Abelam yam beliefs and sociorhythmicity

A study in chronoanthropology

Datos Bibliográficos

ID24076433
AutoresRichard Scaglion (University of Pittsburgh), Richard G Condon (University of Pittsburgh)
Año1979
Volumen11
Número1
Páginas17-25
Fecha de publicación1979-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Biosocial Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0021-9320 • E-ISSN: 1469-7599
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0021932000012013
PMID422593
OpenAlexW1985687536
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas16

The Western Abelam of Papua New Guinea display an annual cycle of social conflicts and births which is a function of a system of ritual beliefs involved in the growing of ceremonial yams. This sociorhythmic ritual complex involves adherence to various taboos which encourage a 6-month period in which social conflict is avoided and sexual activity is markedly curtailed. Conflict case studies and demographic data collected from one village over a 15-month period indicate significant seasonal variation in various areas of Abelam social life and suggest that sociorhythmic phenomena can affect both social behaviour and demographic patterns of human groups. Alternative environmental and nutritional hypotheses are also investigated.

Affect (linguistics) · Ethnology · Geography · New guinea · Period (music) · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Demography · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Psychology