82 takaapaaria “filth on the penis”
takaa “filth on the anus” This is especially taboo for young people of the opposite sex to use, since it is considered an invitation to have intercourse.
voakou “to discharge feces” viviko “to urinate” Probably the most common form of obscene talk.
vao-ia vii reroaro “here under you” This refers to the genitals of either sex and is an invitation to have intercourse.
aako roiri “You have intercourse with your mother.” kaakau roiri “You have intercourse with a dog.”
Swear words from English are heard, but sometimes they are grossly misunderstood. Two men G. and R. were in a heated argument over some land. One G. had accused the other R. of trespassing on his property.
In response he was called a “bastard.” This brought with it the possibility of being fined. David A., who overheard the argument, said to the men, “If you are going to swear at each other, then at
least use Rotokas words so that you know what you are meaning.” He was, in fact, speaking for himself, too. As it turned out, he was also uncertain of the meaning.
I questioned him about the phrase that was used, “Bastard shit.” The pronunciation in Rotokas was more like, “mastat seet.” This man explained what he thought it meant in this way. When someone uses the phrase
“mastat seet,” he is wishing that much trouble will develop for you just as a “mastat seet” mustard seed grows from a small beginning into a very large tree as attested to in the parable of the Scriptures. When I
explained about the offspring of an adulterous relationship and about manure, we both had a good laugh
Although the children are, for the most part, corrected when they use obscene language, there is not always a good example set for them by the adults. One pastor even seemed to enjoy telling a very off-color
joke. The lack of consistency between verbal standards of conduct and the adherence to these standards of conduct in real life seems to be not much different, no matter where you live.
Not many obscene gestures were observed. The most common is to turn one’s backside towards the disliked person and move it towards him or her. A description of this is Sikiive rerare. “They would act in an
obscene manner towards him.”
7.2.5 Attitude towards anger
There is a definite awareness that extreme anger can result in regrettable consequences. Court actions and fines are not uncommon when extreme anger has been displayed. When a man from Togarao ordered another
man to fix his toilet facilities, the second man became sarcastic and aroused the first man’s anger. At this, the angry man kicked the sarcastic man in the nose.
The man who was kicked took the matter to the area Council, where the President of the Council ordered the offender to pay a certain amount of money to the offended man because of the wrong done.
A man S. and his brother-in-law, P., had quite a heated argument in which the first, in an emotional outburst, defended his care of his wife, the other’s sister, and his own generosity. He told how he had always
offered food to visitors, etc. Apparently this problem had been going on for some time, so in order to finish it once and for all, the first man S. dug a small trench with his axe, symbolizing that the “talk” had been cut and
should be finished. The feelings lasted several weeks, after which the two men talked it out again and concluded by chewing betel nut together. Evidently, both men may exchange gifts of money later on as part of
the conclusion of the argument.
The man mentioned above, who was quick to demonstrate his anger, was aware of this trait in himself. When his wife wanted him to buy a shotgun to hunt birds for food, the man refused. He said, “I might become
angry and shoot someone.” He stated that he would probably buy a gun later on, because it wouldn’t matter so much if he were sent to jail when he didn’t have so many family responsibilities, etc.
It seems that when there is a major disagreement between two parties, the thing to do is to express anger and yell loudly enough for the entire village to know about it. In this way, one can announce to all the injustice
committed. There is a way of covertly expressing anger, too, which is looked down upon and liable to court action. A
man in his anger can cause prolonged illness or even death, it is said, by cutting open betel nut and at the same time verbalize his desire that the named man be struck down. If the masalai, or evil spirit, is in the area, hears
of his desire, and partakes of the essence of the betel nut, then he will carry out the man’s desire on the intended victim.
83 If the victim, while chewing betel nut in his sleep or in a dream, sees the man who caused the illness, and
if he then goes to the man and they are reconciled, then the illness will end and death will not occur. In 1978, there was a fine of K300.00 for any person caught cutting open betel nut with the intention of expressing his
anger in this way.
7.2.6 Attitude towards respect
