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Taboo
Prohibition of an act or the use of an object or
word under pain of punishment. Originally a Polynesian word, taboo
can apply to the sacred or consecrated or to the dangerous, unclean, and
forbidden. A taboo can be placed on an object, person, place, or word that
is believed to have inherent power above the ordinary. This power, called
mana, can only be approached by special priests. To give distinction to
special moments in the life cycle, taboos are often declared at births,
deaths, initiations, and marriages. Taboos are commonly placed on a clan's
ancestral guardian, called the totem . The breaking of a taboo usually
requires extermination of the offender or some sort of ceremonial
purification in order to remove the taint from the community. Often the
mana of a taboo is so great that the offender will suffer punishment, even
death, merely through fear of its powers.
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