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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!duke!mcnc!tmh@ihldt.UUCP (Tom Harris)
From: tmh@ihldt.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: making the connection
Message-ID: <2167@ihldt.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 27-Dec-83 11:24:21 EST
Article-I.D.: ihldt.2167
Posted: Tue Dec 27 11:24:21 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Dec-83 01:19:54 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
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Actually almost all primitive peoples are able to make the
connection between sex and reproduction.  However, because of the
importance and religious significance of human reproduction they
frequently deny the human portion and have some other story.  One
real life example (remembered from my days as an Anthro student) is
from a Southwest U.S. Indian tribe (I think it was one of the
Apache), they breed sheep and use fairly sophisticated selection
techniques to crossbreed for certain traits.  This implies that
they not only have made the connection between sex and
procreation, but have worked out some of the basic genetic
principles (i.e. about the same thing Mendal did with peas).  For
human reproduction their ideas are completely different.  They
believe that all females have small babies already inside them, and
that the penetration of the vagina disturbs one of the babies and
causes it to start growing.  It is pretty easy to see that if they
figured out how sheep reproduction works they would have figured
out how human reproduction works.  Yet, even if you point out the
similarities they still would deny the human story (the conclusion
being that while they knew how humans worked they preferred the
baby story (it being poetical and all) and since this story was
impractical when it came to breeding sheep they applied a more
factual version of what goes on i.e. knowing the mechanics of
sheep breeding is culturally critical, while the mechanics of
humans breeding is unimportant and therefore subject to a little
enhancement).  One other thing that I should point out is that our
own culture has its own myth of reproduction i.e. the stork brings
the baby.

					Oh I'm an Archalog and I'm OK,
						Tom Harris