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menstruation taboos and customs |
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(17) ayilong - menstruation nau-bau-bu - abortion |
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Women do all work during menstruation. They may put on a bigger cloth such as put on during pregnancy. For five days intercourse is genna. |
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Nau-bau-bu "child-going time". When abortion happens after only two or three months of pregnancy only the women know about it, but when it happens later the whole village holds a very strict genna. Only the most urgent work in the house (18) is allowed, - only women past child bearing age fetch wood and water. All field work and hunting is forbidden. The normal birth of a child causes no genna for the village. To procure abortion intentionally is considered very genna, and is said to cause sterility. It apparently happens, but rarely. After delivery intercourse does usually not take place for about four or five months. Chingai and the Hungphoi men say that no blood flows at defloration, my suggestion that it does causes unending (19) hilarity. |
