Note 8 — Chapter II · CEREMONIAL CUSTOMS

The turtle-eating ceremony is called in the Northern tribes either Čokbi-ǰo, Čokbi-kimil, or Kimil-ǰo. The word čokbi means “turtle,” and ǰo means “eating.” The word kimil is more difficult to translate. With the prefix ot- or er- it means “hot” as in T’ ot-kimil-bom, “I am hot.” From the time of the commencement of the ceremony the youth or girl is said to be in a condition denoted by the word aka-kimil. During this time, i.e. during the ceremony and for some months afterwards, he or she is not addressed or spoken of by name but is referred to as “Kimil,” the word being thus used as a term of address or a substitute for the personal name. A person who is in this condition is described as aka-kimil-kolo̱t. (Before the ceremony the youth is oko-taliŋ-kolo̱t and the girl is aka-ndu-kolo̱t.) In the Aka-Bea tribe the turtle-eating ceremony is called Yadi-gumul or Gumul-leke, yadi being the word for “turtle” in that language, and leke being the equivalent of the ǰo of Aka-J̌eru, that is “eating.” A youth or girl who is passing or has recently passed through the ceremony is said to be aka-gumul, and is addressed and spoken of, not by name, but by the term Guma8.