Hi Tjupurula
Can you tell us why you are not allowed to mention a persons name once they have passed away?
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Re: Some Aboriginal explanations
« Reply #6 on: Yesterday at 08:41:13 AM »
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Quote from: Foo on Yesterday at 08:26:24 AM
Can you explain to me about the not using the first name but the last name is ok, for when someone has died please?
Foo
Hi Foo
The last name is, as with all societies, the family name. The first name is how the person is recognised, and as we all pass into the spirit world with our ancestors, we do not want to disturb the spirit journey to join the ancestiors by calling them back. We use the term Kumuntjai, which basically means "no name", and the same term is used for others who shared the same name, or any name that is extremely close. The family name is the name of the group, not the individual.
I hope that explains it for you.
Regards
Tjupurula