Not long after Linda had arrived at the reserve there was a death in the camp. This had caused a lot of commotion. Many women were wailing all night long and the next day the whole camp shifted to a new place. Linda knew the dead man well, his name was Watilu. She had been treating him for a while and realised that he was a respected member of the community.
Watilu's wife was also one of Linda's patients and it was essential that she should come in for regular treatment.
When she had not appeared for a couple of days after her husband's death, Linda became concerned. A man, also called Watilu, just happened to walk past the clinic. She called out his name to find out what had happened and to send a message with him to this woman. But Watilu walked straight past. This surprised Linda because he had been very helpful on previous occasions. However, soon after the woman came in of her own accord. Intending to console her Linda put her arm around this woman and said: "I'm sorry to hear about your husband, Watilu." But instead of showing appreciation the woman became very upset. She got up and walked out of the clinic without having received her treatment.
Linda could not understand what she had done wrong.
Which alternative best explains the behaviour of the people in this episode?
A) Linda had called out loud the name of a dead person.
B) The people held her responsible for the death of this man.
C) They were more upset than usual because of the dead man's status in the community.
You chose (A): She called out loud the name of a dead person.
This is the best explanation.
To an Aborigine a person may be dead physically, but his spirit is still very much alive. The people believe that this spirit reacts to the sound or even the thought of its name. For instance, it may make him unhappy or lead him to calso harm. It is probably not so much that the people fear this spirit, as a sign of respect for the dead, although there would be an element of fear as well. Whatever the case, the Aboriginal people are extremely sensitive about this point. They will go to great lengths to exterminate anything that might remind them of the deceased. They burn his wiltja and all his belongings and the whole camp noves away to a place where his footprints etc. cannot be found. Moreover, all the people with this person's name are given a different name. Indeed if this name is also the name of objects, as is often the case, these objects also change name. This then explains why the man Linda wanted to use as a messenger didn't respond, and why the woman became so upset.
The reason why this woman did not come to see Linda earlier may well have been that her husband's footprints were still visible around the clinic.
You will appreciate the difficulties this can present. It should be clear by now that there is a lot to be gained by being sensitive to and showing respect for the people's customs. It is probably better not to refer to any person directly if he is not present. You could say for instance: "Where is Tommy's son?" The use of a nick-name may also be acceptable.
This incident has been somewhat exaggerated to make the point. It is likely that in most communities the people don't mind you using the name of a dead person as long as they know you are ignorant of this custom. In some communities they might in fact rather have you not know, feeling that this is their business which may be misinterpreted and denigrated by the whites. It is thus advisable to be tactful and not to show openly that you know about this custom. When the opportunity comes you could enquire discreetly and they will let you know as much as they feel they can trust you with.
You chose (B): The people held her responsible for the death of this man.
There is no indication in the incident that Linda was not liked before the man's death, so why would they blame her? This is not to say however that a nurse may not at times be held responsible for a death. This has certainly happened in the past, but in this case it is not likely. Your choice was not the most appropriate one.
You chose (C): They were more upset than usual because of the dead man's status in the community.
This is not the best answer, because it does not explain why the man Linda called for a message did not respond and walked straight past the clinic.
You chose (D): She had put her arm around the woman.
This answer implies that Aborigines don't appreciate physical contact. However, Aborigines use physical contact as an expression of affection or comfort much more frequently than we do. Moreover this alternative does not explain Watilu's behaviour.