Hip cord

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Young Waika in his traditional clothing

The hip cord or penis cord for men is a traditional item of clothing of various indigenous peoples of the Amazon region in Brazil , Venezuela and Ecuador , such as the Huaorani and Yanomami . The cord is made of twisted palm fibers.

Men and boys from the age of nine or ten use it to tie their penis vertically, above the glans, to the stomach, so that the foreskin is compressed. The rationale is that this is to prevent parasites from entering the urethra. Reference is primarily made here to the candirú , a fish that in rare cases penetrates into body orifices. Other sources suggest that tying the penis is less of a nuisance while walking. Hip cords are also worn by women, but a possible practical use is not evident here, apart from the fact that sometimes smaller objects are hung on them.

Since the cords were traditionally the only items of clothing for these peoples, they appeared naked to Europeans . The Indians felt attracted as long as they wore these cords. If they tore them off or took them off, the Indians also felt naked. Due to the contact with western culture, the ethnic groups are increasingly turning to wearing clothes in the western sense. Like the guayuko , a pull-through apron made of red cotton, or even shorts and T-shirts.

Individual evidence

  1. a b Fritz Trupp: Amazonas. Schroll, Vienna et al. 1983, ISBN 3-7031-0582-8 , p. 133.
  2. ^ Fritz Trupp: Amazonas. Schroll, Vienna et al. 1983, ISBN 3-7031-0582-8 , pp. 135-136.
  3. ^ Carl Ph. De Martius : Praefatio. In: Johann B. de Spix , Louis Agassiz : Selecta Genera Et Species Piscium Quos In Itinere Per Brasiliam Annis MDCCCXVII - MDCCCXX. Wolf, Munich 1829, pp. I – XVI, here p. VIII .
  4. ^ Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt: Human research on new paths. The scientific consideration of cultural behavior. Molden, Wien et al. 1976, ISBN 3-217-00622-4 , p. 99 f.
  5. ^ Fritz Trupp: Amazonas. Schroll, Vienna et al. 1983, ISBN 3-7031-0582-8 , p. 135.
  6. Zeit online: The breath of the forest