Lakota=>Siouan polyandry inquiry

Mark J Awakuni-Swetland mawakuni-swetland2 at unlnotes.unl.edu
Fri Sep 23 13:01:14 UTC 2011


Aloha Mary,
Thanks for the 'fertility expedient' idea.
Walker does not provide a Lakota expression in the surrounding text.
He does not expand on the term "buried man" either.
Mark



Mary C Marino <mary.marino at USASK.CA> 
Sent by: Siouan Linguistics <SIOUAN at listserv.unl.edu>
09/22/11 10:28 PM
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Re: Lakota=>Siouan polyandry inquiry






Hello Mark

I have never heard of this before regarding either the Lakota or the 
Dakota, and I think this is a questionable use of the term 'polyandry'. It 
sounds more like an expedient to address infertility in a marriage 
otherwise satisfactory to the husband and wife.  Does Walker further 
describe this concept of the 'buried man'?  Does he give a Lakota 
expression? 

Mary


On 22/09/2011 8:13 AM, Mark J Awakuni-Swetland wrote: 
Aloha All, 
My Anthropology Department Chair Ray Hames brought me a copy of James 
Walker's LAKOTA SOCIETY with an inquiry. 

He and a student are preparing a journal article describing polyandry (a 
woman having more than one husband). 

They are finding accounts of this practice in groups outside of the 
regularly cited groups known to use this strategy. 

In the Walker case, there is no reference or citation as to the source of 
his statement regarding polyandry among the Lakota. 

I have included the paragraph that mentions polyandry from page 55 of 
Walker's book for your reference. 

Ray Hames also inquired as to the meaning of the second husband being 
considered "buried" 

Does anyone know of this practice among the Lakota or other Siouan groups? 


I am not aware of it among the Omaha. 

I would presume that if such a practice existed there would be a term for 
that names this arrangement, the second husband, terms of relations, etc. 

Thanks 
Mark 




Mark Awakuni-Swetland, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology & Ethnic Studies 
Native American Studies Program Liaison
University of Nebraska
Department of Anthropology
841 Oldfather Hall 
Lincoln, NE 68588-0368

http://omahalanguage.unl.edu
http://omahaponca.unl.edu
Phone 402-472-3455
FAX: 402-472-9642 

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