Imagine not being able to say your own name. Imagine a stranger (like a missionary from a faraway country) coming up to you and asking your name, but you are forbidden to say it. Instead you smile, giggle a little, and look around to your family or friends for help. This is what happens if you ask a certain few Pal people their name, and this is what I would have to do if I were Pal.
In Pal culture it is tambu (forbidden) to say the names of your in-laws. If you have an in-law with the same name as yourself, then you can’t even say your name. And since I have a brother-in-law named. . . well, the same name as me, I can’t say my own name. There are a few Pal people that fall into this category, but then there are those who can’t say the name of one of their kids, and others who can’t say the name of a sibling, a parent, or a close friend.
So, all that to say, learning the names of the Pal people has been an entertaining quest. And now you’ve had a little glimpse into Pal culture.