Making Skins: Initiation, Sorcery, and Eastern Min Notions of Knowledge

Abstract

In this paper I consider the Kwermin notion of knowledge as 'making skin' of physical experience. The skin is acted upon in women's scarification and male initiations with the aim of instilling dispositions in the novices that are conducive to their becoming competent adult beings in their particular sociocultural environment. The scarification of women's abdominal skin is thought to enhance the fertility of their wombs, whereas the acts upon male novices' skins in the initiation rituals are focused upon making them fierce warriors, vigorous husbands, and respectful communicators with ancestral spirits. It is argued that through the male initiations the Min reenact their joint origins from the ground at Yam ('mother') on Oksapmin land. Contrary to this initiatory emphasis on proper skinknowledge as fitness of being, sorcerers, and witches are greatly feared as they wrongfully penetrate the skin, either infusing the victim with suicidal desire or extracting its life-substance until the victim withers and dies.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, Characterization and Assessment of Vegetable Tannins from Guava (Psidium guajava) Leaves for Leather Tanning

“…Vegetable tannins are large molecular-weight polyphenolic chemicals that form strong complexes with proteins and carbohydrates [14,15]. Generally, vegetable-tanned leather is highly valued because of its adaptability and the process is eco-friendly [16].…”