Marriage And Sexuality: Dobe Ju/Hoansi

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Marriage and Sexuality
Marriage is a ritually recognized union in our society and in some cases a legal contract between spouses. The ultimate definition of marriage defers according to culture but principally it is a universal institution that consists of a bilateral decent system. According to the Webster’s dictionary, sexuality is an organism’s preparedness for engaging in sexual activity in other words, a human’s readiness to begin having sex or exploring sex. The nature of marriage and sexuality has had a solid influence on different cultures round the world even from pre-historic times. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the nature, taboos, requirements and social impact of marriage and sexuality within the Dobe Ju/’hoansi and the …show more content…

According to the Dobe Ju/’hoansi book by Richard Lee, “all first marriages are arranged by the parents and may involve a decade or more of gift exchange before the children are actually wed” and there is no big ceremony associated with marriage. Traditionally, the search for a partner in this tribe begins at birth based on kinship and name taboos. Their strict naming rule has a heavy impact on marriage and it reinforces exogamous marriages. Polygamy, polyandry and extra-marital affairs are not frowned upon but in some cases results in fights and homicides. When the Ju/’hoansi men marry multiple wives, the other wives are usually widows, reason is because the older women take up the role of grandmothers or nannies. The men who mostly practice polygyny are the healers of the tribe. Sex among this tribe has very little privacy and begins at a young age of 7-9. They had a natural and self-conscious attitude towards sex and their usual goal of intercourse is orgasm for both …show more content…

The woman just moves into her lover’s house and in the morning, the couple sit in front of their house and wait for the woman’s mother to bring them cooked yams, the married couple can eat together for a year and after that can go back to eating separately and she can also leave her husband if she is unhappy with him. Eating together is a sign that the marriage is accepted or recognized. However, unlike the Ju/’hoansi marriage is not arranged by their parents. The way sexuality is portrayed among the Trobrianders is quite different, the boys adorn themselves with baby powder and coconut oil, and the men give gifts of betel nuts and tobacco. When the kids of the tribe become adolescents they live in separate houses where they can explore they sexuality and potentially get married. When Trobriand couples are interested in getting married, they spend time, live together and also have intercourse together. The parents of the girl accept her future husband once she starts to accept gifts from the

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