Tag Archives: Taboo

Tripcest

Title: Tripcest

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Superstition, Taboo
  • Language: English
  • Country: United States

Informant Data:

  • The informant is a Dartmouth ’18 female. She went on a first-year trip in September 2014, was a member of Lodj Croo in September 2015, and served as one of the two Lodj Croo Captains in September 2017.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context
    • Throughout trips, sexual relations between trippees and any trip leader or crooling are prohibited. During the “Safety” show at Robinson Hall, there is normally a song about not committing tripcest.
  • Cultural Context
    • Trippees are supposed to be able to rely on each other during their time at Dartmouth and are considered to be part of a small family, known as their trip. Sexual relations are considered awkward as they disturb this familial dynamic.

Item:

  • Trippees are prohibited from engaging in sexual relations of any kind.

Transcript of Informant Interview:

“One of the biggest taboos about trips is tripcest, and so that is when any trippees or trip leaders have sexual relations with each other during the process of trips, and that’s kind of carried over after. I would still feel really weird, and a lot of people do too, committing tripcest now. Although, some beautiful relationships do flourish from it. On Lodj Croo where tripcest mostly comes into play is during the dance party after dinner. Sometimes trippees get too close to each other, so we try and facilitate breaking that up. One of my favorite techniques that I’ve heard of is farting between two of the people so that they all separate. One of the stories that made me really upset, I found out that tripcest had been committed in one of the port-a-potties two years ago when I was on Lodj Croo.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Informant noted that tripcest is the biggest taboo of trips.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Informant was able to note what tripcest is while also contextualizing tripcest in terms of Lodj Croo.

Collector’s Name: Roshni Chandwani

Tags/Keywords:

Customary Folklore, Superstition, Taboo