Marriage rules and the structure of relationships between groups in New Guinea societies
Abstract
Marriage rules and the structure of relationships between groups in New Guinea societies SAGE Publications, Inc.1975DOI: 10.1177/053901847501400506 Abraham Rosman Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY Paula G. Rubel Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY The marriage practices of New Guinea societies have been seen as almost infinite in their variety. In actual fact, as we shall demonstrate in this paper, a consideration of a sample of New Guinea societies reveals several basic patterns of marriage structure. Further, these patterns represent a series of transformations. The diagnostic variables to be used in our analysis will be introduced in the context of our discussion of Banaro society. It is interesting to note that the comparative literature on New Guinea societies rarely if ever, includes consideration of the study of the Banaro by Richard Thurnwald. This perhaps may be because it is so difficult to make analytic sense of what are seen to be exotic marital and sexual customs. It is not out of perversity that we begin our discussion with the Banaro, but because in the following analysis they represent the basic structure from which other forms will be derived. Among the Banaro, each hamlet consists of two