Body Language and Transmission of Sensory Information: A Perspective from Traditional Worldview of Turko-Mongols

Abstract

The article aims to study the information context of the body signs and the perception of this information by Inner Asian nomads in terms of man and nature interaction. Methods. The research is based on general scientific methods and particular methods of historical science, such as the historical-comparative research method and the method of cultural-historical reconstruction. Materials. In terms of studies of humans as social and biological beings, it is relevant to examine the human body in the system of traditional somatic representations of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples of Inner Asia. In their worldview, the human body represents a specialized “map” of messages of a physiological nature, where organs and body parts were seen as symmetrical and their messages were perceived as negative or positive, depending on location on the left or on the right. Of relevance was also whether the sign came from the upper or lower part of a particular organ. Special attention was paid to the “movements” of the liver and the heart. Conclusions. The study shows that the world that surrounds a person appeared as a complex multidimensional information space, with sensory information playing an important part in its perception. This information was not limited to images created by the senses. In fact, the entire body, including internal organs, was perceived as such a conductor, with various manifestations of a physiological nature, such as trembling, noises, itching, and pains serving as “messages”. Individuals that had special body sensitivity were described as those of “open flesh” or of “light bones”; these were usually the only child in the family or one of the twins.