ABSTRACT
In Ndumba many women are assertive, undoubtedly exercise influence over particular men, and occupy some prestigious positions, for example, as curers. Men of all Ndumba hamlets and clans take part, and the structure of role allocations is not simply a function of kinship, residence, or any other single social relationship. Because of the demographic factors, only one Ndumba girl reached menarche during our fieldwork, and the following description is based primarily on our observations at that time. Ndumba genealogical data indicate that pollution by women is frequently cited as a cause of male deaths. In most cases, the exact identity of the offender is not determined, so suspicion falls on several women, all of whom deny their culpability. Thus, women's cooperation in the 'ummanra ceremony and the nature of the kwaasi ceremony both establish sexual opposition and its derivatives in Ndumba as something more than an androcentric obsession: they emerge as basic tenets of Ndumba culture.
