Tribe that link the throat with the soul

August 27, 2006 6:36 PM

Is there a tribe that links the human soul (or spirit) with the throat? I remember being in an intro Anthropology class and watching a video of a young girl in an African tribe being buried alive because she had lost her voice and it was thought she was dead.

Am I wrongly remembering this? It sounds too crazy to be true.

posted by allthewhile to Human Relations (1 answer total)

Well, the English word "spirit" comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning "breath." The Latin word for "soul," anima came from the proto-Indo-European *ane- "to breathe," and is the root of our words animal, animation, and animate. In fact, most concepts of the soul are tied to the idea of breath. I've not heard of the particular tribe you're referring to, but it's not too crazy at all. In fact, it's downright commonplace.
posted by jefgodesky at 6:11 AM on August 28, 2006