Australian Aboriginal avoidance practices
Encyclopedia
Australian Aboriginal avoidance practices refers to those relationships in traditional Aboriginal
society where certain people were required to avoid others in their family or clan. These customs are still active in many parts of Australia
, to a greater or lesser extent.
Avoidance relationships are a mark of respect. There are also strong protocols around avoiding, or averting, eye contact, as well as around speaking the name of the dead.
surrounding these relationships.
This relationship extends to avoiding all women of the same skin group as the mother-in-law, and, for the mother-in-law, men of the same skin group as the son-in-law. It has been suggested that the custom developed to overcome a common cause of friction in families.
Both these avoidance relationships have their grounding in the Australian Aboriginal kinship
system, and so are ways of avoiding incest
in small bands of closely related people.
There may be other avoidance relationships, including same-sex relationships, but these are the main two.
The avoidance period may last anywhere from 12 months to several years. The person can still be referred to in a roundabout way, such as, "that old lady", or by their generic skin name, but not by first name. In some Central Australian communities, if for example, a lady named Alice passes away, that name must be avoided in all contexts, so even Alice Springs needs to be referred to in conversation in a roundabout way (which is usually fine, as the Indigenous name can be reverted to). Those of the same name as the deceased are referred to by a substitute name during the avoidance period — Kuminjay is used in the Pintubi-Luritja dialect.
This presents some challenges to indigenous people. In traditional society, people lived together in small bands of extended family. Name duplication was less common. Today, as people have moved (or been moved) into larger centres, with 300 to 600 people, the logistics of name avoidance have become increasingly challenging.
Exotic and rare names have therefore become very common, particularly in Central Australia and desert communities, to deal with this new challenge.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
society where certain people were required to avoid others in their family or clan. These customs are still active in many parts of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, to a greater or lesser extent.
Avoidance relationships are a mark of respect. There are also strong protocols around avoiding, or averting, eye contact, as well as around speaking the name of the dead.
Avoidance of family members
In general, across most language groups, the two most common avoidance relationships are:Son-in-law, Daughter-in law — Mother-in-law
Aboriginal custom throughout Australia bans a person from talking directly to their mother in law. The relationship is one of respect, but avoidance. A mother-in-law also eats apart from her son-in-law or daughter-in-law and their spouse. They will still communicate via the wife/husband, who remains the main conduit for communication in this relationship. Often there are language customsAvoidance speech
Avoidance speech, or "mother-in-law languages", is a feature of many Australian Aboriginal languages and some North American languages and Bantu languages of Africa whereby in the presence of certain relatives it is taboo to use everyday speech style, and instead a special speech style must be...
surrounding these relationships.
This relationship extends to avoiding all women of the same skin group as the mother-in-law, and, for the mother-in-law, men of the same skin group as the son-in-law. It has been suggested that the custom developed to overcome a common cause of friction in families.
Brother—sister
This usually takes place after initiation. Prior to this, brothers and sisters play together freely.Both these avoidance relationships have their grounding in the Australian Aboriginal kinship
Australian Aboriginal kinship
Australian Aboriginal kinship is the system of law governing social interaction, particularly marriage, in traditional Australian Aboriginal culture...
system, and so are ways of avoiding incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
in small bands of closely related people.
There may be other avoidance relationships, including same-sex relationships, but these are the main two.
Avoidance of naming the dead
Traditionally, this meant avoiding referring to the dead person by name directly after their death as a mark of respect — and also because it is considered too painful for the grieving family. Today the practice continues in many communities, but has also come to encompass avoiding the publication or dissemination of photography or film footage of the deceased person as well. (The 2008 film 'Australia', like many Australian television programs, includes a title card warning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to 'use caution viewing this film, as it may contain images or voices of dead persons,' presumably out of respect for the cultural beliefs of said viewers.)The avoidance period may last anywhere from 12 months to several years. The person can still be referred to in a roundabout way, such as, "that old lady", or by their generic skin name, but not by first name. In some Central Australian communities, if for example, a lady named Alice passes away, that name must be avoided in all contexts, so even Alice Springs needs to be referred to in conversation in a roundabout way (which is usually fine, as the Indigenous name can be reverted to). Those of the same name as the deceased are referred to by a substitute name during the avoidance period — Kuminjay is used in the Pintubi-Luritja dialect.
This presents some challenges to indigenous people. In traditional society, people lived together in small bands of extended family. Name duplication was less common. Today, as people have moved (or been moved) into larger centres, with 300 to 600 people, the logistics of name avoidance have become increasingly challenging.
Exotic and rare names have therefore become very common, particularly in Central Australia and desert communities, to deal with this new challenge.
See also
- Australian Aboriginal cultureAustralian Aboriginal cultureAboriginal Australia comprises hundreds of tribal divisions and language groups, with a diverse range of cultural practices.-Practices and ceremonies:*A Bora is an initiation ceremony in which young boys become men....
- Australian Aboriginal kinshipAustralian Aboriginal kinshipAustralian Aboriginal kinship is the system of law governing social interaction, particularly marriage, in traditional Australian Aboriginal culture...
- Australian Aboriginal sign languagesAustralian Aboriginal sign languagesMany Australian Aboriginal cultures have or traditionally had a manually coded language, a sign-language counterpart of their spoken language. This appears to be connected with various speech taboos between certain kin or at particular times, such as during a mourning period for women or during...
- Avoidance language
- Taboo against naming the deadTaboo against naming the deadThe taboo against naming the dead is a kind of taboo on the dead whereby the name of a recently deceased person, and any other words similar to it in sound, may not be uttered...