Namesake
Namesake
There is even likely to be the invocation of a diplomatic namesake relationship. A person, usually a child[1] was deliberately named after a member of an alien clan, seemingly as a diplomatic bridge, or maybe as an each-way stake in the other.[2] ‘Sharing the same personal name, for instance, may be enough to establish a special bond between two people, regardless of whether they belong to the same tribe... On the Lower River Murray (Jaraldi), sharing a personal name established a mindji (common name) tie of friendship and mutual aid.’[3] This is the likelihood between Gellibrand and Beruke.
The evidence of these trans-cultural bridges in space in the historical documents should alert us to the desire for mutuality or reciprocity on the part of most aborigines in the occasions of frontier meeting. Men like Gellibrand-Beruke, ‘Black Beveridge’, the two DeVilliers brothers, and numerous others.
[1] Johannes Falkenberg Group Relations of Australian Aborigines - Oslo 1962 If a child receives a personal name which also belongs to a member of an alien local clan, one knows beforehand that there will be severe restrictions on social intercourse between them. Nonetheless there are such a great number of namesakes that it is obvious that the Aborigines, for some reason or other, wish to establish relationships of this kind between certain individuals. pp 265
[2] Falkenberg, ibid. ~ “ In each clan there is thus at least one individual who has namesakes in another clan. There are, however, means by which the taboo between namesakes may be removed, and after the taboo is disposed of, the namesakes enter into a new intimate social relationship which lasts throughout life. The removal of restrictions is not however, a private matter between two namesakes, but a matter involving their hordes. But ... there are some individuals who are more affected by such namesake relationship than others in the same horde.” pp 266
[3] Berndt Ibid pp 84
There is even likely to be the invocation of a diplomatic namesake relationship. A person, usually a child[1] was deliberately named after a member of an alien clan, seemingly as a diplomatic bridge, or maybe as an each-way stake in the other.[2] ‘Sharing the same personal name, for instance, may be enough to establish a special bond between two people, regardless of whether they belong to the same tribe... On the Lower River Murray (Jaraldi), sharing a personal name established a mindji (common name) tie of friendship and mutual aid.’[3] This is the likelihood between Gellibrand and Beruke.
The evidence of these trans-cultural bridges in space in the historical documents should alert us to the desire for mutuality or reciprocity on the part of most aborigines in the occasions of frontier meeting. Men like Gellibrand-Beruke, ‘Black Beveridge’, the two DeVilliers brothers, and numerous others.
[1] Johannes Falkenberg Group Relations of Australian Aborigines - Oslo 1962 If a child receives a personal name which also belongs to a member of an alien local clan, one knows beforehand that there will be severe restrictions on social intercourse between them. Nonetheless there are such a great number of namesakes that it is obvious that the Aborigines, for some reason or other, wish to establish relationships of this kind between certain individuals. pp 265
[2] Falkenberg, ibid. ~ “ In each clan there is thus at least one individual who has namesakes in another clan. There are, however, means by which the taboo between namesakes may be removed, and after the taboo is disposed of, the namesakes enter into a new intimate social relationship which lasts throughout life. The removal of restrictions is not however, a private matter between two namesakes, but a matter involving their hordes. But ... there are some individuals who are more affected by such namesake relationship than others in the same horde.” pp 266
[3] Berndt Ibid pp 84
posted by Wayne D Knoll | 4:59 PM
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