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Taboo

The word taboo means the system or act of setting apart a person, an object, or a place as sacred or accursed. In African societies, taboo primarily serves the purpose of ritual protection or ritual hygiene. Recent African studies corroborate the fact that taboo is embedded in the myths and religion of Africans. Among the Akan, Ewe, Yoruba, Wolof Shona, Zulu, Kikuyu, and Ga, and in most African countries and communities, taboos are numerous, they cover almost every aspect of Africans' life, and they are taken seriously. There are taboos associated with initiation, childbirth, marriage, excretion, diseases, sex, gender restrictions, death, and burial. There are also taboos connected with eating, drinking, language expressions, occupation, and associations, while some also guide administration of rituals.

Meaning

The original meaning of the word as shown by its etymology is its derivative of the Polynesian term tabu, which means forbidden. It is similar to the word isfet in the most ancient African language of Mdw Ntr and also to sacer (in Greek), kadesb (in Hebrew), nso (in Igbo), and èèwo in Yoruba. Among the Akan, it is akyiwade, which also means that which is not permissible. Another word in Akan, mmusu, conveys the idea of that which must not be touched, done, or used to avert evil or danger. Among the Yoruba, the word èèwo conveys the same meaning as Akan's mmusu—something or some action forbidden for religious or other reasons, persons or objects not to be handled, a place not to be entered, and something not to be associated with or used.

Taboos and Morals

Taboo in the strictest sense is not ethics, and it has not much to do with morality. For example, stealing, lying, infidelity, homicide, and so on are moral but not taboo issues. Most of the moral issues are universal, and they can be coded by the society and are not necessarily cultural. But taboo may either be religious or cultural; it is better placed within the domain of African meta-ethics. African ethics is beyond dos and don'ts. They are the dimensions of Africans' way of life that is beyond moral or general ethics; they can be simply deity service or religious. Unlike ordinary wrongs, taboos, especially the mmusu type, are taken more seriously. Sacrifice may be required to appease the divinities and seek their forgiveness when one engages in what the society deems as mmusu or èèwo. Most taboos stem from history or the myth of a community and initiation into a deity service. They may apply to a community, a family, or an individual.

Some Taboos and Their Purported Reasons

Among the Yoruba and in most African societies, there are taboos connected with gender, especially female restrictions. The Yoruba say obinrin ki w' oro (i.e., it is forbidden for a woman to see or take part in an ancestral cult called oro). It is even held that any woman who enters the oro groove by accident will be barren for the rest of her life or she may give birth to a monster. Also, in most African societies, it is forbidden for a pregnant woman to go out at night or go to the market in the afternoon. If she does, she will give birth to an abnormal baby.

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