The local world of local people - by Ugochukwu Asiogu

Most times I am intrigued by the level at which I become engrossed with world culture and traditions. Although, my interest in studying different cultures and traditional norms and values of societies across the globe surprises me sometimes such that I begin to question what my true calling is in life: was I really meant to be a LOCAL man or a traditionalist as most Africans would say, the knowledge and joy I derive in understanding the elements and root of a people's existence, keeps me going. There are a myriad of cultures and traditions in the world that testify to people's lifestyles and practices. While some of these cultures and traditions are seen as normal, others are perceived as abnormal or even weird as the case may be. A lot of times, I get baffled whenever culture is interpreted with bias especially when some cultures are treated as more important than others. To me, all cultures speak to the history and originality of people's existence. Hence, there should be no yardstick to determine whether a culture is strange or not. But wait a minute, does this mean there are no cultures and traditions that are quite 'interesting' and somewhat propelling than others? Of course, the answer is in the negative. So, in this article, we will take a look at two interesting world cultural practices that you probably have not heard about. The first one is the Bullet Ant Initiation popularly practiced by the Satere-Mawe tribe in Brazil. This cultural practice is carried out to ascertain the readiness of boys for manhood. For the people, a boy does not become a man unless he can withstand being stung by a swarm of bullet Ants. What? This reminds me of a certain time I climbed an orange tree in my father's compound back in the village and was unfortunately attacked by ants. It was a hellish experience. But yet, it cannot be compared to being stung by a SWAM of BULLET Ants! Well, who am I to decide for the Satere-Mawe tribe on how to train their boys to become stronger men? Interestingly, the Bullet Ant Initiation is usually carried out with the belief that any boy who is able to endure the pains without a single tear in his eyes is fit to be described as a man. Another interesting thing to note about this tradition is that it is repeated continuously until the boy or boys in question is able to endure the torture. What a painful way to become a man? Oh my goodness. Is having the male genitals no longer enough reason to make a man a full man? Oh! Wetin man so man? Furthermore, the one that even makes me more feverish is the "Carrying of a wife over burning coals" in China. Commonly practiced with the belief that the exercise will help the wife experience painless labour as well as prevent natural disasters, it is believed that this practice happens whenever a husband and wife are newly married and prepared to step into their new home and also whenever the wife is pregnant. However, what makes me a little bit confused is why it is the husband who is expected to walk barefoot on the burning coals with his wife on his back? At this point, I ask myself, who needs the effects of the hot coal more? Aren't both the husband and wife supposed to take the majestic walk together as a united home? Wonderful. What a painful way of avoiding painless labour as a natural disaster? Tell me what you think about these practices in line with their powerful impacts on people's existence in general.

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