Ethnic Terms
Justin McBride
jmcbride at kayserv.net
Wed Jul 24 15:39:05 UTC 2002
> Regarding Tom Leonard's posting: white foks were regarded as being
> ghost-like by members of quite a few cultures, including several who
learned
> to their cost that these pale people weren't their ancestors who had
> returned. This is true of some Polynesian groups (the usual term for
white
> people in Polynesian languages means, or is interpreted as, 'people
who've
> come over from the skies').
Dumb question...
Are ghosts in Siouan culture thought of as pale or white? I assume that the
color of a ghost--at least in western culture--is supposed to be indicative
of the loss of color in the features of a corpse. Obviously the wanaNghe
isn't the white-sheeted, chain-rattling, image so stylistically indigenous
to Europe. But is it even white?
JM
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