Infertility in the Mortar

Before technology became commonplace and electric powered blender, grinders and pounders the order of the day, the majority of African tribes had devised an ingenious way to blend and grind their various local staples. In came the mortal, a wooden cylindrical hewed-out timber . Africa, both the tropical rainforest and its many Savannahs, boast an abundance of trees , Iroko,Obeche,Mahogany e.t.c. These gigantic trees are usually the building block of a good mortar.

Local carvers will purchase long and thick trunks of desired wood and then carve a cylindrical hole in it. It is then fired in a clay oven to dry the wood. The end result is a tall wooden bowl strong enough to withstand the pounding of the pestle and last some years. 

The mortal, when not in use, is customarily placed face down, exposing a flat base which gives it an appearance of a stool. The temptation to sit on it when place like is always high and elderly women in the villages discourages the young by claiming that sitting on it especially the male child, will result in erectile dysfunction and possible infertility. 

It is presumed unhealthy to sit on it since it is use for preparing meals and as such not hygienic. One can’t be sure if it the impotence claim is true, but it is best to be wary of these old folks and thier superstition.