying concept of ritual and social prohibition is documented essentially worldwide as a cross-cultural universal, not confined to Polynesia. 1 Documented YearSourced to the subject's own account1777 is when Cook's journal recorded the Tongan word and concept, the origin of the English loanword; the underlying phenomenon of prohibition/avoidance is documented as a human cultural universal well predating the word's English adoption. Connections
Associated With
Early anthropology, notably Frazer's and Durkheim's work, treated totemism and taboo as linked features of the same ritual-classificatory systems governing what may and may not be done or eaten.
Studied By
Frazer surveyed taboo customs worldwide in Taboo and the Perils of the Soul (1911), published as Part II of The Golden Bough, Volume III.
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikipedia: TabooCook's 1777 account and Freud discussiontier 3Quote, Cook's 1777 account and Freud discussion
Its English use dates to 1777 when the British explorer James Cook visited Tonga, and referred to the Tongans' use of the term taboo for "any thing that is forbidden to be eaten, or made use of".
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Taboo
WikipediaCook's 1777 account and Freud discussion
Its English use dates to 1777 when the British explorer James Cook visited Tonga, and referred to the Tongans' use of the term taboo for "any thing that is forbidden to be eaten, or made use of".
Cook quote
Not one of them would sit down, or eat a bit of any thing. . . . On expressing my surprise at this, they were all taboo, as they said; which word has a very comprehensive meaning; but, in general, signifies that a thing is forbidden.
etymology and cross-cultural discussion
The meaning of the word taboo has been somewhat expanded in the social sciences to strong prohibitions relating to any area of human activity or custom that is sacred or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs, or cultural norms.
Polynesian root
The English term taboo comes from tapu in Oceanic languages, particularly Polynesian languages, with such meanings as "prohibited" or "forbidden".
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