Re: culture as gene-flow regulator: the arunta

Gerold Firl (geroldf@sdd.hp.com)
3 Oct 1996 20:03:00 GMT

In article <56cUyUjRQoZP092yn@netcom.com>, skoper@netcom.com (Stan Koper) writes:
|> I guess I must have missed most of this thread, but when Mervyn
|> Meggitt was lecturing in the 60's at the University of Michigan,
|> he stated quite clearly that subincision does not involve cutting
|> the urethra.

Interesting. I wish I knew my source for the the mechanics of
subincision, but this was nearly 20 years ago. As I recall, the urethra
was cut along its length, and prevented from healing shut again.

Any idea how widespread the practice of subincision was in australia?

|> The thing of it is, they were still doing it when he did his
|> field work, because all of the ladies asked his wife how she
|> could possibly have any fun having sexual intercourse with a guy
|> who *didn't* have his penis subincised.

Yes; apparently aborigine women viewed subincision as being very
desirable. The description I read implied that intercourse with a
flattened, subincised penis was simply more physically pleasurable, but
I would have to suspect that there were also cultural constructs
involved.

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