Nathanael Fosaaen | Archaeological Experiments on Blades Made From Frozen Human Feces @NathanaelFosaaen | Uploaded November 2023 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Read the report here:
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371?via%3Dihub
Instagram: instagram.com/nfosaaen_archaeology
Abstract:
The ethnographic account of an Inuit man manufacturing a knife from his own frozen feces to butcher and disarticulate a dog has permeated both the academic literature and popular culture. To evaluate the validity of this claim, we tested the basis of that account via experimental archaeology. Our experiments assessed the functionality of knives made from human feces in controlled conditions that provided optimal conditions for success. However, they were not functional. While much research has shown foragers to be technologically resourceful, innovative, and savvy, we suggest that this ethnographic account should no longer be used to support that narrative.
Read the report here:
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X19305371?via%3Dihub
Instagram: instagram.com/nfosaaen_archaeology
Abstract:
The ethnographic account of an Inuit man manufacturing a knife from his own frozen feces to butcher and disarticulate a dog has permeated both the academic literature and popular culture. To evaluate the validity of this claim, we tested the basis of that account via experimental archaeology. Our experiments assessed the functionality of knives made from human feces in controlled conditions that provided optimal conditions for success. However, they were not functional. While much research has shown foragers to be technologically resourceful, innovative, and savvy, we suggest that this ethnographic account should no longer be used to support that narrative.
