4.0756 Death and Loss of Name (4/55)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Mon, 26 Nov 90 22:14:15 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0756. Monday, 26 Nov 1990.
(1) Date: Tue, 20 Nov 90 11:42:53 MST (20 lines)
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 4.0706 Death and Loss of Name
(2) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 90 14:58:46 -0800 (15 lines)
From: "Joseph B. Monda" <monda@sumax.seattleu.edu>
Subject: Re: 4.0714 Death and Names, cont.
(3) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 90 10:13 EST (11 lines)
From: "Tom Benson" <T3B@PSUVM>
Subject: Re: 4.0737 Death and Loss of Name
(4) Date: Sun, 25 Nov 90 15:10 PST (9 lines)
From: KESSLER <IME9JFK@UCLAMVS.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 4.0706 Death and Loss of Name
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 90 11:42:53 MST
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 4.0706 Death and Loss of Name (4/109)
A very incomplete and unsystematic list of North American groups which
practice(d) avoidance of pronunciation of names of the dead:
Navajo (and probably other Athabascan groups?)
Tonkawa
Polar Eskimo (and others?)
Cheyenne (mild avoidance?)
I believe that among the Tonkawa and Polar Eskimo words using the same
lexical roots as names of the deceased, or sounding like them, were also
avoided, resulting in vocabulary replacement phenomena (but not specific
avoidance terms?) comparable to that observed in Australia.
Probably the HRAF database (see your reference librarian) would survey
data material on this.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------24----
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 90 14:58:46 -0800
From: "Joseph B. Monda" <monda@sumax.seattleu.edu>
Subject: Re: 4.0714 Death and Names, cont. (3/45)
I recall, from having been around Benedictine monks during some
of my formative years, that there seemed to be a custom of passing
down a name, upon the death of a monk, to one newly taking religious
vows. It perhaps needs to be explained that it was the custom,
upon taking vows, to take on a new name, one chosen for you by
the Abbot. I recall that it didn't take very long after the
death of "Father George," for a "Frater George" to appear. This
was over thirty years ago. I'm sure there is someone on the
net who can forward more than anecdotal evidence for this custom.
Joseph Monda (monda@sumax.seattleu.edu)
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------18----
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 90 10:13 EST
From: "Tom Benson" <T3B@PSUVM>
Subject: Re: 4.0737 Death and Loss of Name (3/45)
Primo Levi speculates at length on the living death of the
Nazi extermination camps, and reflects on the way in which
prisoners were deprived of their names as part of the process
of control and humiliation. (See especially SURVIVAL IN AUSCHWITZ).
Tom Benson
Penn State
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------254---
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 90 15:10 PST
From: KESSLER <IME9JFK@UCLAMVS.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 4.0706 Death and Loss of Name (4/109)
Those of you who are expert in ancient Chinese will be able to report on
this q uestion about emperors' names: their becoming taboo after death,
that is. The t aboo required a change in the writing, the character, of
course. This question of taboo and sanctity of the ruler will go back
in history to 2200 BC, which is pretty far piece. Kessler