DOI Artikel:
Marecek, Thomas M.: Shifting cultivation among the Duna of Papua New Guinea
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49000#0093
SHIFTING CULTIVATION
87
spent in the gardens and orchards, and men
contribute only forty per cent (Clarke 1971).
According to Ralph Bulmer, Kyaka Enga
women spend 2-3 hours per day in the gardens
and men no more than an hour (Bulmer 1962,
77-9). Women in another Enga group,
Raiapu, spend about 57 per cent of their time
in the cultivation of subsistence foods, while
men spend only about 3 5 per cent of their time
in such tasks (Waddell 1972, 104-5).
Besides spending about twice the amount of
time in the gardens that men do, women also
seem to expend about twice as much energy in
the gardens.5 Unfortunately, tests of energy
expenditure for the Duna could not be con-
ducted and none are available. Such tests,
however, having been conducted among two
other highlands peoples, the Tsembaga Mat-
ing and Chimbu, can be used in a general way
to estimate how much energy each sex ex-
pends in the gardens.
Roy Rappaport’s statistics show that Tsem-
baga Maring women expend approximately
159,970 kilocalories and men approximately
49,97° kilocalories in the cultivation of a
one-acre sweet potato garden (Rappaport
1968, 52). Thus, women expend more than
three times as much energy in the cultivation
of sweet potatoes than men. The Tsembaga
division of labor closely resembles that of the
Duna (1968, 43), except that the Tsembaga
initially weed a garden area on three, named
occasions, each of which requires an expendi-
ture by women of 30,056 kilocalories. The
Duna initially weed an area only once. If the
Tsembaga figures are hypothetically applied
to the Duna, female energy expenditure is
reduced by 60,112 kilocalories and the total
female expenditure is reduced to 99,858
kilocalories, or, to about twice that of men (In
comparing the Duna to the Tsembaga and
Chimbu exact figures are used, but only to
show how my general conclusions were
derived).
Hipsley and Kirk conducted detaded tests
on energy expenditure among the Chimbu.
Their data show that the eleven women in
their sample who worked in gardens in their
regular chores expended approximately 84 per
cent of their available calories (i.e., those
calories above the metabolic requirement) on
gardening-related activities. Their data on
Chimbu men is less exact but no less revealing.
The purpose of the tests was to determine how
much energy men expended in their regular,
Fig. 13. Planting sweet potatoes in the ground
without building a mound (Sep., 1975).
Das Pflanzen von Siihkartoffeln in die Erde ohne
Errichtung eines Erdwalls (September 1975).
day-to-day tasks. It is significant, therefore,
that only two of the five men in the sample
apparently participated directly in the cultiva-
tion of sweet potatoes. The other three men
were busy at other tasks, indicating that nor-
mally Chimbu men do not work in the gar-
dens. The authors note that men generally
show a lack of commitment to gardening tasks
and they do not appear to be as tied down to
gardening chores as women. Thus, while it is
not shown statistically, it is obvious that
87
spent in the gardens and orchards, and men
contribute only forty per cent (Clarke 1971).
According to Ralph Bulmer, Kyaka Enga
women spend 2-3 hours per day in the gardens
and men no more than an hour (Bulmer 1962,
77-9). Women in another Enga group,
Raiapu, spend about 57 per cent of their time
in the cultivation of subsistence foods, while
men spend only about 3 5 per cent of their time
in such tasks (Waddell 1972, 104-5).
Besides spending about twice the amount of
time in the gardens that men do, women also
seem to expend about twice as much energy in
the gardens.5 Unfortunately, tests of energy
expenditure for the Duna could not be con-
ducted and none are available. Such tests,
however, having been conducted among two
other highlands peoples, the Tsembaga Mat-
ing and Chimbu, can be used in a general way
to estimate how much energy each sex ex-
pends in the gardens.
Roy Rappaport’s statistics show that Tsem-
baga Maring women expend approximately
159,970 kilocalories and men approximately
49,97° kilocalories in the cultivation of a
one-acre sweet potato garden (Rappaport
1968, 52). Thus, women expend more than
three times as much energy in the cultivation
of sweet potatoes than men. The Tsembaga
division of labor closely resembles that of the
Duna (1968, 43), except that the Tsembaga
initially weed a garden area on three, named
occasions, each of which requires an expendi-
ture by women of 30,056 kilocalories. The
Duna initially weed an area only once. If the
Tsembaga figures are hypothetically applied
to the Duna, female energy expenditure is
reduced by 60,112 kilocalories and the total
female expenditure is reduced to 99,858
kilocalories, or, to about twice that of men (In
comparing the Duna to the Tsembaga and
Chimbu exact figures are used, but only to
show how my general conclusions were
derived).
Hipsley and Kirk conducted detaded tests
on energy expenditure among the Chimbu.
Their data show that the eleven women in
their sample who worked in gardens in their
regular chores expended approximately 84 per
cent of their available calories (i.e., those
calories above the metabolic requirement) on
gardening-related activities. Their data on
Chimbu men is less exact but no less revealing.
The purpose of the tests was to determine how
much energy men expended in their regular,
Fig. 13. Planting sweet potatoes in the ground
without building a mound (Sep., 1975).
Das Pflanzen von Siihkartoffeln in die Erde ohne
Errichtung eines Erdwalls (September 1975).
day-to-day tasks. It is significant, therefore,
that only two of the five men in the sample
apparently participated directly in the cultiva-
tion of sweet potatoes. The other three men
were busy at other tasks, indicating that nor-
mally Chimbu men do not work in the gar-
dens. The authors note that men generally
show a lack of commitment to gardening tasks
and they do not appear to be as tied down to
gardening chores as women. Thus, while it is
not shown statistically, it is obvious that