ABSTRACT
This chapter examines male reproductive patterns among the Ache as far as they can be illuminated by taking informant reports of paternity and possible paternity at face value. Male fertility is poorly studied relative to female fertility for a variety of reasons, which are almost all ultimately derived from the fact that paternity is difficult to assess in many sexually reproducing organisms, including humans. An analysis of age-specific fertility rates provides more details on the male fertility pattern for the forest-dwelling Ache. The age-specific fertility curve suggests that male fertility in the forest peaks around forty years of age. The data suggest higher fertility early in the reproductive lifespan and much lower fertility after age thirty-five on the reservations than was reported during the forest period. The total fertility rate for men has also declined since contact despite the fact that fertility has increased for Northern Ache women.
