Roope Kaaronen
@roopekaaronen.net
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Forager of information and mushrooms • "String theorist" • Cognitive science, cultural evolution, cognitive anthropology, ethnomathematics • roopekaaronen.net • Kayaking, music, nature, photography
![Many thousands of years ago the inhabitants of the earth were all of one race and spoke but one language. Suddenly a fungus of enormous size made its appearance and continued to grow larger and higher every day and was looked upon by the people as a shelter from the sun and rain which had been sent them by the gods; but at last it grew to such a size that their crops, on which they depended entirely for food, suffered by being deprived of the blessings of the sun, rain, and dew, and they began to wish that they had stopped it's (sic) growth before. Sacrifices were offered to the gods who were prayed to remove the fungus from the face of the earth, but their prayers were without effect, and as time went on it became necessary for the preservation of life to cut it down whether the gods resented such action or not. So it was felled, cut up, and everybody eat [sic] of it with the result that they all fell into a kind of stupor and began to speak every man a different language, and the confusion was so great that they scattered over the face of the earth, and it was in this way that the many languages now spoken in the world originated.
—An Iban origin story from Borneo by Howell (1908, p. 78).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev6inhrqmqlij7tor6wppg7u/bafkreig7dx2kr6xg6rqjpksjywmtko6mukkbw7ztrl5dvsl5eomnd2a34q)
![A man (left) and a youth (right) spinning a whip-top. The motif is traced from a Greek ceramic kylix vessel dated to 480–470 BCE. According to Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum (Lamont, 2021), ‘the man wears a chlamys and the traveler’s cap that often characterize Hermes.’ The scene may thus represent the youth dedicating his childhood top to Hermes (see also Lambrugo et al., 2023). This refers to a rite of passage also described in the Greek Anthology (6.309): ‘To Hermes [he] hangs up these toys of his boyhood: his noiseless ball, this lively boxwood rattle, his knuckle-bones he had such a mania for, and his spinning-top.’ Image courtesy of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum (accession no. B9). Reprinted and traced with permission.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev6inhrqmqlij7tor6wppg7u/bafkreihyhhifaz3d2wom2pqsgolnkeuutmdguiej7srd6eyyvor6t424qq)
![A. Twirler. A twirler, also known as the finger top, is set spinning by manually twisting its stem. Typically, this is done between the index finger and thumb, but on a sufficiently long stem it may also be rubbed between the palms of both hands. To initiate motion, the user grips the stem firmly and imparts a rapid twisting motion, swiftly releasing the top to allow it to spin freely on its contact point. The most common form of twirler is one where a peg (typically wood) pierces a perforated disc, seed, or fruit. [Image: A Chukchi (Chukotka, Russia; 1890–1901) twirler top with radial ornaments, 14.5 cm high. Public domain (Bogoras, 1909, p. 272).]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev6inhrqmqlij7tor6wppg7u/bafkreidjn3fi6uvmlp3yy4c2jibjtnckkgj23evqlbobjojzwwfeexbjum)
![B. Supported top. A supported top is otherwise like the twirler, and may in principle have an equivalent design, but its spin is initiated using a cord, making use of an auxiliary launching handle. The top is placed securely into the supporting launcher to hold it upright, and a cord is wound tightly around the top’s stem. The user firmly tugs on the string to impart rotation to the top, promptly removing the handle to release the top to spin on its own. Supported tops are commonly called ‘humming tops,’ since the string imparts such rapid motion that any perforation in the top’s body might produce a humming or buzzing sound. [Image: A Kerek (Chukotka, Russia; 1890–1901) supported top, made of ivory and adorned with geometric designs. The upper knob has four sides with a face on each side. Two faces represent spirits, and the other two represent men. Four persons would gather around the top and spin it; when the top ceased to spin, those faced by the spirits would lose. The serrated hole in the handle would produce a rattling sound. Public domain (Bogoras, 1909, pp. 272–274).]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev6inhrqmqlij7tor6wppg7u/bafkreih3ajll4lgyuysjiannaphm724maoy76tymk4n3iw4fumon4u6cdi)
![C. Peg-top. A peg-top is typically shaped like a pear, egg, or cone, commonly carved or lathed from a single piece of wood. Unlike other tops, it is spun by throwing: one end of the cord is snugly wound around the top, and the other attached to the user’s finger or hand. The user casts the top diagonally toward the ground, sometimes accompanied by a sharp tug of the string, imparting rapid rotation to the top. Peg-tops commonly have a stem (peg) made from metal (e.g., an iron nail), providing a hard and low-friction tip to spin on. Peg-tops typically require more skill than other types of tops, and are frequently used in competitive play, including games where users aim to strike and knock down an opponent’s top. [Image: An assortment of peg-tops by South Torajan peoples (Sulawesi, Indonesia; 1920–1930), varying in shape, size, and cord-winding techniques. Public domain (Kruyt, 1932, p. 480).]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev6inhrqmqlij7tor6wppg7u/bafkreihfuqwl7sp377n6luhltyhvj63kmuhtuxzv5i4iiiotj4zvnodnci)
![D. Whip-top. Typically conical or cylindrical in shape, whip-tops are initially spun either by hand or by winding and pulling a whip around them. The top’s spin is then sustained or accelerated by repeated slashing of the top’s side with a whip (usually a plant-based cord or leather thong(s) attached to a stick). The whipping maintains or increases the top’s rotational speed and can be used to direct the top’s movement across a surface. Precise repeated whipping motions can in principle maintain the top’s motion indefinitely. [Image: A set of whip-tops by the Crow (top row) and Oglala (bottom row incl. whip) (US; ca. 1900). Public domain (Culin, 1907, p. 745).]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ev6inhrqmqlij7tor6wppg7u/bafkreig3cshmhlfyzfbmmuz4rfun4m7cr2iqr7nk7sflqgvyjipi3k33eq)
