Taboo in Momandalo Tadulahu (Parenting towards Young Women) Tradition in Gorontalo, Indonesia

Abstract

The present study seeks to explore taboo in parenting tradition to young women in Gorontalo. It employed a qualitative approach that relied on primary and secondary data. The results highlight that the parenting tradition towards young women in Gorontalo involved taboo narratives, some of them also involved the use of myths. The taboo narratives that are discovered in this study are: 1) taboo as education of discipline and time management, e.g., prohibition of taking a nap in the afternoon due to the myth that if someone does it, s/he will transform into a ghost. 2) taboo as education of manners, e.g., prohibition of removing fleas from hair in front of stairways due to the fear of difficulty of finding a partner. 3) taboo as a form of respect towards others, e.g., prohibition of stepping over someone who is laying down or sleeping due to the myth that the person’s good luck will be removed from one (if someone already steps over a lying person, s/he must step over the person again, but backwards). 4) taboo as a form of encouragement of work ethic, e.g., prohibition of reminding someone to store some food for oneself before leaving due to the myth that the person’s fortunes will be hindered. 5) taboo as education of caution, e.g., prohibition of opening an umbrella inside the house due to the fear of suffering from short stature that will also impact the person’s children.