Bastinado
Bastinado:
from the word baston, which in English becomes baton. A baton is a stick, club, cudgel or truncheon which as 'bastinado' is used to beat of the bottoms of the feet,
generally as a form of corporal punishment.
Falaq, Falanga, Falaka, Fallagas: all appear to be variants of the same word which is used in mid-eastern cultures to refer to a small crop like weapon which is
approximately 18" in length, with a hardened inner shaft, the outside made of leather either braided or wound around the 'cane'. The word/s by extension becomes
the practice of using this weapon to inflict punishment to the soles of the feet.
Feet whippings extend back through history. The practice appears to have been used or is currently being used globally to punish miscreant activities. Bastinado is
considered to be extremely painful and has long been used in interrogation and torture activities as a means to elicit information from the victim. Some of the Asian
cultures tend to use small rattan switches quite similar or identical to S/m rattan canes to beat the soles of the feet of their children. This beating is also done
to the soles of the feet of women.
A majority of the currently practicing cultures appear to favor using bastinado on their children of both genders, then the male parent appears to use bastinado on
his children and wife. At adulthood the male may only experience bastinado himself if he is brought into the hands of the militia or judicial system.
Some cultures believe that to be 'bastinadoed' is to be forced into a position of overt submission. If a person is severely bastinadoed they will be unable to place
their weight upon the soles of their feet, forcing them to crawl, a position which will reinforce the domination of the performer of the bastinado over them. Some
cultures extend this practice beyond caning to include slicing of the bottoms of the feet and burning the bottoms of the feet, often these types of injuries are forcibly
kept open so that the victim of the practice must remain 'at the feet' of their assaulter indefinitely. When a man is forced into this position he is often seen by many
or all within his culture to be 'emasculated' or removed from 'male status', sometimes for the remainder of his life.
The furthest extensions of bastinado include removal of the feet. This and 'hobbling' were practices performed to prevent escape and permanently enslave the victim
without the need of constant monitoring. Such a victim was often placed in a position of drudge and made to clean or attend to 'filth' tasks which were considered
beneath the 'level' of a 'human being' or to be used as a source of 'inescapable' labor.
Hobbling is a practice of cutting of the tendons at the back of the foot and was extensively used on black slaves right here in America.
From the perspective of S/m scening. What can you do and what should you do? First I will tell you how it was and is done. The person is placed belly down with their
feet attached to a whipping post. Some posts have cross bars for the feet to rest upon. The person is bound sufficiently to prevent excessive movement. If you wish to
scene bastinado then you should support and cushion the foot. Some people create and use foot stocks which are heavily padded.
The foot is an extremely fragile and delicate machine. There are numerous bones, tendons, joints, muscles and tissues which are vulnerable to significant injury. What
is perhaps more significant is that most of the bodies nerve system has nerve endings which are somewhat exposed in the feet. A severe beating to the feet can cause
injury over the entirety of the body, not just the feet. A severe beating can destroy or damage any of the foots many complicated and complex systems, reducing or
impairing the individuals ability to walk or doing significant long term harm to that person. That becomes by extension an 'non-sane' practice and violates the
underlying tenants of Safe, Sane and Consensual. It also becomes unsafe, in that it can permanently injure.
What can you do if you wish to scene bastinado? First, use a small switch or cane. Never use a paddle, heavy rod, crop or other hard object to strike the foot. You
are not trying to break bones here. The bones of the feet are quite small and very easy to break. Protect the areas around the foot such as ankles and toes. You can
wrap the foot in a towel exposing only the soles to prevent inadvertent injury. Use objects that will sting but not damage. Do not try to whip or cane the feet until
bruising. Do not try to break the skin or leave visible welts. Go for sensation but not damage.
You can safely include the soles of the feet in candle and ice play. You can with relative safety use 'doctored' clothespins in and around the toe area as you might
on the webbing between the fingers of the hand. Remember to allow clothespins on any area of the skin for short bursts of time - recommended time is 7 minutes. Longer
clamping of the skin can cause permanent tissue damage. Take a course in Reflexology and learn where the most vulnerable areas of the foot are and what to avoid. Avoid
clamping or binding where there is known exposure of the nerves - this can cause permanent nerve damage and numbness.
(From a watchful member <smiles>) Ask if the woman is pregnant. There is a trigger point outside of the ankle behind the ankle bone which can trigger labor in some
women. (Thank you)
Scene safe.
Use mild forms of bastinado in small doses. Learn as much as you can if this is of particular interest to you. Never engage in any practice which will reduce, diminish
or permanently negatively alter the health and well being of another human being.
Do NO Harm.
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