Rejection of mushrooms and a rented wife: the most unusual sex traditions and prejudices of indigenous peoples

It looks like we’re about to have a frank conversation. The topic of sex has always been taboo among most people, and it is its prohibition that increases the curiosity. It turns out that strange and strange traditions regarding sexual life still exist in the world. You will be surprised, but even in our country there are people whose traditions will surprise you.

We are talking about the most unusual legends and sex traditions of different nations.

Khanty, Mansi and their dislike of mushrooms

Why do Khanty and Mansi categorically not eat mushrooms? The answer must be sought in their folklore. The legend of the Yenisei Ostyaks (Khanty) says that long ago men had no genitals, and women were “copied” by mushrooms in the forest. One day, something unexpected happened: the cork got stuck. The man rushed to the woman’s aid; He took it off and kept it for himself. The women were so delighted at his resourcefulness that they ran into the forest to collect mushrooms and followed the savior’s example. This is how men have their genitals. This is one of the reasons why mushrooms are considered “unclean” and should not be eaten. The other is more mundane: Indigenous peoples of northern Russia, including the Yukaghirs and Yakuts, do not have enzymes that allow them to digest mushrooms. They will get food poisoning after eating these.

Rhino horns are among Africans, and deer horns are among Siberian peoples and the Chinese.

In recent years, rhinos are on the verge of extinction and poachers are responsible for this. The fact is that the animal’s horn is popular on the black market, where its cost reaches 220 thousand dollars (this is almost 22 million rubles). African peoples believe that the powder from rhino horn, due to its resemblance to the male genital organ, supposedly increases sexual desire and the ability to conceive children, as well as providing longevity and neutralizing poisons. It goes without saying how many unfortunate animals suffer because of this prejudice. Animal activists in South Africa are 3D printing fake horns to reduce their value on the black market. They also specially paint the horn on the animal – a damaged artifact loses its value in the eyes of smugglers.

A similar situation occurs in deer. According to the ancient Chinese treatise Ju-shi, horns not only heal wounds and relieve bedsores, but are also a natural aphrodisiac. As you know, most Chinese still practice traditional medicine. Pantotherapy is also popular among the indigenous peoples of Siberia.

Poachers destroy approximately 100 thousand deer every year. The horns are cut off, causing incredible suffering, or the animal is simply killed. The cost of horns on the black market is 100 thousand rubles, deer blood – 700 rubles per 100 grams, animal tongue – 1000 rubles per 100 grams.

Chukchi and Eskimo hospitality includes a bonus: a night with his wife

It is known that Chukchi offer guests to spend the night with their spouses, and this is not an honor customary to refuse, otherwise the host may be offended. Although they are friendly to guests, they do not do so out of the goodness of their hearts. In the folk epic, there is a legend about an old woman who, after her death, asked a man about his children. If the deceased has no descendants, instead of meeting his ancestors, he will die in a bottomless lake, where he will be “finally drowned” by the spirit of the old woman.

But there is also a more mundane reason. Due to the cold, women’s fertility period is short and numbers are important for the survival of the tribe. Since most Chukchi, Eskimos and Kamchatka Koryaks are reindeer herders and lead a nomadic lifestyle, they have to spend a lot of time in isolation. Due to inter-tribal marriages, almost everyone is related to each other, and this negatively affects genetics. Therefore, men who have only daughters or no children encourage their wives to have sex with strangers to thin the blood. By the way, for the same reason, Australian aborigines travel to distant lands to find a mate who is not from their own tribe.

Mozambicans and pygmies welcome orgies and consider kissing dirty

For a long time, the people of Mozambique and the pygmies did not even know what kissing was. This did not occur to them as saliva exchange was considered unclean among them. But they actively engage in ritual orgies, which is not considered something shameful. After all, the soul of a god lives in the body, which means that everything that happens according to his will cannot be wrong a priori.

Polyandry in Tibet

If in many countries of the world it is not considered permissible for a woman to have many sexual partners, in Tibet, on the contrary, experience is valued. Moreover, it is desirable for her to have an intimate relationship with ten different men before marriage. Then you can trust her fertility and readiness to start a family. The status of Tibetan women is higher than men. They have the right to have lovers (and the more they have, the higher the respect in society), and husbands raise their stepchildren as their own.

Polyandry, or a form of female polygamy, is associated with special natural conditions. There is little fertile land in the Tibetan mountains. To avoid conflicts, the woman is considered the head of the family. In addition, due to gender superiority, men are forced to fight for their own interests in order not to lose the opportunity to have children.

People who profess Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, India and Bhutan follow shamanic rituals. For example, after the birth of a child, a man needs to have sex with his mother on the 3rd, 7th and 21st days to speed up his recovery.