A Taboo That Prohibits Sitting on A Pounding Mortar

A TABOO

One should never dare to sit on a pounding mortar. Impotence was believed to be one of the consequences that would face a male who dishonoured the taboo. It was also believed that violation would lead to an early death of a partner of whoever violated.

ORIGIN

Traditional wooden pounding mortar was a main tool in traditional African societies that was used for pounding grains. Grains like rice, wheat, maize and others were pounded and/or husked by using wooden mortar and pestle. There were no grain pounding machines available in the current world.

One of the taboos that spread in most African societies that was regarding the use and handling of pounding mortar was prohibition on sitting on it. It was believed that violation by men or boys would lead to impotence. This belief is said to have been common in places like Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Africa at large.

Eustace Palmer in his book titled Of War and Women, Oppression and Optimism: New Essays on The African Novel writes specifically concerning men that it was a very serious taboo for men to sit on pounding mortars and that it was a widespread belief that whoever did so would eventually become impotent.

Apart from impotence to men, the other which was believed to be a resultant effect to a person who violated the taboo was that his or he future spouse would die an early death. Part of a book by one Boston Soko titled Vimbuza the Healing Dance reads, “As a rule nobody should ever sit on a mortar, …if they do not respect the taboo, their future marriage partner will die an early death”.

THE UNFOLDING

Only very small kids in the current world can be prevented from sitting on a pounding mortar by a more or less ridiculous warning that doing so would lead impotence to them or leading an early death to their future marriage partner. These two effects put forward by elders were not genuine.

As to impotence the causes are mainly biological ranging from diabetes, heart diseases, clogged blood vessels, obesity and many others and of course psychological factors. As to sitting on a mortar there is no any relationship with impotence to boys and men.

But what was the reason for setting up and spreading such a taboo in traditional African societies?! Reason is based on just common sense. How can one be allowed to sit on a tool in which foodstuff is put for being pounded?

One’s clothes might be dirty and bad enough he or she might pass wind in the tool. It is indeed against not only cleanliness but also health hygiene. Though it’s true that sitting on a pounding mortar does not lead to impotence or any other far reaching consequence but it should not be done.

In the book Vimbuza the Healing Dance it is clearly exposed that the threats in the taboo were purposefully attached to deter people especially children from sitting on pounding mortars. African elders intended on maintaining hygiene.