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Finger amputation is practiced in countries with Sharia law, in Japan (Yakuza), in various tribes in PNG, etc. That said, even in places where it happens, only
by resolutebat 3y ago
Finger amputation is practiced in countries with Sharia law, in Japan (Yakuza), in various tribes in PNG, etc.
That said, even in places where it happens, only a tiny fraction of a percentage will actually have it done to them, so it does seem unlikely that you'd have multiple prehistoric societies where finger amputation was practiced as a matter of course for most people.
- defrost 3y agoThe assertion is not that this "was practiced as a matter of course for most people." The assertion is that many "celebrity handprints" feature missing digits - perhaps they famously survived a crocodile bite, perhaps they sacrificed a finger to implore rain, maybe they were punished for sleeping with the wrong person. Our modern Instagram wall has many features that aren't a matter of course for most people. What's missing here is an understanding of what it takes for a persons stenciled hand to get a prime location under a sheltered outcrop to be preserved for many generations. These hands are a sample of a larger population, but what is the bias?
- anigbrowl 3y agoThat's not evidence for cause though. It's a possibility of course, but there are many more mundane explanations.