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Derek Stavarski's List: navajo - Food taboo
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The restrictions on food like melons, ribs or roast into which a knife is stuck, counts for life. If ignored, the person's marrow may ache, or he may suffer a relapse into the previous injury, which would be difficult to cure.
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By the term Ichthyophobia I mean, of course, fear of fish; but I do not mean that proper fear, based upon actual knowledge, which the native diver of certain tropic seas feels, who will not venture into deep water lest he be torn to pieces by sharks, nor that equally rational fear that leads us to discard tainted fish, which so often proves poisonous as an article of food.
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The subject of Taboo may seem, to many of my hearers, one more properly belonging to the general science of ethnology than to folk-lore; yet, when we consider that the existence of taboo is often explained by myth, we realize that taboo comes within our province.
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Never eat bear-steak or any meat from a bear,’ is a taboo that is observed by every Navajo. There is an exception to this law if a family is starving, but I have lived on the reservation during several periods of famine caused by continued drouths, and never once have heard of an Indian killing a bear to use the meat for food.
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Formerly there was a taboo against killing any bear, but now-days this has little force. If a bear kills sheep, colts, or calves the Navajo stockman usually trails it to its den and shoots it, but he never takes the pelt or any of the flesh.
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Never eat uncooked or raw meat at anytime.’ If a Navajo ate raw meat he would consider himself in the same class as the wolf and the coyote. One person stated, ‘Human beings were given fire with which to cook their food; if they do not make use of this gift it might be taken away from them
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