TABOO AND GENETICS 129 



Many examples among uncivilized peoples 

 bear out this description of the institution of the 

 men's house. Amongst the Indians of California 

 and in some Redskin tribes the men's club- 

 house may never be entered by a squaw under 

 penalty of death. The Shastika Indians have 

 a town lodge for women, and another for men 

 which the women may not enter. (15). Among 

 the Fijis women are not allowed to enter a bure 

 or club house, which is used as a lounge by the 

 chiefs. In the Solomon Islands women may not 

 enter the men's tanibu house, and on some of 

 the islands are not even permitted to cross the 

 beach in front of it. (29). In the Marquesas 

 Islands the ti where the men congregate and 

 spend most of their time is taboo to women, 

 and protected by the penalty of death from the 

 pollution of a woman's presence. (30). 



Not only is woman barred from the men's 

 club house, but she is also often prohibited from 

 association and social intercourse with the 

 opposite sex by many other regulations and 

 customs. Thus no woman may enter the house 

 of a Maori chief (31), while among the Zulus, 

 even if a man and wife are going to the same 

 place they never walk together. (32). Among 

 the Baganda wives are kept apart from the 

 men's quarters. (21). The Ojibway Indian 

 Peter Jones says of his people : " When travel- 

 ling the men always walk on before. It would be 



K 



