I’ve just come across the most extraordinary set of books up in the attic! They’re written by a man who, in the 17th century, happened to stumble across a tribe in the jungles of South America. Unfortunately, that tribe is long since gone, so there is no way to confirm his findings. They describe, in great detail the every-day life, with plowing, planting, harvesting and so on. But what I found most interesting; is the treatment of the kids, especially the teenagers!
On this subject, the author writes: “From their early teens, the girls’ elbows and hands are tied together behind their backs whenever they leave the house. When I asked why, the reply was that it made them look more attractive to men.†But boys of the same age weren’t much better off. The reason, it would seem, is that they were to look more attractive to women. But as an extra twist, they sometimes had their knees tied together. ‘Just to be on the safe side’ was the explanation for that. Oh well, boys will be boys, will be boys, I suppose is the right thing to say in any age.
When the parents had found a suitable young man for their daughter, they tied her as I described before and went over to the young man’s house. There, his parents had tied him in a similar fashion. The teenagers are tied together face to face, at the waist and chest and stood in a corner. Then the parents start negotiating their wedding. Then comes a portion I couldn’t decipher, however hard I tried. It all ends, with either the parents coming to an agreement, in which case the girl stays, or not, in which case the girl is taken home by her parents.
I haven’t been able to read more just now, but I will keep trying!