Tabu
Most people associate the word taboo
with the forbidden.
womanhood
The origin of the word itself, however, is much more
ambiguous. It comes from the Polynesian language, in
which the word taboo is a combination of the word ta
which means ‘to mark,’ with the word bu which is simply
an adjective of intensity. Therefore, tabu simply means to
mark thoroughly (Buckley and Gottlieb, 1988).
Another theory on the origin of the word taboo states that
the root of the word is the Polynesian word tupua, which
means sacred and magical, and that it was often applied
specifically to menstruation. When the British explorer
James Cook visited Tonga, and he tried to understand
why part of their women were gathering together in the
same tent, the locals said: Taboo. And since then, the
interpretation given to menstruation was: something we
don’t talk about, something is forbidden. And since then
this word has grown its use and applications to everything
that we can’t talk about.
Let’s look at it from the biological point of view: during a
cycle time (21–35 days), a women’s body collects
everything that’s the best inside of it (proteins,
enzymes, blood, etc.) in order to create the perfect
environment for creating and hosting a future life. If the
fertilization does not happen, the body let go of this
sacred liquid and starts preparing a new one.
Emotionally speaking, the menstruation cycle is the
best predictor for a women’s mood. If we listen to our
body carefully we will know when more or less sensitive
periods will come.
Spiritually, the sacred cycle connects us with the
power of giving life, with our wisdom and with our
intuition.
A woman’s cycle is deeply connected with the Moon
cycle (www.tiny.cc/MoonCycle.) If we let it, or body
knows when is best for making the alignment in
between the moon and menstruation cycle. It has been
transmitted from generations to generations that a new
moon is connected with the menstruation itself and the
full moon with the pick of the fertile period. And it
makes all the sense, as we are part of the nature itself.
Now that we have a common understanding of the origin
of this word, let’s dig deeper into some of the tabu
related with women and femininity:
Menstruation
Is it wrong? Is it dirty? Is it a secret? Is it dangerous?
No! Nothing like that! On the contrary. A women
menstruation is part of the gift of being a woman.
If you are a woman reading this, I invite you to
respect your monthly cycle, talk about it and let the
new generations learn from you, listen to your body
and be gentle with it. It’s the most amazing tool we
have and we can trust it completely.
If you are a man reading this, first of all:
congratulations! It takes courage and humbleness
to enter a women’s world. And the invitation for you
is to be open to have this conversation with your
woman, to practice curiosity and to listen. It’s all we
need.
“Tabu simply means
to mark thoroughly.”
8 | Dey Dos Magazine
by
Amalia Ghiban