By pure chance I was watching a documentary on Papouasia (New Guinea) a few days ago on a French TV channel.
One of the older tribe member was explaining that it was frequent, in the "old times", for members of the family to proceed to the amputation of part or whole fingers as a sign of mourning.
It immediately rang a bell: in many prehistoric "hand prints", one or more fingers are not present on the surface of the cave walls. Some explanations were hypothesising that the artist was folding hie/her finger while blowing the collouring mixture on the wall for negative hand printsor while applying their hands covered with "paint" for positive Hand prints. Some hypothesised mutilations, but as far as I can remember, noe were speaking of "ritual mutilations".
Since I saw that TV documentary, I've briefly looked on the internet. Here is what I've found on the subject of ritual mutilations:
<<Amputation of a phalanx or whole finger, usually as a form of sacrifice or in demonstration of mourning, was common among North American Indians, Australian Aborigines, San and Khoekhoe, Nicobarese, Tongans, Fijians, and some groups in New Guinea, South America, and elsewhere. Amputation of the toes was less common but occurred in Fijian mourning.>>
Click here for moreIt seems to have been a quite cross cultural behaviour... A bit like prehistoric hand prints which are found almost in all types of cave art.
Does any of you know if the link with such ritual mutilation has ever been envisionned as a possible explanation for the "partial fingers" in prehistoric hand prints?
Note that such ritual mutilations presuppose a complex symbolic behaviour from the part of the tribes who practiced it.
Any one knowing more on this subject?
Yours, sincerely.
Paul TREHIN
