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BORORÓ(Brazil)
Cook (1907:p58-9; 1909)[1] writes about the Bororó:
“The betrothal is
consummated by the bridegroom-to-be, depositing at the entrance to the hut of
the parents of the baby girl whom he desires shall one day become his wife,
some much prized game that he has had the “good luck” to capture. The parents
of course learn, either directly or indirectly, what his wishes are in making
them this valuable present; and if they do not object to the nuptials, their
little daughter is reserved for him. Again, some day, after the child has
reached the age of ten or twelve years, the groom-to-be deposits at the
entrance to her hut a highly prized fish or animal which he has had the good
fortune to capture, then retires to his own hut. The father of the little
maid now takes her by the wrist-- always the wrist-- conducts her to the
entrance of the hut of her betrothed husband and delivers her to him, and she
becomes his lawful, wedded wife without further ceremony. He may be forty or
fifty years of age, and have already a wife and married children, though,
nevertheless, allowed to have two wives because he has slain the jaguar, or
performed some other feat of valor, or because he
is a captain, having passed middle life” (1909).
“Even
now the ideal marriage is one contracted between a grown man and a small
girl. He contributes to the economy of the house, makes ornaments for his
young wife, defends her from sexual assaults by other men, and, what is most
important, he is the one responsible for the physical development of the
girl. The Bororo believe that the growth of the
breasts is the result of the man’s handling the sexual organs of his young
wife. A good husband will try to enlarge the opening of the hymen with his
fingers so that the first intercourse will be less painful, or, if he was
particularly good and patient, without any pain whatsoever. Only then, after
defloration, can the first menstruation be expected at the next moon” (Levak, 1973:p77-8)[2]. Werner (1986) as cited by Frayser
(1994:p206-7)[3] also states that the Bororo of Brazil think
that intercourse with a mature man causes menstruation to occur. This idea is
in opposition to Bororó ideas on the formation of
boys. After puberty, thus when boys are still “soft and incompletely formed”
masturbation and sexual intercourse may deplore them of rakare, a life force slowly
accumulating in childhood and adolescence (Crocker, 1969:p241)[4].
Baldus (1937:[p28])[5]:
“The father tells the
son and the mother the daughter what people have to do during coitus”. When
he hears what position is taken by the whites in this act, he is startled at
first and later says with mild indignation: “But what weight!”
“Sometimes […] the Bororo
make the children obey by threatening that some animals, owls or wolfs, will
come and eat their sexual organs” (p103). Every descendant of the female sex
has the right to live in the maternal home, not only before, but also after
marriage; the one of male sex loses this right as soon as he reaches puberty
(Colbacchini, 1942)[6]. Boys and initiated at ages
12-14, girls are not. At this initiation, the boy is referred to as the
“wife” of the initiator, but no sexual connotations seem to be implied (Levak, p98).
“The boy is given to his initiator by this announcement. “In the case
of initiation the words do not have sexual implications but merely point out
the structural similarity of the two actions. Just as a wife is given to her
husband, who will then continue to care for her, provide food for her, and
teach her, the boy is given to his initiator. The continuous companionship
anticipated between the two yorubodare is parallel
to that between husband and wife. When the Bororo
were asked to explain this point, they repeated that the boy is the
initiator’s wife, just as the initiator is the boy’s husband, his son, and
his father--his yorubodare. The meaning is more
apparent in other variants of the speech which do not start with akoredujereo but with aerubodareo,
“this is your yorubodare”; or when akoredureo, “this is your husband”, is occasionally
added. The rest of the speech refers to the new role the initiator will
assume toward the boy”.
More references on this custom were provided
by Martius (1844 :p111-31[7]; cf. Bloch, 1933:p105[8]; Greenberg, 1988:p26)[9].
Janssen,
D. F., Growing Up Sexually. VolumeI. World Reference Atlas. 0.2 ed. 2004. Berlin:
Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology
Last
revised: Sept 2004
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