|
SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS (eHRAF)
Featured: Pukapukans, Ra’Ivavae, French Polynesia [Marquesans, Cook Islands [Tahiti, Aitutaki, Mangaia], Samoa, Tonga Isl.]; Santa Cruz Isl.
EASTBAY (PSEUD.; SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS)
Davenport (1965:p196; 1966)[1],
on the “EastBay” society: “Despite the apparent latency
period for both sexes, youthful attempts at copulation are sometimes
discovered, especially between sister and brothers. Such behaviour is
immediately interrupted with a scolding, but as long as the miscreants have
not reached full sexual maturity, their parents are more likely to joke about
it than to be deeply shocked”. Little is done to discourage genital behaviour
in infancy. More strictness is applied after age four (boys may be ridiculed
for erections), and girls’ genitalia are more tabooed than boys’. From age
five, the touch-taboo extends to the whole female body. Despite nudity till
puberty, there is little evidence of heterosexual play, except between
siblings, where it is immediately discouraged. Sexual matters are discussed
in the family with complete frankness, and children of five and six are
rather completely knowledgeable on sexual matters. Adolescent heterosexual
behaviour is strictly forbidden. Adolescents may have homosexual interactions
in the men’s house. A man may have sexual interaction with a young boy, often
too young to be living in a men’s house. Sexual interaction takes place in
the bush, and incest taboo is observed. No homosexuality is reported for
girls. Marriage arrangements can be made at all ages, from infancy on.
MAINREEFISLANDS (SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS)
Davenport
(1969a:p207)[2]:
“Occasionally, initiates were
permitted to play certain games to relieve their boredom. One of these was mock copulation, and into which the
attendants entered in order to explain the fine points of sexual intercourse”.
About initiations
(p210, 213):
“The sponsor of each
initiate gives to his men's house special presents of tobacco, pork, and
other fancy food. If possible, too, he would have arranged for a concubine to
be there sometime in the near future to
introduce the
initiate to sexual intercourse. Associated with this, one of the attendants
to an initiate gave him two rolls of feather currency. The rolls were tied
over his shoulder, one in front, one in back, and
carried by the
initiate to the men's house. There the currencies were hung up for display.
They signified, however, his payment for the use of a concubine. Actually,
five days later the father or other sponsor of
the initiate
retrieved the currencies for himself, so the presentation was from the
attendant to the sponsor of the initiate. From now on the initiate is
regarded as a full adult member of the men's house group. Any man who had not
been through the sega initiation was not so
considered. […] Another is a moral condemnation of the association between se[.]ga[.] and introducting the
initiate to his first sexual intercourse”.
DUFFISLANDS (TAUMAKO) (SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS)
Davenport
(1968:p183-5)[3]:
“[...] The fifth
observance is made to mark the donning of a strand of beads worn around the
waist. This may be omitted for boys, but never for girls. The next observance
may be done when the child is still small, and it is to mark his or her
wearing of their first adult-style clothing. Before, this was a bark cloth
wraparound garment for women, and a breach clout for men, but today it is a
cotton cloth wraparound for both sexes. Actually, this observance is more of
a notice that the sponsor will, later when the child is more mature, sponsor
the celebration of the actual putting on of the first garment. As a
preliminary notice, this prevents anyone else from usurping the right to
sponsor this occasion. It is not done for all children. The celebration of
this initial putting-on-the-garment has nothing to do with modesty, for it is
done long before genital modesty training is even commenced. The last
observance is a celebration at adolescence of the actual donning of the first
garment. By this time the child is fully aware of what is expected in the way
of genital modesty and from this time on he or she is expected to exhibit
this modesty”.
UTUPUA AND
VANIKORO (SOUTHERN SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS)
Davenport (1969b:p241)[4]:
“Sometime between the
age of about five and nine years, when the child begins to be trained in
genital modesty, he (or she) may be dressed in his (or her) first garment.
The event is celebrated by a feast”.
Janssen,
D. F., Growing Up Sexually. VolumeI. World Reference Atlas. 0.2 ed. 2004. Berlin:
Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology, Berlin
Last
revised: Sept 2004
|
|