article

Sex relations and gender relations: understanding Kwoma conception

Mankind14 (1) • Published In 1983 • Pages: 13-23

By: Williamson, Margaret Holmes.

Abstract
This article discusses Kwoma conception theory. It shows that the Kwoma regard men and woman as mutually dependent equals, and tht they regard women as the fertile sex that men must capture and keep so as to reproduce their patrilineages. It also shows that the relationship between men and women is analogous to that between Kwoma and a class of bush spirits called sikilwas, the true source of all fertility and well-being.
Subjects
Conception
Pregnancy
Difficult and unusual births
Abortion and infanticide
Extramarital sex relations
Ethnoanatomy
Family relationships
Sexual intercourse
General character of religion
Organized ceremonial
Life and death
Avoidance and taboo
Organized ceremonial
Gender roles and issues
Gender status
Ethnosociology
culture
Kwoma
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem; 2008
Field Date
1972-1974, 1981
Coverage Date
1970-1980
Coverage Place
Peilungua mountain range, northwest of the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Notes
Margaret Holmes Williamson
Includes bibliographical references(p. 22-23)
LCSH
Kwoma (Papua New Guinean people)