Devereux] MOHAVE ETHNOPSYCHIATRY AND SUICIDE 511 



It should be added that apparently only the real kamalo:y ever 

 accepts alcohol from Whites, Negroes, or Chinese, since women know 

 that such offers are to be construed as advanced payments for sexual 

 favors. 



The function of alcohol in the sexual life of the Mohave is, thus, not 

 identical with its function in American society, since the Mohave do 

 not consider sexual relations to be either vile or antisocial and, there- 

 fore, need not "dissolve the superego in alcohol" in order to gratify 

 their sex drive (Devereux, 1950 a) . 



As pointed out elsewhere (Devereux, 1950 a), the main sexual 

 stimulus in Mohave society is opportunity, pure and simple. The 

 role of alcohol in Mohave sexuality fits this pattern perfectly. The 

 possession of a bottle of liquor almost irresistibly tempts a man to 

 invite a woman to go on an alcoholic (and, implicitly, sexual) spree 

 with him. It is, however, important to realize in this context that 

 the woman thus invited need not necessarily be a paramour ; she may 

 actually be the man's own wife. In the latter instance, marital rela- 

 tions are often performed in some strikingly novel or droll manner. 



The Mohave conception of intoxication as one type of sexual oppor- 

 tunity is also exemplified in their treatment of women discovered 

 drunk. Any woman who becomes severely intoxicated knows that her 

 escorts, among whom may be her own husband, or one or more men 

 who happen to find her in that condition, may decide to "take turns 

 on her." Intercourse with intoxicated women is frequently per- 

 formed a tergo, in the prone position (Devereux, 1950 a.) 



Some habitually drmiken women are not deterred, however, by the 

 risk of being serially raped. A pretty Walapai girl, who lived among 

 the ]\Iohave, as well as some other women, continued to drink to excess 

 despite the fact that groups of men had abused them on previous 

 occasions. Incidents of tliis kind are not taken too seriously, and 

 public opinion blames the woman who became drunk, rather than 

 the men who took advantage of her condition. In fact the husband 

 of such a woman flatly declared : "I don't mind it ! She had it coming 

 to her !" (Devereux, 1950 a) . 



This — to us paradoxical — reaction of the husband stands in need 

 of some comment. Wliile few Mohave are indulgent enough to let 

 others cohabit with their wives, it is generally felt that drunkenness 

 mitigates the offense of adultery. For example, the drunken husband 

 of an intoxicated woman, who joined his friends in cohabiting with 

 her serially, objected only when his companions also attempted to have 

 anal connections with her. At that point he rescued her and the two 

 spouses staggered home hand in hand (Devereux, 1950 a). 



A serially raped woman has no recourse, since "she knew what 

 would happen to her if she got drunk." Thus, the Mohave made it 



