FOOT BINDING

FOOT BINDING
In the beginning in the 10th century and ending in the early 20th century, China had adopted a very extreme way in their tradition called foot binding.

Foot binding was a custom practiced on young females. Young girls’ feet, usually at age 6 but often earlier, were wrapped in tight strap up so that they could not raise and develop normally; they would, instead, break and become highly deformed, not growing past 4-6 inches (10-15 cm). Today, it is a major cause of disability among some elderly Chinese women.
Some consequences of foot-binding were stable, especially if a girl's arches had been broken or other drastic measures taken in order to achieve the desired tininess.
From the 17th century, Han Chinese girls, from the wealthiest to the poorest peasants, had their feet bound. Some approximation that as many as 2 billion Chinese women were subjected to this practice, from the late 10th century until 1949, when foot binding was outlawed by the Communists.


First, each foot would be drenched in a warm assortment of herbs and animal blood. This concoction caused any necrotized flesh to fall off. Then her toenails were cut back as far as possible to prevent ingrowths and subsequent infections. To prepare her for what was to come next the girl’s feet were delicately massaged. Silk or cotton bandages, ten feet long and two inches wide, were prepared by soaking in the same blood and herb mix as before. Each of the toes were then broken and wrapped in the wet bandages, which would constrict when drying, and pulled tightly downwards toward the heel. There may have been deep cuts made in the sole to facilitate this.


further reading: http://www.sfmuseum.org
http://www.asianartmall.com

SATI

Sati, a Hindu interment tradition, now very rare and a serious illegal act in India, in which the dead man’s widow would throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre in order to entrust suicide.


Basically the custom of Sati was supposed to be a voluntary Hindu act in which the woman voluntary decides to end her life with her husband after his death. But there were many incidences in which the women were forced to commit Sati, sometimes even dragged against her wish to the lighted pyre.
It is frequently stated that a widow could expect little of life after her husband’s death, especially if she was childless.
Even though Sati is considered an Indian custom or a Hindu custom it was not practiced all over India by all Hindus but only among certain communities of India.

Some are taken from: listvrse.com
http://www.indhistory.com

HUMAN SACRIFICE

Human sacrifice is the act of slaughter a human being for the purposes of making an offering to a holy being or other. It was practiced in many ancient cultures. Human sacrifice was an aspect of historical Aztec culture/religion, although the extent of the practice is debated by scholars.
In the Aztec "Legend of the Five Suns", all the gods sacrificed themselves so that mankind could live.



The Aztec priests defended themselves as follows:

“Life is because of the gods; with their sacrifice they gave us life.
They produce our sustenance which nourishes life”

The sacrifice of animals was common, a practice for which the Aztecs bred dogs, eagles, jaguars and deer. Objects also were sacrificed by being broken and offered to the gods.

Over time human sacrifice has become taking away around the world, and sacrifice are now very rare. Most religions revile the practice and present-day laws generally treat it as a criminal matter. However it is still occasionally seen today, especially in the least developed areas of the world where traditional beliefs persist.

Sources: wikkipedia.com
http://www.ancientweb.org

The Amazon

The famous Amazon River is in South America. It is 4.000 miles (6.400 km) long. The land around the river is covered by hot, dense jungles. The people living in the jungles along the Amazon don’t wear much clothing. They hunt, gather and prepare their food much the same way their ancestors did. The way of life in the Amazon jungles hasn’t changed very much in thousands of years.



It is very humid in the jungle, so people sleep in hammocks. At night they light fires to keep warm and to keep insects and animals away while they sleep.
People living in these jungles must grow food. First they clear jungle land by burning it. Then they grow cassava, bananas, papaya, and sugar cane.




One of the largest freshwater fish in the world is found living in the waters of the Amazon River. Arapaima, also known locally as Pirarucu, Arapaima gigas are the largest, exclusively fresh water fish in the world. They have been found to reach a length of 15 ft/4m and can weigh up to 440lbs/200kg.

FYI: Cassava is a root that tastes like sweet potatoes. People in the jungle also hunt and fish.

http://www.amazon-tribes.com