caa a22 4500 469051361 CHVBK 20180323132831.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e19920601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/BF02692249 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/BF02692249 Strassmann Beverly Reproductive Sciences Program, University of Michigan, 300 N. Ingalls Bldg., 11th Floor, 48109-0404, Ann Arbor, MI aut The function of menstrual taboos among the dogon [Elektronische Daten] Defense against Cuckoldry? [Beverly Strassmann] Menstrual taboos are nearly ubiquitous and assume parallel forms in geographically distant populations, yet their function has baffled researchers for decades. This paper proposes that menstrual taboos are anticuckoldry tactics. By signaling menstruation, they may advertise female reproductive status to husbands, affines, and other observers. Females may therefore have difficulty in obfuscating the timing of the onset of pregnancy. This may have three consequences: (a) males are better able to assess their probabilities of paternity and to direct their parental investment toward genetic offspring; (b) adulterous pregnancies are more easily detected and penalized, enhancing sexual fidelity; and (c) males avoid marrying pregnant females by relying on menstruation as evidence of nonpregnancy. This hypothesis is tested with 29 months of field data on menstrual taboos among the Dogon of Mali. Key results include the following: (a) cuckoldry is a major Dogon concern, (b) menstrual huts advertise female reproductive status, (c) husbands impose the taboos upon their wives, (d) female defiance of the taboos is undetectable and probably rare, and (e) informants think that the taboos help husbands and patrilineages to avoid cuckoldry. Thus the anti-cuckoldry hypothesis provides helpful insight into the menstrual taboos of the Dogon and should be tested among other populations. Walter de Gruyter, Inc, 1992 Menstrual taboo nationallicence Cuckoldry nationallicence Confidence of paternity nationallicence Mate guarding nationallicence Paternity assurance nationallicence Menstruation nationallicence Dogon nationallicence Human Nature Springer-Verlag 3/2(1992-06-01), 89-131 1045-6767 3:2<89 1992 3 12110 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692249 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692249 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Strassmann Beverly Reproductive Sciences Program, University of Michigan, 300 N. Ingalls Bldg., 11th Floor, 48109-0404, Ann Arbor, MI aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Human Nature Springer-Verlag 3/2(1992-06-01), 89-131 1045-6767 3:2<89 1992 3 12110 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer