Austronesian etymology and loanwords

[Dravanvaru]

@hansioux

@hansioux

The qali- initial is reserved for things that are holy, or connected to the spiritual world. The examples are rainbow *qali-waRwaR, butterfly *qali-baŋbaŋ

So this is why *qali-baŋbaŋ (butterfly) has the sacred prefix qali-

Indigenous peoples believe that their ancestor spirits manifests themselves as butterflies.

I remember a similar reason being given for not killing the (giant) centipedes on Enuamanu.