Scatalogic Rites of All Nations: A dissertation upon the employment of excrementitious remedial agents in religion, therapeutics, divination, witchcraft, love-philters, etc., in all parts of the globeBourke, John Gregory
Religion
Scatalogic Rites of All Nations: A dissertation upon the employment of excrementitious remedial agents in religion, therapeutics, divination, witchcraft, love-philters, etc., in all parts of the globe
Bourke, John Gregory
Scatology
Steller’s account shows that in his time the people of Kamtchatka had no
regular water-closets.
“The dogs steal food whenever they can, and even eat their straps. In
their presence no one is able to ease nature without the protection of a
club for the purpose of keeping them at a distance. As soon as he leaves,
the dogs rush to the spot, and under much snarling and snapping each
seeks to grasp the deposit.”—(Steller, translated by Bunnemeyer.)
In the Eskimo myths there is the story of the Eskimo boy, an orphan, who
was abused by being made to carry out of the hut the large urine vessel.
This would indicate a certain antiquity for the employment of these
vessels.—(See “The Central Eskimo,” Franz Boas, in “Sixth Annual Report,”
Bureau of Ethnology, Washington, D. C., 1888, p. 631.)
In the city of Bogota, Colombia, South America, the lower classes urinate
openly in the streets; in the city of Mexico, the same practice prevailed
until recently.
In “The Snake Dance of the Moquis of Arizona,” the author had something
to say touching the practice of the Moquis, Zuñis, and others of the
Pueblo tribes, of collecting urine in vessels of earthenware; this was
for the purpose of saving the fluid for use in dyeing the wool of which
their blankets and other garments were to be made. It was noticed,
however, that a particular place was assigned for such emergencies as
might arise when the ordinary receptacles might not be within reach.
Thus, in the town of Hualpi (on the eastern mesa in the northeast corner
of the Territory of Arizona), one of the corners had been in such
constant use, and for so long a time that the stream percolating down
from the wall had eroded a channel for itself in the friable sandstone
flooring, which would serve to demonstrate that the place had been so
dedicated for a very extended number of years.
Latrines of some sort would seem to have been in use among the natives
of Australia, if we are to interpret literally the expression employed
by A. Brough Smyth, which see under “Myths” in this volume. The Tonga
Islanders, in the mortuary ceremonies of their great chiefs, are stated
to have had them (see under “Mortuary Ceremonies” in this volume).
Carl Lumholtz did not observe latrines of any kind among such of the
Australians as he visited.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account