I suspect that tobacco may well serve ritual purposes in morokanth
society. Feel free to naysay me, but there is considerable evidence to
support this in pre-capitalist societies in the RW. Some parts of
Levi-Strauss support this too (see the raw-cooked-rotten triangle in 'the
origin of table manners'). He suggests that because substances like
tobacco or honey transcend the traditional culture:nature dualities in
human cognition, they are believed to hold magic power - hence their
common usage in rituals of many kinds. This is because tobacco must be
consumed by 'culture' ie. fire, before it is used (the smoke inhaled),
therefore it is uncannily 'over-cultural.' Honey is already often found
'ready-processed' in hollow logs, etc. so it is considered to be
'over-naturalised.' This is in contrast with most normal food items,
which usually move from 'nature' to 'culture' in consumption - for
example, raw to cooked.
Funnily enough, similar taboos still existed in the victorian dinner
party. For example, 'wet' and 'dry' foods were often not mixed in the
mouth, and similarly 'hot' and 'cold.'
The problem with morokanth is that consumption of tobacco by fire has
'yelmish' connotations (and they are primarily darkness rune linked
people). I suppose there has to be a way round this though (certainly i
would not deny that Levi-Strauss' structuralist analysis can be
dangerously schematic and determinist).
Just some thoughts whizzing round my head. Feel free to ignore them.
Dominic.
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