Orang asli food taboos semai
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The document outlines various food taboos among the Orang Asli people in Malaysia. Pregnant women are restricted to eating only small animals that are caught by their husband or relative, and they must eat the whole animal by themselves. After childbirth, mothers eat gruel for a week and may be prescribed special food restrictions by a medicine man. More broadly, small animals, poisonous animals, and animals considered to possess spirits are generally avoided due to beliefs about spiritual well-being and resource partitioning. Larger animals become acceptable to eat as humans get older and their spirits are deemed stronger.
Orang asli food taboos semai
- 2. THE ORANG ASLI FOOD TABOOS: SEMAI Purpose ?The spiritual well-being of individuals ?Resourse partitioning considered to be unclean ?Small animals;lizards and leeches ?will be regarded as contaminated and thrown away ?Poisonous and harmful animals considered to possess spirits ?All animals ?weaned children of more than 4 years of age on small animals ?child gets a bit older, the animals can be added to the list of edible species. human spirit ?deemed to be strong at 20 years of age ?Compete with the spiris of bigger animals ?no longer remain taboo. Women ?Pregnant - restrict to small animals and trought strong to possess "weak" spirits ?rodents may be eaten only if caught by the pregnant woman's husband or a near relative and she must eat the whole rodent by herself ?After childbirth-motherr eats gruel for a week and special 6-day food taboos may be "prescribed" by a medicine man for any sick person that seeks his advice.
- 3. PREGNANT 1. Restrict to small animals 2. Caught by the pregnant pregnant woman's husband 3. Eat the whole rodent by herself
- 4. AFTER CHILDBIRTH 1- Eats gruel 2. Her husband observed the same food restrictions 3. Special 6-day food taboos