Fighting back is not the way: suicide and the women of Kaliai

A case study of the suicide of a young Kaliai girl in northwest New Britain, Papua New Guinea introduces a discussion of suicide as an expression of power by otherwise powerless people, and a consideration of the validity of using the legal terms suicide and homicide in a cross-cultural context. Data on different forms of self-killing practiced by Kaliai women support the argument that these terms are inadequate and inappropriate when applied to people who do not share European legal and cultural traditions. [suicide, women, political behavior, comparative legal systems, Melanesia]