How the Introduction of Menstrual Equipment Has Transformed Views of Bodily "Pollution"

DOI Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 生理用品の受容によるケガレ観の変容
  • 生理用品の受容によるケガレ観の変容 : パプアニューギニア・アベラム社会における月経処置法の変遷から
  • セイリ ヨウヒン ノ ジュヨウ ニ ヨル ケガレカン ノ ヘンヨウ : パプアニューギニア ・ アベラム シャカイ ニ オケル ゲッケイ ショチホウ ノ ヘンセン カラ
  • パプアニューギニア・アベラム社会における月経処置法の変遷から
  • Changes in Menstruation Practices among the Abelam People of Papua New Guinea

Search this article

Abstract

<p>In this paper, the author explores how views of pollution are transformed by the introduction of equipment from outside, focusing on women's attitudes toward menstruation and the intergenerational differences in those attitudes. It presents ethnographical data highlighting how successive developments in the menstrual equipment of the Abelam people in Papua New Guinea （PNG） have impacted the ways in which menstruating women experience body sensations and spend time during their periods. In this analysis, the author identifies menstrual equipment as a "buffer" between a woman's body and the external social environment, and explores how the boundary between those two domains has changed, and how it has impacted attitudes.</p> <p>The traditional Abelam practice during menstruation involved secluding the woman in an earthen menstrual hut, where she would sit on the spathe （the large, leaflike bract enclosing a flower cluster） of a palmae plant wearing nothing on her lower body. After the influx of cloth from the time of colonization onward, cloth started to be used for the menstrual hygiene practice. Eventually, there was an influx of underwear, leading to the menstrual practice of inserting cloth into the underwear. Nowadays, sanitary napkins, or pads, are increasingly used for that purpose. This analysis explores the impact of each successive development.</p> <p>While in the menstrual huts, menstruating women used to not only be confined there, but also had their own exclusive spaces in the surrounding forests and gullies. Though the women would sit directly on palmae spathes, naked below the waist, they experienced little discomfort and shame compared to later generations. For such women, the key menstrual "equipment" was not so much the spathes themselves as it was the space in the earthen menstrual hut, forest, or gully. Entering the menstrual huts meant that their menstruation would be known to other members of the community. Seen as threats to crop cultivation, menstruating women were excluded from farming and cooking.</p> <p>(View PDF for the rest of the abstract.)</p>

Journal

Related Projects

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top