Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Northern Samar

Subject : Soc Sci 801 Cultural Anthropology

Synthesis : HOW MANY FATHERS ARE BEST FOR A CHILD
Student : Rosalvie P. Dante, Med-SS 1
Instructor : Liana Melissa E. Dela Rosa

HOW MANY FATHERS ARE BEST FOR A CHILD?

This article is about the culture of Bari Indians in Venezuela which have
discovered a new twist on family values and human coupling. It had been said that if
biological fatherhood can be shared--an idea accepted by many indigenous groups
across South America and in many other cultures across the globe--then the nuclear
family with one mom and one dad might not be the established blueprint for a family that
we have been led to expect. If so, the familiar story of traditional human mating
behavior, in which man the hunter brings home the bacon to his faithful wife, loses
credibility. And if the Barí and other groups work perfectly well with more flexible family
styles, the variety of family structures that are increasingly common in Western culture
these days--everything from single-parent households to blended families--may not be
as dangerous to the social fabric as we are led to believe.
The Barí believe that the first act of sex, which should always be between a
husband and wife, plants the seed. In the Barí system, when a man is named as a
secondary biological father he is also placed under an obligation to the mother and the
child. In addition, he is expected to give gifts of fish and game. These gifts are a
significant burden because the man must also provide for his own family. However, the
Barí believe that the benefits of having multiple fathers outweigh the costs. It creates a
network of support for the child and strengthens the bonds between families. Moreover,
the biological father is not exempt from his responsibilities. He is still expected to
provide for his child, but he shares this responsibility with other men. This unique
system of family values challenges the traditional nuclear family model and highlights
the flexibility and adaptability of human mating behavior across cultures. Instead of
being seen as a threat, non-traditional family structures may be viewed as a natural and
longstanding part of human society.