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NEW BRITAIN(Bismarck Archipelago) (New Guinea)
Index→ Papua New
Guinea → New Britain
More:
Arapesh, Ari, Barano, Baruya, Bimin-Kukusmin, Busama, Darabi, Dobu Isl., Eipo, Etoro, Foi, Gebusi, Jaquai, Keraki, Kewa, Kimam, Kiwai, Koko, Kwoma, Lesu, Manus, Marind
Anim, New Ireland, Normanby
Islanders, Paiela, “Sambia”, Trobrianders, Vanatinai, Wogeo
Bibliography
Boys receive preparation for marriage in a
secret society (Dukduk), but no such
preparation is known to exist for girls (Danks, 1889:p283)[1]. Though not typical, mothers
would purchase girls aged 5 or 6 to marry them to their sons, the date of
which remains uncertain (“[..] he will undoubtedly wait until the girl has
reached eleven or twelve years of age”). Betrothals would be arranged before
birth. Also, “I have seen a fine
healthy girl of not more than eleven or twelve years of age married to a man
of twenty-five or thirty. The result of such an early union for the girl has
been dreadful. To judge of her sufferings by her altered appearance they must
have been dreadful” (also cited by Sumner, 1906:p382)[2].
Contrary to the myth about Tikitolo / Aragas
(Counts and Counts, 1983:p46[3]; Counts, 1994:p118, 119[4]) informants did not state that
there was a relation of sexual intercourse with menarche. This could well
have been the case since prepubertal marriage was prevalent only two
generations back (p49). The girl would live with her husband’s parents until
after menarche “married life” began. Ronhaar[5] reviews that sexual intercourse
occurs on a normative basis between boys and women. Kleintitschen (1906:p213,
as cited by Ronhaar, p338)[6] observed that “[c]hildren witness
all the shameless actions performed by their elders. At the age of 5 they
also commence with all these things. The parents laugh at it, and do not even
shrink from seducing their own children” [?].
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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