Incest, effigy hanging, and biculturation in a West Indian village

Incest, effigy hanging, and biculturation in a West Indian village

A mock trial followed by the hanging of effigies of the participants in incestuous mating is a ritualized means of punishing sexual deviance in the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Equally important, the combination of society‐wide norms and institutions with rural, lower‐class values and customs is a striking example of biculturation. In particular, hangings are an example of the creative response of the island lower class to their exclusion from participation in mainstream institutions. The adaptive significance of this response may be seen by examining the various beliefs and values expressed in hangings concerning slander, family life, gossip, speech performance, prestige, sexuality, and societal institutions.

Anthropology