Near woman
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Among the Lakota, Near woman, or nuns'elececa winyan, was an insult of the highest magnitude.[1] For example, according to Professor Terry Wilson, if a warrior told another warrior that "your mother copulated with a buffalo and that is how you were conceived", and that warrior responded by calling him a "near woman", the first warrior would be so horrified and offended that he would be duty bound to kill the offender, or die trying.[2] Thus this was no ordinary insult, but was a term which was so powerful that it was nearly taboo in status.
[edit] Modern Usage
"Near Woman" has survived into contemporary times, kept alive by young people who use it ironically to humorously point out the sexism of the original term. It is particularly prevalent along the West Coast of the United States. This is partly a result of Dr. Wilson's influence in the University of California system, and partly due to the lack of such emotive words in the English language.
The phrase is also in use in Afghanistan. Within an Afghan context, it is described to be more insulting than showing a person the soles of your feet or touching their eye with your left hand, but just midly less offensive than touching a person's eye with the sole of your left foot. In Pashtu, the phrase "Near Woman" is pronounced "najhday jinay". Under the Pashtunwali Code's customs on revenge, use of the phrase "Near Woman" can warrant a Jihad between two whole tribes. Use of the phrase has been banned by the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as its use may de-stabilize entire regions.
