a weekend with the chief

I just spent this past weekend at the house of the chief. This chief's village was a fw miles outsideDschang, and has a population of about 300,000 people. A chief from a village this size can have up to fifty wives, but this cheif explained to methat he prefers to keep his family small so he can provide healthcare and education for everyone.

I was able to hang out with four of the five wives. For the fourth wife, polygamy seemed to be the ultimate feminist lifestyle. Thanks to the other wives, she told me,she is able to take time off housework when she is sick. She also can pursue a career in nursing without worrying about who is taking care of her children. Other wives also seemed pretty happy with their lives, though all of them told me that, naturally, conflicts arise when everyone is splitting housework and time in the fields. Of course, my stay at the chief's was only long enough to get a superficial feel for family dynamics. I'm sure there would b much more to discover.

Two of the wives took me with them to two funerals on Saturday. Both events took place in courtyards of large houses, each of them packed with people and decorated with bright colors. At first, each time, I felt supprised that someone had died. I guess I'm probably used to the sevices in the states that are so somber from the beginning. But then then ceremonies started. All the women gathered in the middle of the courtyard and began to wail, chant, and hold eachother. It was really quite moving. I stayed on the periphery at the first ceremony, but the second time someone took my hand and led me in. I did my best to do as the others were doing, and hopefully, didn't look like too much of an idiotic foreigner.

Alright, I've got to run to lunch. Thanks for leaving comments! If you have any questions, please post, and I'll do my best to answer! I apologize for the grammer errors-- this keyboard is quite temperamental!!