Last Customs and Rites of the Tà Ôi Related to the Ages of Life

Abstract

In the A Lưới Valley (Thừa Thiên Huế Province), the Tà Ôi ethnic people are mainly concentrated in five communes: A Ngo, Hồng Hạ, Nhâm, A Đớt, and A Roàng. Some traditional habits in Tà Ôi life, especially ceremonies, place heavy burdens upon family's shoulders because of taboos and the many expenses they cause. As a whole, these constraints lead to the dependence of women and compel them into many ceremonial obligations. This article outlines cultural habits around pregnancy, delivery, and childcare, all arenas in which women are highly judged and policed in every culture. Among the Tà Ôi restrictions around these activities are even more strict because the bride joins the groom's family and not vice-versa, causing even more gender expectation dissymmetry. Were we to look at the cultural obligations of hunter-gatherers, we would behold a very different landscape, just as we would if we were examining a matriarchal society.