Man and Woman: A Study of Human Secondary Sexual Characters

effort, the women are usually much better able than the 1 James Macdonald, "East Central African Customs," Journal Anthropological Institute^ August 1892, p. 102. And for another picture of the sexual division of labour among a primitive people see Prof. H addon's interesting paper on the " Ethnography of the Western Tribes of Torres Straits," in the Journal Anthropological Institute^ February 1890, p. 342. " The men fished, fought, built houses, did a little gardening, made fish-lines, fish-hooks, spears, and other implements, constructed dance-masks, head-dresses, and all the paraphernalia for the various ceremonies and dances. They performed all the rites and dances, and in addition did a good deal of strutting up and down, loafing, and 'yarning.' The women cooked and prepared the food, did most of the gardening, collected shell-fish and speared fish on the reefs, made petticoats, baskets, and mats." Google 4 MAN AND WOMAN. men to undergo prolonged and more passive exertion, and they are the universal primitive carriers. Thus, among the Andombies on the Congo, according to Mr. H. H. Johnstone, the women, though working very hard as carriers, and as labourers in general, lead an entirely happy existence; they are often stronger than the men and more finely developed, some of them, he tells us, having really splendid figures. And Parke, speaking of the Manyuema of the Arruwimi in the same region, says that they are fine animals, and the women very handsome; " they carry loads as heavy as those of the men, and do it quite as well." 1 In North America, again, an Indian chief said to Hearne, " Women were made for labour ; one of them can carry, or haul, as much as two men can do.…