women and men in the Enga tee

Abstract

This paper explores the power and influence of women in the tee exchange of the Tombema Enga of the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Intersexual relations in the Highlands have generally been described as frought with anxiety and conflict. Similarly, women's position has been defined as low and inferior to that of men. This paper takes the view that rather than trying to sum up the position of women, it is more sensible to describe male‐female relations in a variety of separate social domains, free from the more ideological statements that men make of women in situational vacuums. By so doing we may find that women exercise considerable power. As male‐female relations are viewed in the context of the tee exchange, a picture emerges in which women are essential participants, making key political decisions, allotting pigs, and in all ways, shaping the exchange partnerships and relations of men whom they link. These conclusions raise questions as to the nature of the tee and what it does in Enga society.

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