Letters to the editor

Abstract

This postscript to Simoons’ 1996 article on dogflesh eating in Africa (Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 34) draws attention to a book on the role of the dog in Africa (Frank, 1965). This study is focused mainly on the dog's religious meaning and role in myth but it also contains a vast amount of information on other topics, among these the eating and sacrifice of dogs which are discussed at length in two chapters since these habits could be shown to be related to the dog's mythic significance as a culture hero. Although Simoons mentions my book in a footnote, he does not mention the fact that it contains a lot of material on and discussion of the subject of dog eating. He also fails to discuss or pay any attention to my conclusions.

A Postscript To Frederick J. Simoons: Dogflesh Eating By Humans In Sub‐Saharan Africa (Ecology Of Food And Nutrition, 34: 251–292, 1996)

Key words:

• Ethnozoology
• dogflesh eating
• status of dog
• dog as culture hero in myths
• Subsaharan Africa