Wayward Women: Sexuality and Agency in a New Guinea Society

297 Pages·2006·1.41 MB·English

by  Holly Wardlow

Wayward Women

Wayward Women
Sexuality and Agency in a
New Guinea Society
Holly Wardlow
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley / Los Angeles / London
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2006 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wardlow, Holly.
Wayward women: sexuality and agency in a New Guinea society / Holly
Wardlow.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0–520-24559-8 (alk. paper).—isbn0–520-24560-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Women, Huli—Papua New Guinea—Tari District—Sexual Behavior.
2. Women, Huli—Papua New Guinea—Tari District—Social conditions.
3. Women, Huli—Papua New Guinea—Tari District—Economic condi-
tions. 4. Bride price—Papua New Guinea—Tari District. 5. Courtship—
Papua New Guinea—Tari District. 6. Tari District (Papua New Guinea)—
Social conditions. 7. Tari District (Papua New Guinea)—Economic con-
ditions. I. Title.
du740.42.w354 2006
305.409956'1—dc22 2005028155
Manufactured in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on New Leaf EcoBook 60, containing 60% post-
consumer waste, processed chlorine free; 30% de-inked recycled fiber, ele-
mental chlorine free; and 10% FSC-certified virgin fiber, totally chlorine
free. EcoBook 60 is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/astm d5634–01 (Permanence of Paper).
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. “Tari is a jelasplace”: The Fieldwork Setting 30
2. “To finish my anger”: Body and Agency among Huli Women 63
3. “I am not the daughter of a pig!”: The Changing Dynamics
of Bridewealth 99
4. “You, I don’t even count you”: Becoming aPasinja Meri 134
5. “Eating her own vagina”: Passenger Women and Sexuality 166
6. “When the pig and the bamboo knife are ready”:
The Huli Dawe Anda 191
Conclusion 221
Notes 239
References 255
Index 273

Illustrations
Maps
1. Papua New Guinea 37
2. Southern Highlands Province 38
Figures
All photos were taken by the author.
1. Young woman inside fence 13
2. Tari airstrip 32
3. Line of dartboards 33
4. Power pylon 44
5. Huli trench 52
6. Rural house 65
7. Women carrying heavy loads 68
8. Woman with lopped off fingertip 79
9. Playing snooker 83
10. Waiting for court to begin 88
11. Bridewealth pigs 112
12. Men prepared for battle 135
13. Men outside a trade store 169
14. Boy having face painted by his mother’s brother 179
15. Woman inside the anda 226
vii
viii ILLUSTRATIONS
Tables
Population pyramid showing migration patterns 60
Injury cases at Tari Hospital 87
Acknowledgments
Many people provided help and support during my fieldwork in Papua
New Guinea and during the writing of this book. In Tari, Mary Michael
was a particularly good friend—funny, insightful, loyal, and affectionate.
Jacinta Haiyabe and other women at the Tari District Women’s Associa-
tion—Janet Magabe, Betty Tom, Alison, and Regina—were also good
friends and helpful informants. The Tari Hospital staff, and especially
Pauline Agilo, were consistently obliging. Thanks also to Peter Ekopia
and his wife Margaret, to James Samkul and his family, to Maria Kati, and
to Jenny Yaliya for their help with this project.
I had a number of field assistants along the way, but Henry Hariki Pa-
gana was the most perspicacious and steadfast, and made the transcrip-
tion, translation, and analysis of village court cases particularly fun since
he also was driven to understand the aims, strategies, and rhetorical
artistry of the various actors. I learned recently that his older brother, Ato
Louis Pagana, died. For a brief period of time near the end of my field-
work Ato hosted me and helped me to interview men who attended dawe
anda. At that time I wished that I had met him far earlier since he was
such an intelligent and thoughtful man. I am terribly sorry about his
death. My condolences also to the family of Nancy Tapili, who also
briefly worked as my field assistant. Special thanks go to the Papua New
Guinea Institute of Medical Research and especially Michael Alpers,
Deborah Lehman, Carol Jenkins, Travis Jenkins, John Vail, James
Marabe, and all of the staff of what was then the Tari Research Unit.
Travis Jenkins patiently helped me take still photographs of the video
ix