Admittedly, I was fascinated by the story of Nisa, most particularly the description of the relationships between adults within the tribes. In my previous ideas about early man, I had always assumed, and perhaps to my detriment, that "married" couples, or at least the women in a marriage, were faithful to their spouses. I had developed this opinion based on the notion of the importance of lineage. Even today, paternity is of relevance in our society. I assumed this would arguably be more so due to the trials of early man in raising a child and protecting the continuation of their gene pool.
However, after reading Nisa's story, I'm surprised to read that "married" couples, in particular the women, were having affairs. While I knew the prehistoric man was not a monogamous society, but once marriage ceremonies became part of ritual and culture, I did not think infidelity would be a part of culture anymore. According to Nisa's story though, my assumptions were without basis. Yet, the problems I foresaw with incorporating affairs into a strongly monogamous society were evident, as Nisa's story describes deadly battles between scorned lovers or spouses.
Ultimately, this story makes me wonder about the value of monogamy to mankind. If even our ancestors in early times could not commit to monogamy, when times were much simpler in many respects, how can there be hope for modern man?
No comments:
Post a Comment