Women and the ancestors
Book 1983 Kerns, Virginia

GarifunaMiddle America and the Caribbean > Central America
This work is a study of the position of women (i.e., 'mature' women) in Garifuna society in particular reference to their central role in households, extended families, and in the management and preservation of the ceremonial components of their cult...

Sexuality and social control among the Garifuna (Belize)
essay 1985 Kerns, Virginia

GarifunaMiddle America and the Caribbean > Central America
In this article, Kerns examines how middle-aged women, who are past their childbearing years, control the sexual behavior of young women by enforcing 'rules' around the reproductive cycle. Although women are free to engage in premarital sex and do no...

Past and present evidence of interethnic mating
article 1984 Kerns, Virginia

GarifunaMiddle America and the Caribbean > Central America
Nineteenth century travelers and twentieth century ethnographers have characterized the Black Caribs as an endogamous population. In this article, Kerns questions those observations and examines the evidence for interethnic mating found in past censu...