The Blue Disc

by William B. Waits

  “Were other changes made at this time?”

  “Yes. The changes in our marital rules meant that paternity could not always be determined, for example, if a woman had multiple husbands or was in a group marriage.”

  “Why was that a problem?”

  “Jealously was an obvious initial problem, but we’ll deal with that shortly. A more fundamental problem, we discovered, was the descent of property, which went through men, as in England. If our forebears had continued with this patrilineal system, men would, understandably, have been concerned about whether their property was going to their biological children. It had always been difficult to know, with absolute certainty, whether they had fathered each of their wives’ children. To address this problem, our forebears changed the rules so property descended through women.”

  “The society became matrilineal.”

  “Yes, it did, and it fit with the broader societal purpose. They wanted to increase the population without concern for paternity. A matrilineal descent system established a certain path for the transmission of property along biological lines because the mother of the child was always known. Property could transmit smoothly through the maternal line regardless of paternity.”

  “This seems like a fairly drastic change in attitudes.”

  “It took a lot of frank discussion in the early years. For their part, men had some initial reservations but they came around. They realized that, where property was concerned, they no longer had to be concerned about whether their women were bearing another man’s offspring. At least that part of it was a relief. As to the women, some had initial concerns that, after sexual constraints were loosened, their men might be running around on them while they remained faithful at home. In England, they had assumed that men ran around having more sex with women than the reverse; however, they soon figured out the obvious point that women have exactly as much sex with men as men do with women. Neither sex has more intercourse than the other. Stated another way, every time a man has sex with a woman, a woman has sex with a man. It’s exactly even as a matter of arithmetic. Overall, the change made the society freer sexually. Both men and women warmed up, so to speak, to the more liberal attitudes toward sex under the new system.”

  “What effect did these changes have on the status of women?” asked Rick.

  “The changes solidified the high standing of women in our society, which stemmed from their crucial reproductive role. They now owned the usufruct rights to real property and the rights to most personal property, and they had greater sexual freedom.”

  “What about political power? Were men pushed aside?” asked Rick.

  “No one was pushed aside. Although the current Leader is female, men participate fully in the affairs of our society and we have had male leaders. Men play a significant role in their birth families, that is, in the families of their mothers and sisters. Following their marriages, they remain the sons of their mothers and the brothers of their sisters, and members of those families. In some cases, they even manage the property of their birth families. Indeed, they usually have a greater role in managing the property of those families than they do managing the property of the families they marry into, that is, the families of their wives. Stated in other words, a man’s brother-in-law usually has more to say about the property of his wife than he does.”

  “Weren’t some of these changes difficult for people to adjust to?”

  “Yes, particularly in the early years when the rules were new. During that time, our forebears relied on our youths, as they matured, to lead the way as they are generally more accepting of change. Of course, their hormones also helped. Fairly quickly, enough of the society had experienced the new system for themselves and came to appreciate its benefits.”

  “It required loosening the sexual customs that your forebears brought from England.”

  “It opened new sexual possibilities. Remember, though, that the shortage of men in the early village put the whole society under great pressure to reform marital rules. Either change or die, they thought. As it worked out, the new, flexible system worked well and soon enjoyed wide support.”

  “Generally, the society became more liberal sexually as a result?”

  “Yes, compared to where we started. We saw no reason to curtail sexual pleasure as a general principle as the new flexible marriage rules were working well.”

  “What about your young people? Wasn’t there a concern they would get caught up in the liberal atmosphere?”

  “It was a possibility, adolescent sex drives being what they are. Young men and women looking for a cuddle. The village eventually decided that we should provide a place for this exploration so they established a sex hut for youths in a secluded spot just outside the village, so they could get to know one another, as they say.”

  “Weren’t parents opposed?”

  “There was an understandable concern about birth control for the females. The village not only made it available, they made it mandatory for girls under eighteen. This allowed females to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the responsibilities that go along with them. Rubber johnnys for the boys, as well, and they were encouraged to use them. A good use for rubber trees, to be sure.”

  “There were other concerns beyond birth control, weren’t there?”

  “Yes, many additional concerns, so understanding adults work at the hut counseling our young people about sexual matters.”

  “Isn’t there a stigma about going to the hut? Others could know, right?”

  “There are two paths to the hut, one for going there and the other for returning to the village. Dense vegetation in between the paths protects the privacy of those coming and going. Beyond that, there are strict rules against prohibiting anyone from going to the hut, talking about anyone who goes there, or restricting what goes on there. The rule applies even to private criticisms of one’s own children. Simply put, the hut is off limits as a topic so whatever happens there remains a private matter between those in the hut.”

  “I’ve never seen paths going to it,” said Rick.

  “We’ve finished our tea so let’s walk to the beginnings of the paths now,” suggested John. “They’re near the cupola at the northeast corner of the main rectangular pathway, over there to the left of the butts.”

  “Sure.”

  Soon, they were settled into the seats around the outside of the cupola.

  “Here we are. The beginning of the path leading to the hut is right over there and the end of the return path to the village is on the other side of the cupola. The goal is to provide maximum privacy to those who use this facility.”

  “I see. Carefully thought out,” said Rick. “It’s for youths only?”

  “It used to be, but it was so successful that we added an additional hut for adults. As a resident in our village, you are free to go there if you are so inclined. Your privacy will, of course, be respected.”

  “I should visit as a part of my research but I don’t know whether I’ll participate in activities there,” said Rick with a sheepish grin.

  “It’s entirely up to you,” replied John, matter-of-factly.

  “Are the huts just two shelters?”

  “No, they are bigger than the name sounds. There are small rooms around the periphery of both main buildings and additional detached shelters that provide increased privacy. It’s as important to us at the sex hut as it is elsewhere in our society. Anytime you want privacy, display a blue disc and you’ll get it. Lots of wooden pegs to hang them on. When you visit it, you’ll see for yourself.”

  “Did your exposure to neighboring groups influence your attitudes about sexual matters?” asked Rick.

  “Yes, it influenced our forebears’ views regarding sexual behavior and many other matters.”

  “Were neighboring groups liberal about sexual activity?”

  “Some groups were more liberal than we were. To begin with, the natives of the rain forest wore fewer clothes than we deemed proper as Englishmen. The H
edomamo wore nothing, and they continue to wear nothing today. They engage in sex so frequently, their clothes would only get in the way,” he added with a smile.

  “Anything else?”

  “Neighboring groups were generally more tolerant of adolescent sex play than our forebears were used to in England.”

  He paused briefly.

  “However, to our surprise, some groups were more reticent than our forebears on sexual matters. For example, a few groups were positively shocked that Euromamo couldn’t identify cross cousins or parallel cousins, while other groups were shocked that we didn’t prohibit marriage to all relatives on the mother’s side or on the father’s side, as the case might be, no matter how remote. Generally, they had more elaborate marriage rules than we did and regarded us, therefore, as being disgustingly immoral because of the brevity of our rules. We came to understand their point of view, but can you imagine proper Englishmen facing the opinions of rain forest natives that they were loose and profligate about their marriage rules? Quite an adjustment for our forebears,” he said with a chuckle.

  “It must have unsettled them, I would think.”

  “Yes, it did. Much of our experience here has been unsettling, but it has also helped us develop. The experiences that make you grow—that change your thinking—are commonly uncomfortable. Indeed, the most valuable and transformative experiences discomfort you at the deepest levels. That was the case with sex and marriage rules.”

  A young Euromamo boy came by to tell John that he was needed elsewhere. John apologized and excused himself, but, before he left, he invited Rick to return later to continue the discussion if he wished. Over the next several days, Rick thought about what he had learned about marriage and sex.

  Now that I think about it, Euromamo vary in their appearance. Some of them are indistinguishable from the English, but others have bronze skin. They resemble the Primomamo, Nihilamamo, and other rain forest groups that I’ve seen in photographs. They must be products of sex between Euromamo and surrounding groups. What’s the history of these couplings? How frequently do they occur? I know that groups commonly have sex, and even intermarry, with groups around them, but the Euromamo have more mixture than that. What are the rules for these unions? Do they marry? I’ve got to get answers to these questions.

  A few days later, he made another visit to John; however, this time his blue disc was displayed so he left and came back the next day.

  “There’s a lot of variety in how Euromamo look,” Rick began. “Some look English while others look like La Cuerda basin natives. A lot are somewhere in between. What can you tell me about intermarriage between the Euromamo and neighboring groups?”

  “Your observation is correct. We’ve married freely into other groups and vice versa,” replied John with a kind smile. “We continue to do so.”

  “Was it a conscious decision?” asked Rick.

  “Yes. Virtually all our decisions in the rain forest are made after thoughtful reflection. We don’t have the luxury of carelessness.”

  “How did your forebears make the decision to marry into groups around them? Was it difficult?” asked Rick.

  “It was certainly a significant change from when they arrived but, the more they understood their situation, they saw they had little choice. Simply put, they desperately needed to establish relationships with their neighbors because they desperately needed their knowledge of this environment. Obviously, neighboring groups had survived for centuries here. How had they done it? Without our forebears learning what their neighbors knew, they might not have survived.

  “Their first challenge was to eliminate their cultural and racial arrogance. Initially, they thought they were superior, as you might imagine, coming from England. However, even though the English had built Westminster Abby, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Oxford, and Cambridge, they figured out early on that they were not as good as the natives around them in making blowguns, darts, fishing nets, dugout canoes, turtle pens, leather garments, and folk medicines, all things that were needed for survival here.”

  “They had to access the knowledge around them,” John continued. “The constant goal was to learn as much as they could, as quickly as they could, about what neighboring groups knew about the rain forest over generations. They had to steal their knowledge. The problem was that our forebears had fought the groups as they made their way up the La Cuerda, so they weren’t willing to help them. Despite this history, our forebears needed to develop ongoing communication with them, and beyond chance encounters. They needed natives from surrounding groups to live in the village on a permanent basis, not merely as visitors in Euromamo society but as full members, as marriage partners.”

  “So even if the native groups were different…”

  “…Euromamo needed to intermarry with them. Indeed, it was precisely because they were from a different group that they were a source of knowledge.”

  “In those early days, your forebears must have felt terribly lacking in knowledge. Did they ever doubt they could master the ways of the rain forest?”

  “They lacked knowledge, but they were confident they could learn what their neighbors knew about living here. Native groups had learned it and they could learn it, too. They did not accept the proposition that they were less intelligent than their neighbors. It’s just they hadn’t grown up in a place where they learned it…any of it.”

  John lowered his gaze and shook his head.

  “They were horribly inexperienced in this environment. It was awful.”

  “Given the importance of intergroup marriages, did they provide special incentives to people to do so?” asked Rick.

  “They didn’t have to do much. After all, if you just allow young people to get together, some will develop a fancy, the most daring youths at the beginning, and others will follow. Sex, love, and marriage...in whatever order, they happen. All the society had to do was to create a positive cultural environment for the matches.”

  “Weren’t there some in your society who were uncomfortable about this?” asked Rick.

  “To be sure, not everyone at the beginning welcomed outsiders who married into our society, especially as their in-laws. They had to adjust to them over time and they did.”

  “The neighboring groups had to adjust to the marriages as well, didn’t they?”

  “Yes, and for some groups it was very difficult. After all, we were not a very competent society at the beginning so our young people were not regarded as very good matches for their villagers. However, that was not the only problem. Our pale skin unsettled them as it looked sickly. To have our whiteness regarded unfavorably was unexpected, especially given racial attitudes in Europe. Credit goes to the natives of the rain forest for overcoming their reservations and agreeing to marry Euromamo,” John counseled.

  “Over the years, the Euromamo started to look different, didn’t they? I’ve noticed it while walking through the village.”

  “We had to give up the ideal picture, brought from England, of how people should look. Humans simply look the way they do. We’re all parts of the human species moving forward and evolving. We’ve changed in the past and we’ll change in the future, so it’s not critical what color we are at any point in time. Eventually, if we intermarry enough, we’ll look the same, I suppose.”

  Rick waited two weeks before venturing to the sex hut. What occurred is not recounted here as it would violate the privacy principles of the hut.

  CHAPTER 20

  The Hedomamo

  Rick was in his room, making notes in his journals. Usually, when he was working, he hung his privacy disc on the door frame, shielding himself from disturbances. Today, however, he didn’t because he was open to having visitors. It was good that he hadn’t hung it because, midmorning, John stopped by to tell him that, in two days, the Euromamo would visit another neighboring group.

  “What’s the group?”

  “The Hedomamo. You will find them intriguing, I think. They’re fun loving through and throu
gh.”

  “I’d love to go. They’re quite different from the Nihilamamo, I take it.”

  “About as different as one can get. High spirits will abound.”

  “How far do we travel?”

  “About ten miles. It’s to the southwest and not overly difficult. It’s another hike up the valley wall, but that’s true of all our trips except when we use the path by the Bel Ami to go directly south. The climb up the wall will be about the same as it was for the Nihilamamo trip.”

  “Fine. Anything else I need to know?”

  “Just so you aren’t surprised, the Hedomamo live completely nude, no loin cloths or anything.”

  “Both sexes?”

  “Yes, men and women, young and old alike. Not a loin cloth or frock in sight.”

  Rick had gotten used to the fact that rain forest people wore very few clothes, but this would be the first group that wore nothing.

  “Sounds like I may have to open my mind up a bit.”

  “That’s for you to decide,” replied the John with a wry smile.

  Two days later, Rick joined the Euromamo visiting party outside the entertainment center. From the looks of things, the group hadn’t spent much time preparing for the trip, but they were in a good mood. Six young men carried fiber-cloth bags containing corn, yams, and sweet beets to give to their hosts.

  “You don’t seem to be taking as many tools or live plants on this trip as you did to the Nihilamamo,” Rick observed to John, who was standing nearby.

  “Years ago, we used to take more to them, but we take less these days. It’s always been challenging to get them interested in those things.”

  “Lackadaisical, are they?”

  “No, it’s not that. They’ve great energy but it’s directed toward their own pleasure. We include foodstuffs from plants we’ve recently discovered in the hope they’ll ask questions about them.”