phyllis walker wrote:
>
> > I have read that in nomadic pastoral cultures in Asia, when a
> >   person reaches an age where he or she can no longer keep up with
>
, some time ago I read about an Inuit folk tale that tells the story of
2
> female elders left behind to fare for themselves on the tundra due to the lack of
> food for the tribe.

The early explorers to the far north, where the Polar Inuit lived,
described that practice. The old person went or was placed "on the ice"
to either die quickly of exposure and/or might be a meal for the polar
bear. It is said that often the elderly person said they were 'going out
for awhile' never to return.  I wish we had something like that now.
Mercifully quick and simple. Too much suffering at the later years.

yoyo