Motif
Avoidance of names of the dead
avoidance_of_names_of_the_dead
A motif of the Sacred Law and Social Order family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
melanesian
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The Melanesians of British New Guinea POLYGYNY. / THE REGULATION OF MARRIAGE. / CHAPTER LIV / BURIAL AND MOURNING CEREMONIES.; lines 40004-40116 confidence: high
A man must not eat pig from his dead father's settlement or garden foods from his dead father's garden; infringement is said to cause swelling and death. The rule also applies to the dead man's brothers' children, and names of the dead are avoided.
The passage states that everyone avoided mentioning the names of the dead.
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