James Frazer was the first scholar to investigate about the taboo and he wrote the article on taboo for the 9th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. He , for the first time , started studying the concept of taboo as early as in 1986.
Taboo is used to designate all the restrictions communicated through verbal ‘ don’t do’ and is generally associated with the ritualistic behavior. Taboo has been called the unwritten law of the savage society and its violation is dealt by the council of elders.
Taboo is a negative element in religion. It implies dangerous super natural powers. It is like fire or heavy charge of electricity when under control and where directed towards desirable ends , it is beneficial when out of control , it may be disastrous, Human beings cannot get along with fire and yet they must fight in constant battle against it. Modern civilization cannot function without electricity but electricity must be handled – with insulated tools and gloves.
Radcliffe Brown proposed the word “Ritual avoidance” or ” ritual prohibitions”. According to him, “a ritual prohibition is a rule of behavior which is associated with a belief that breaches will esult in the ritual status of the person who fails to keep the rule”.
Sigmund Freud regards Taboos as an act of repentance, a product of consciousness of some common guilt.
Types of Taboos:
There are different types of taboos prevalent .in the tribal society. Some of the taboos are:
- Food Taboos: They are associated with totemic beliefs because of which the consumption of certain plant and animal species (which are totems) is prohibited and its non-observance is considered to be detrimental for the society. In many societies, consumption of specific food articles is prohibited temporarily or permanently for the men of ranks or forbidden to women and children. For Eg:- i) The members of the tortoise clan would never eat the tortoise as it is their totemic emblem. ii) Similarly , the members of the cobra clan would never kill the cobra and hence taboo is practiced in killing the cobra
- Sex Taboos: Certain prohibitions pertaining to sex relations are categorized as sex taboos , ‘Incest ‘ is an almost universal sex prohibition in primitive societies which prohibits any sex contact between the members of the same nuclear family and other closely related kins , women in primitive societies are prohibited any sex during the lactation period after the birth of a child
- Religious Taboos: To protect the privileges and prestige of sacred persons or sacred places there are certain types of activities and behaviours which may be prohibited for them. Eg:- The Toda sacred diaries and their dairymen enjoy high societies in Toda societies . The pots and utensils of the sacred dairies and milk and a the buffaloes associated with them are of sacred category and cannot be handled or touched by the commoners, The dairymen of these sacred diaries have to abstain from sex throughout his life.
- Protective Taboos: there are certain taboos, which are observed for the sake of protection . Thus, tribal chiefs and kings are not allowed to be touched by the commoners. The idea behind such taboos is. to provide maximum protection to tie life and person of these political luminaries in tribal societies. The prohibited taboo is also practiced when members of a society are called or advised to keep a distance from dangerous plants and animals.
Functions of Taboos:
Taboos perform two important functions in primitive societies namely,
1) Sacred/Ritual Functions:
- It sustains the awesomeness of the super natural by re-enforcing attitudes of care and mystery and by punishing attitudes of carelessness and profanity in dealing with the super natural.
- It sets off the members of one social group form those of another and to strengthen their sense of solidarity, for eg. , adherence to special taboos may help set off the medicine man from the ordinary lay persons.
2) Secular functions:
a) Taboo is an essential ingredient of social control.
Eg:- In Polynesia, where the world taboo originated , high ranking nobles possess mana because of their direct descent from the Gods. So potent is their charge of mana that their very persons are surrounded with taboos, as is everything they touch. According to Polynesians, sin is violation of taboo and an act punishable by super natural sanctions.
In this way, it can be concluded that the concept of taboo, as practiced among the tribes of the world , provides them a sense of confidence , comfort and a sense of socio- religious security , By practicing it , they become free from fears and anxieties.