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.
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. Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.