Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1: The Evolution of Modesty; The Phenomena of Sexual Periodicity; Auto-Erotism — John Shaqi
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1: The Evolution of Modesty; The Phenomena of Sexual Periodicity; Auto-ErotismEllis, Havelock
Science
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1: The Evolution of Modesty; The Phenomena of Sexual Periodicity; Auto-Erotism
Ellis, Havelock
Sex; Sex (Psychology)
"Except for waist-bands, forehead-bands, necklets, and armlets,
and a conventional pubic tassel, shell, or, in the case of the
women, a small apron, the Central Australian native is naked. The
pubic tassel is a diminutive structure, about the size of a
five-shilling piece, made of a few short strands of fur-strings
flattened out into a fan-shape and attached to the pubic hair. As
the string, especially at _corrobboree_ times, is covered with
white kaolin or gypsum, it serves as a decoration rather than a
covering. Among the Arunta and Luritcha the women usually wear
nothing, but further north, a small apron is made and worn."
(Baldwin Spencer and Gillen, _Native Tribes of Central
Australia_, p. 572.)
Of the Central Australians Stirling says: "No sense of shame of
exposure was exhibited by the men on removal of the diminutive
articles worn as conventional coverings; they were taken off
_coram populo_, and bartered without hesitation. On the other
hand, some little persuasion was necessary to allow inspection of
the effect of [urethral] sub-incision, assent being given only
after dismissal to a distance of the women and young children. As
to the women, it was nearly always observed that when in camp
without clothing they, especially the younger ones, exhibited by
their attitude a keen sense of modesty, if, indeed, a
consciousness of their nakedness can be thus considered. When we
desired to take a photograph of a group of young women, they were
very coy at the proposal to remove their scanty garments, and
retired behind a wall to do so; but once in a state of nudity
they made no objection to exposure to the camera." (_Report of
the Horn Scientific Expedition_, 1896, vol. iv, p. 37.)
In Northern Queensland "phallocrypts," or "penis-concealers,"
only used by the males at _corrobborees_ and other public
rejoicings, are either formed of pearl-shell or opossum-string.
The _koom-pa-ra_, or opossum-string form of phallocrypt, forms a
kind of tassel, and is colored red; it is hung from the
waist-belt in the middle line. In both sexes the privates are
only covered on special public occasions, or when in close
proximity to white settlements. (W. Roth, _Ethnological Studies
among the Northwest-Central-Queensland Aborigines_, 1897, pp.
114-115.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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