the golden bough-第96章

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home　may　pronounce　the　names　of　the　absent　warriors；　they　must　be　referred　to　as　birds。　Should　a　child　so　far　forget　itself　as　to　mention　one　of　the　distant　ones　by　name；　the　mother　would　rebuke　it；　saying；　Don't　talk　of　the　birds　who　are　in　the　heavens。　Among　the　Bangala　of　the　Upper　Congo；　while　a　man　is　fishing　and　when　he　returns　with　his　catch；　his　proper　name　is　in　abeyance　and　nobody　may　mention　it。　Whatever　the　fisherman's　real　name　may　be；　he　is　called　mwele　without　distinction。　The　reason　is　that　the　river　is　full　of　spirits；　who；　if　they　heard　the　fisherman's　real　name；　might　so　work　against　him　that　he　would　catch　little　or　nothing。　Even　when　he　has　caught　his　fish　and　landed　with　them；　the　buyer　must　still　not　address　him　by　his　proper　name；　but　must　only　call　him　mwele；　for　even　then；　if　the　spirits　were　to　hear　his　proper　name；　they　would　either　bear　it　in　mind　and　serve　him　out　another　day；　or　they　might　so　mar　the　fish　he　had　caught　that　he　would　get　very　little　for　them。　Hence　the　fisherman　can　extract　heavy　damages　from　anybody　who　mentions　his　name；　or　can　compel　the　thoughtless　speaker　to　relieve　him　of　the　fish　at　a　good　price　so　as　to　restore　his　luck。　When　the　Sulka　of　New　Britain　are　near　the　territory　of　their　enemies　the　Gaktei；　they　take　care　not　to　mention　them　by　their　proper　name；　believing　that　were　they　to　do　so；　their　foes　would　attack　and　slay　them。　Hence　in　these　circumstances　they　speak　of　the　Gaktei　as　o　lapsiek；　that　is；　the　rotten　tree…trunks；　and　they　imagine　that　by　calling　them　that　they　make　the　limbs　of　their　dreaded　enemies　ponderous　and　clumsy　like　logs。　This　example　illustrates　the　extremely　materialistic　view　which　these　savages　take　of　the　nature　of　words；　they　suppose　that　the　mere　utterance　of　an　expression　signifying　clumsiness　will　homoeopathically　affect　with　clumsiness　the　limbs　of　their　distant　foemen。　Another　illustration　of　this　curious　misconception　is　furnished　by　a　Caffre　superstition　that　the　character　of　a　young　thief　can　be　reformed　by　shouting　his　name　over　a　boiling　kettle　of　medicated　water；　then　clapping　a　lid　on　the　kettle　and　leaving　the　name　to　steep　in　the　water　for　several　days。　It　is　not　in　the　least　necessary　that　the　thief　should　be　aware　of　the　use　that　is　being　made　of　his　name　behind　his　back；　the　moral　reformation　will　be　effected　without　his　knowledge。

When　it　is　deemed　necessary　that　a　man's　real　name　should　be　kept　secret；　it　is　often　customary；　as　we　have　seen；　to　call　him　by　a　surname　or　nickname。　As　distinguished　from　the　real　or　primary　names；　these　secondary　names　are　apparently　held　to　be　no　part　of　the　man　himself；　so　that　they　may　be　freely　used　and　divulged　to　everybody　without　endangering　his　safety　thereby。　Sometimes　in　order　to　avoid　the　use　of　his　own　name　a　man　will　be　called　after　his　child。　Thus　we　are　informed　that　the　Gippsland　blacks　objected　strongly　to　let　any　one　outside　the　tribe　know　their　names；　lest　their　enemies；　learning　them；　should　make　them　vehicles　of　incantation；　and　so　charm　their　lives　away。　As　children　were　not　thought　to　have　enemies；　they　used　to　speak　of　a　man　as　'the　father；　uncle；　or　cousin　of　So…and…so；'　naming　a　child；　but　on　all　occasions　abstained　from　mentioning　the　name　of　a　grown…up　person。　The　Alfoors　of　Poso　in　Celebes　will　not　pronounce　their　own　names。　Among　them；　accordingly；　if　you　wish　to　ascertain　a　person's　name；　you　ought　not　to　ask　the　man　himself；　but　should　enquire　of　others。　But　if　this　is　impossible；　for　example；　when　there　is　no　one　else　near；　you　should　ask　him　his　child's　name；　and　then　address　him　as　the　Father　of　So…and…so。　Nay；　these　Alfoors　are　shy　of　uttering　the　names　even　of　children；　so　when　a　boy　or　girl　has　a　nephew　or　niece；　he　or　she　is　addressed　as　Uncle　of　So…and…so；　or　Aunt　of　So…and…so。　In　pure　Malay　society；　we　are　told；　a　man　is　never　asked　his　name；　and　the　custom　of　naming　parents　after　their　children　is　adopted　only　as　a　means　of　avoiding　the　use　of　the　parents'　own　names。　The　writer　who　makes　this　statement　adds　in　confirmation　of　it　that　childless　persons　are　named　after　their　younger　brothers。　Among　the　Land　Dyaks　children　as　they　grow　up　are　called；　according　to　their　sex；　the　father　or　mother　of　a　child　of　their　father's　or　mother's　younger　brother　or　sister；　that　is；　they　are　called　the　father　or　mother　of　what　we　should　call　their　first　cousin。　The　Caffres　used　to　think　it　discourteous　to　call　a　bride　by　her　own　name；　so　they　would　call　her　the　Mother　of　So…and…so；　even　when　she　was　only　betrothed；　far　less　a　wife　and　a　mother。　Among　the　Kukis　and　Zemis　or　Kacha　Nagas　of　Assam　parents　drop　their　names　after　the　birth　of　a　child　and　are　named　Father　and　Mother　of　So…and…so。　Childless　couples　go　by　the　name　of　the　childless　father；　the　childless　mother；　the　father　of　no　child；　the　mother　of　no　child。　The　widespread　custom　of　naming　a　father　after　his　child　has　sometimes　been　supposed　to　spring　from　a　desire　on　the　father's　part　to　assert　his　paternity；　apparently　as　a　means　of　obtaining　those　rights　over　his　children　which　had　previously；　under　a　system　of　mother…kin；　been　possessed　by　the　mother。　But　this　explanation　does　not　account　for　the　parallel　custom　of　naming　the　mother　after　her　child；　which　seems　commonly　to　co…exist　with　the　practice　of　naming　the　father　after　the　child。　Still　less；　if　possible；　does　it　apply　to　the　customs　of　calling　childless　couples　the　father　and　mother　of　children　which　do　not　exist；　of　naming　people　after　their　younger　brothers；　and　of　designating　children　as　the　uncles　and　aunts　of　So…and…so；　or　as　the　fathers　and　mothers　of　their　first　cousins。　But　all　these　practices　are　explained　in　a　simple　and　natural　way　if　we　suppose　that　they　originate　in　a　reluctance　to　utter　the　real　names　of　persons　addressed　or　directly　referred　to。　That　reluctance　is　probably　based　partly　on　a　fear　of　attracting　the　notice　of　evil　spirits；　partly　on　a　dread　of　revealing　the　name　to　sorcerers；　who　would　thereby　obtain　a　handle　for　injuring　the　owner　of　the　name。

2。　Names　of　Relations　tabooed。

IT　might　naturally　be　expected　that　the　reserve　so　commonly　maintained　with　regard　to　personal　names　would　be　dropped　or　at　least　relaxed　among　relations　and　friends。　But　the　reverse　of　this　is　often　the　case。　It　is　precisely　the　persons　most　intimately　connected　by　blood　and　especially　by　marriage　to　whom　the　rule　applies　with　the　greatest　stringency。　Such　people　are　often　forbidden；　not　only　to　pronounce　each　other's　names；　but　even　to　utter　ordinary　words　which　resemble　or　have　a　single　syllable　in　common　with　these　names。　The　persons　who　are　thus　mutually　debarred　from　mentioning　each　other's　names　are　especially　husbands　and　wives；　a　man　and　his　wife's　parents；　and　a　woman　and　her　husband's　father。　For　example；　among　the　Caffres　a　woman　may　not　publicly　pronounce　the　birth…name　of　her　husband　or　of　any　of　his　brothers；　nor　may　she　use　the　interdicted　word　in　its　ordinary　sense。　If　her　husband；　for　instance；　be　called　u…Mpaka；　from　impaka；　a　small　feline　animal；　she　must　speak　of　that　beast　by　some　other　name。　Further；　a　Caffre　wife　is　forbidden　to　pronounce　even　mentally　the　names　of　her　father…in…law　and　of　all　her　husband's　male　relations　in　the　ascending　line；　and　whenever　the　emphatic　syllable　of　any　of　their　names　occurs　in　another　word；　she　must　avoid　it　by　substituting　either　an　entirely　new　word；　or；　at　least；　another　syllable　in　its　place。　Hence　this　custom　has　given　rise　to　an　almost　distinct　language　among　the　women；　which　the　Caffres　call　women's　speech。　The　interpretation　of　this　women's　speech　is　naturally　very　difficult；　for　no　definite　rules　can　be　given　for　the　formation　of　these　substituted　words；　nor　is　it　possible　to　form　a　dictionary　of　them；　their　number　being　so　greatsince　there　may　be　many　women；　even　in　the　same　tribe；　who　would　be　no　more　at　liberty　to　use　the　substitutes　employed　by　some　others；　than　they　are　to　use　the　original　words　themselves。　A　Caffre　man；　on　his　side；　may　not　mention　the　name　of　his　mother…in…law；　nor　may　she　pronounce　his；　but　he　is　free　to　utter　words　in　which　the　emphatic　syllable　of　her　name　occurs。　A　Kirghiz　woman　dares　not　pronounce　the　names　of　the　older　relations　of　her　husband；　nor　even　us