Being a patriarchal
society, the lineage of an individual is traced through the father’s side of
the family. There is a separation between men and women giving each gender a
role to live their life by. Men are the dominant figures, making executive decisions,
hunting for food, and practicing the special knowledge passed down by
ancestors. In contrast from a young age women are taught to care for the household,
gather food, and take care of the children. Women marry as soon as their first menstruation
and are seen as adults from that point forward. Young males leave to live with elder men when
they are 15, to learn lessons about heath, the cosmos, and the spirit world. After
these lessons are provided by the elder’s young men must pay a dowry before
marrying leading to an age difference between spouses.
Papua Heritage
Foundation. “Life up in a Korowai tree house.” info@papuaheritage.org. Accessed November
4, 2013
My Reflection: the article I read informed me about the gender roles within the Korowai society. As with many hunter gatherer cultures they are Patriarchal, making a separation between male and female. This separation leads to differing roles for each gender, such as the men hunting while the women take care of domestic issues.
ReplyDeleteWe talked about the public roles of males give them more prestige and increase gender stratification. You might want to mention some of that too, if you think it applies. Delete this comment after you read it please. Thanks.
ReplyDelete