tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Mar 18 09:47:27 1999
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Re: muvtay
: What does muvtay mean??
: Is it a specific ritual (tay), or can it be the "initiation" of
: anything?
:
: Quvar muHwI'
As {tay} would suggest, this is one of many Klingon rites, rituals and
ceremonies. Okrand explains the {muvtay} in "Klingon for the Galactic
Traveller":
One type of occasion on which ritualized speech is heard is the
induction ceremony or initiation rite (muvtay). For example, in
the ceremony to induct new members into the Order of the Bat'leth
(betleH 'obe'), the highest honor that the government bestows on
a Klingon, the presiding official, usually the leader of the Klingon
High Council, first reads a name from the {naD tetlh} (Commendation
List), always calling out the inductee's name in the most formal
way (given name plus father's name, such as {tI'vIS barot puqloD}
[T'vis, son of Barot]). (KGT p.182)
Other Klingon canonic {taymey} are:
chontay ritual hunt
Heghtay death ritual
nentay Rite of Ascension
qutluch tay Kut'luch Ceremony
ruStay bonding ritual (the R'uustai)
I've also seen these unofficial versions here on the List:
*Darghtay Tea Ceremony
*naltay marriage ceremony
*ngaghtay mating ritual
Our previous BG, Qov, made an inciteful comment about Okrand's thingking
regarding the homophonic verb {tay} "be civilized":
Apparently while our definition of maturity is cities (CIVilization),
theirs is ritual (nenTAY, HeghTAY, muvTAY).
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons