5 ms·

I don't think it's official going by other commenters but as background, They're probably making the argument that their information is mana (spirit~) and ther

by lugged 5y ago

I don't think it's official going by other commenters but as background, They're probably making the argument that their information is mana (spirit~) and therefore tapu (sacred/don't touch). I don't think many follow it but in traditional Maori culture you're not even allowed to let someone get ahold of your cut hair or nail clippings because they contain your mana and someone could curse you if they get ahold of it. https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-ao-marama-the-natural-world/page-5 https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-ao-marama-the-natural-world/page... Edit: More or less, yes > 2.1 Context. All data has a whakapapa (genealogy) and a mauri.

thaumasiotes 5y ago
> They're probably making the argument that their information is mana (spirit~) and therefore tapu (sacred/don't touch). Usually spelled "taboo".
- lugged 5y ago
  Tapu is a Maori word, it's a bit more nuanced / not quite the same as taboo but close. It's not like nobody can touch, just not everyone can touch. And not really about touch at all but it's part of it.
  - thaumasiotes 5y ago
    It's close because it's the same word. But in English we spell it "taboo". Would you say "colour is a British word, it's not quite the same as color but it's close"?
    - edent 5y ago
      Māori is a completely separate language from English. Although it uses the English alphabet with some accents. The word tapu has completely different etymology than taboo. https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=0&phrase=0&proverb=0&loan=0&histLoanWords=&keywords=tapu https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=0&phrase=0&prover... See also https://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/tapu-sacred-maori-code/ https://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/tapu-sacred-maor...
      - thaumasiotes 5y ago
        > The word tapu has completely different etymology than taboo. No, it doesn't. What do you think the etymology of taboo is?
        KittenInABox 5y ago
        It is apparently from Tongan or Fijian words, not Maori words. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo#Etymology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo#Etymology I think it's weird to try and correct a person using the accurate cultural terms with a mis-hearing of some european in the 1700s. If anything "tapu" is the technically correct term when referring to a concept in the context of Maori culture specifically, and taboo is a shitty mishearing of a foreigner of a different language. Similar to say, if I was talking about java's methods. In C# they're functions. But since I'm talking about Java, and specifically Java's basic behavior, method is the correct technical terminology to signify the context of what I'm talking about. It'd be weird for a C# person to show up, tell me that "actually, these are functions", if I'm saying "in Java, X is called a method".
        duskwuff 5y ago
        > It is apparently from Tongan or Fijian words, not Maori words. All of the Polynesian languages are closely related, to the extent that many of them are mutually intelligible. A simple shift in phonology, like /p/ to /b/, isn't enough to render /tapu/ and /tabu/ different words. The connotations of those words may differ from one culture to another, but the basic concept is the same.
        KittenInABox 5y ago
        But it is true that the word "taboo" came from a foreigner talking about Tongan peoples beliefs, which is important when the topic we're trying to talk about is Maori beliefs. Even if Maori and Tonga people are closely related in culture, they are not the same culture and Tonga people do not have the same co-sovereignity agreements over New Zealand that Maori do.
        5y ago
    - djrobstep 5y ago
      OP is not writing an English word. > Tapu is a Maori word
    - detaro 5y ago
      That the english word taboo is derived from it doesn't make them "the same word", since we don't use it the same way in English.
    - spoonjim 5y ago
      The English word "guru" is derived from the Sanskrit word "guru" but their meanings couldn't be more different. In English it's used to mean someone who's really good at something, like a "digital marketing guru."
    - mdoms 5y ago
      You need to stop, man. It's a different word.
    - lugged 5y ago
      It's not the same word mate. They're literally different words in different languages. It's not a misspelling. Colour and color are literally the same word, different spellings. Tapu and taboo is not literally the same. They may have derived from the same thing but they are now, different words with different meanings. Suggesting tapu is a misspelling of taboo is like suggesting "Koran" is a misspelling of the word "Bible".
- djrobstep 5y ago
  No, literally always spelt tapu, a different word with completely different meaning and connotations than taboo.
  - AlanYx 5y ago
    The English word "taboo" actually comes from the Polynesian family of languages (tapua/tupua/tapu), of which Māori is a part.
    - yorwba 5y ago
      The term has been reconstructed even further back to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and cognates exist across a large number of related languages. https://www.trussel2.com/acd/acd-s_t.htm#30099 https://www.trussel2.com/acd/acd-s_t.htm#30099 Of course that doesn't mean it's used the same in all of them.
    - djrobstep 5y ago
      That it has origins in the same language family doesn’t make it the same word. Once again - it has a very different meaning to taboo.
    - mdoms 5y ago
      The 2021 Ford F-150 comes from the same historical family as the Ford Pinto therefore they are the same car.

by lugged 5y ago

thaumasiotes 5y ago

> They're probably making the argument that their information is mana (spirit~) and therefore tapu (sacred/don't touch). Usually spelled "taboo".

lugged 5y ago
Tapu is a Maori word, it's a bit more nuanced / not quite the same as taboo but close. It's not like nobody can touch, just not everyone can touch. And not really about touch at all but it's part of it.
- thaumasiotes 5y ago
  It's close because it's the same word. But in English we spell it "taboo". Would you say "colour is a British word, it's not quite the same as color but it's close"?
  - edent 5y ago
    Māori is a completely separate language from English. Although it uses the English alphabet with some accents. The word tapu has completely different etymology than taboo. https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=0&phrase=0&proverb=0&loan=0&histLoanWords=&keywords=tapu https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=0&phrase=0&prover... See also https://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/tapu-sacred-maori-code/ https://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/tapu-sacred-maor...
    - thaumasiotes 5y ago
      > The word tapu has completely different etymology than taboo. No, it doesn't. What do you think the etymology of taboo is?
      - KittenInABox 5y ago
        It is apparently from Tongan or Fijian words, not Maori words. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo#Etymology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo#Etymology I think it's weird to try and correct a person using the accurate cultural terms with a mis-hearing of some european in the 1700s. If anything "tapu" is the technically correct term when referring to a concept in the context of Maori culture specifically, and taboo is a shitty mishearing of a foreigner of a different language. Similar to say, if I was talking about java's methods. In C# they're functions. But since I'm talking about Java, and specifically Java's basic behavior, method is the correct technical terminology to signify the context of what I'm talking about. It'd be weird for a C# person to show up, tell me that "actually, these are functions", if I'm saying "in Java, X is called a method".
        duskwuff 5y ago
        > It is apparently from Tongan or Fijian words, not Maori words. All of the Polynesian languages are closely related, to the extent that many of them are mutually intelligible. A simple shift in phonology, like /p/ to /b/, isn't enough to render /tapu/ and /tabu/ different words. The connotations of those words may differ from one culture to another, but the basic concept is the same.
        KittenInABox 5y ago
        But it is true that the word "taboo" came from a foreigner talking about Tongan peoples beliefs, which is important when the topic we're trying to talk about is Maori beliefs. Even if Maori and Tonga people are closely related in culture, they are not the same culture and Tonga people do not have the same co-sovereignity agreements over New Zealand that Maori do.
      - 5y ago
  - djrobstep 5y ago
    OP is not writing an English word. > Tapu is a Maori word
  - detaro 5y ago
    That the english word taboo is derived from it doesn't make them "the same word", since we don't use it the same way in English.
  - spoonjim 5y ago
    The English word "guru" is derived from the Sanskrit word "guru" but their meanings couldn't be more different. In English it's used to mean someone who's really good at something, like a "digital marketing guru."
  - mdoms 5y ago
    You need to stop, man. It's a different word.
  - lugged 5y ago
    It's not the same word mate. They're literally different words in different languages. It's not a misspelling. Colour and color are literally the same word, different spellings. Tapu and taboo is not literally the same. They may have derived from the same thing but they are now, different words with different meanings. Suggesting tapu is a misspelling of taboo is like suggesting "Koran" is a misspelling of the word "Bible".
djrobstep 5y ago
No, literally always spelt tapu, a different word with completely different meaning and connotations than taboo.
- AlanYx 5y ago
  The English word "taboo" actually comes from the Polynesian family of languages (tapua/tupua/tapu), of which Māori is a part.
  - yorwba 5y ago
    The term has been reconstructed even further back to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and cognates exist across a large number of related languages. https://www.trussel2.com/acd/acd-s_t.htm#30099 https://www.trussel2.com/acd/acd-s_t.htm#30099 Of course that doesn't mean it's used the same in all of them.
  - djrobstep 5y ago
    That it has origins in the same language family doesn’t make it the same word. Once again - it has a very different meaning to taboo.
  - mdoms 5y ago
    The 2021 Ford F-150 comes from the same historical family as the Ford Pinto therefore they are the same car.