2014-06-02
Explanation
The Joke
A man explains his name: "I am named Long-Feet because when I turned five, an old man remarked on the size of my feet." A woman explains hers: "She is Moon-Hair, for when she was five, the moon glanced through her hair." The man then asks why both cultures wait until age five to name children. The woman explains that her grandfather belongs to another tribe that names children "right after they're born," adding: "It doesn't work well."
In the final panel, her grandfather bursts in cheerfully: "Hi there, grandson!" The grandson's name is revealed to be "Angry-Gutcannon" -- the name given to him as a newborn, presumably based on what a newborn does (cry angrily and expel things from its gut).
The Humor
The comic plays with the concept of descriptive naming traditions found in various indigenous cultures, where names are based on observed characteristics or events. The joke sets up a logical question -- why wait until age five? -- and delivers a punchline that makes the answer obvious.
If you name a child based on its most notable characteristic at birth, you end up with names like "Angry-Gutcannon," because the most notable things about a newborn are crying and bodily functions. Waiting until age five allows for more dignified and poetic observations (like the size of one's feet or how moonlight looks in one's hair). The grandfather's enthusiastic greeting makes the punchline land harder because he seems completely unbothered by his grandson's unfortunate name, suggesting the tribe sees nothing wrong with the system.