African taboos may involve such acts as walking on a dog's grave, touching a corpse, or failing to show the proper respect to certain beings, such as rulers or twins. In some parts of Africa the birth of twins is considered an extremely powerful event in which the deities interrupt the normal course of human birth.
African taboos refer to the moral principles among the African people that served as proscriptions, spelling out how African traditional societies ought to or ought not to relate with the persons and things in their environment.
In Africa, pointing at someone or something is generally considered rude and offensive, so if you don't want to get on the wrong side of the Africans it's best not to wave that finger around.
In African societies, taboo primarily serves the purpose of ritual protection or ritual hygiene.
Common taboos involve restrictions or ritual regulation of killing and hunting; sex and sexual relationships; reproduction; the dead and their graves; as well as food and dining (primarily cannibalism and dietary laws such as vegetarianism, kashrut, and halal) or religious (treif and haram).
In the Bukedi district, females were forbidden to eat eggs, chicken and pork. Similar restrictions were kept by the Bantu tribes, who also believed that children could become stupid by consuming yam, a root (1). Eggs, chicken, fish, pork and goat's milk were forbidden for females in the Ankole district (2).
There are 3 Types of Taboos: cultural, religious, and food. Cultural Taboos – A cultural taboo is something that is considered inappropriate to do or discuss within a specific cultural or sub-cultural group.
However, what one society considers critical as a taboo may be irrelevant in the next society. There are four major types of taboos namely religious taboos, social taboos, legal taboos and sexual taboos.
Totems and Taboos
Totems are considered as an emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant that serves as the symbol of a family or clan. Taboo on the other hand, is derived from the Polynesian term Tabu, which means 'forbidden' (Adu-Gyamfi, 2011).
Historically, cannibalism is the ultimate taboo – the line that can't be crossed. What distinguishes it from other types of on-screen nastiness is that it disgusts us in two separate ways – in other words, the prospect of being eaten is nightmarish, but the prospect of doing the eating is almost as bad.
The essence of evil in African traditional thought consists in doing harm to others. To this extent, morality is essentially interpersonal and social in contest, anchored on the well-being of human beings. Traditionally, the African is his brother's keeper and is concerned about his well-being.
Drawing Attention Pointing with your index finger to someone or at an object is generally considered rude or offensive. It's more common to find people lifting their chin to indicate the person or thing they're referring to.
Traditional African religions generally believe in an afterlife, one or more Spirit worlds, and Ancestor worship is an important basic concept in mostly all African religions. Some African religions adopted different views through the influence of Islam or even Hinduism.
What are some examples of taboo behaviour? Well, you wouldn't walk down a street naked, burp in a stranger's face, or steal a purse from an elderly person. Calling someone a rude name and catcalling a woman in the middle of the day are also considered increasingly unpleasant.
Essentially, if a particular behavior violates a taboo social norm, it results in extreme disgust and most often expulsion from society. For example, incest or cannibalism is taboo in most cultures and countries.
Important examples of food avoidance are pork among Jews, Muslims and Ethiopian Christians; beef among Hindus, some Buddhists and Jains; chicken and eggs in some African communities; dog meat in the West; fish in Mongolia and other parts of central Asia; milk and milk products in Polynesia and parts of China.
In some cases the animal symbolized by the totem could not be eaten or only eaten during certain rituals. Another common taboo was the prohibition against touching food after being in contact with a corpse.
A taboo is a prohibition or a prohibited action. In the Tiv traditional religion, breaking of a taboo is followed by supernatural penalty or punishment meted out by human beings (Kanu 2013, 2015). Taboos may be sanctioned by akombo through intermediaries. Some taboos are sanctioned by elders and ancestors.
Thus they created the two fundamental taboos of totemism" (p. 236). These are "the oldest and most important taboos" of man- kind: "namely not to kill the totem animal and to avoid sexual intercourse with totem companions of the other sex" (p.
Do Not Boast Or Act Haughty. While Australia is an international hub for business, tourism and wealth, it is not polite to be boastful or act haughtily. No one likes someone who blows their own trumpet and acts obnoxious and Australia is a society that values modesty, hard work and humility.
Unlike other parts of the world, it is a taboo to use your left hand for activities that relate to other people. For example, it is very offensive to use your left hand to show directions, wave, or hand over something to someone.
This meat is called “halal.” Muslims are also prohibited from gambling, taking interest, fortune-telling, killing, lying, stealing, cheating, oppressing or abusing others, being greedy or stingy, engaging in sex outside of marriage, disrespecting parents, and mistreating relatives, orphans or neighbors.
According to recent research, however, while similarities do exist, there is no such thing as a universal taboo, and each cultural group has its own set of rules pertaining to acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.
Some African cultures believe that the gods and the ancestors will curse the pregnant mother and the unborn child with death, illness, bad luck, and evil possession. In many African cultures, pregnancy and birth is revered because it is considered as the reproduction of future generations and the rebirth of ancestors.
Recurring drought, conflict, and instability have led to severe food shortages. Many countries have struggled with extreme poverty for decades, so there is a lack of government and community support systems for families.