What is the "Bashaleni house" in many Kalash villages in Pakistan used for?

Really ?? Well I guess they did get a week off from waiting on everyone else.

Yana, Couldn't agree more. I never felt much like being around men or kids at that time of the month anyway. At least the other women understood the pain.

A time when women should be catered to and instead they are forced to sequester themselves. Ignorant people.

So, good they fought off being forced to join a controlling religion, but not so good that menstruation and childbirth is impure, what nonsense! Maybe men need ritual purification after each time they pleasure themselves, Surely that is more impure than giving birth!

It was apparently the ancient Jewish practice too. There is a nice book on these traditions, called Red Tent. It is a retelling, basically, of the tale of Jacob and his only daughter.

Talaith, Amen to that, sister !!!

asya, excellent book. It's apparent that men have always feared women's menstruation. They don't understand it, so it's "unclean" or something. Sadly, this nonsense lives on in misogynistic men today. :-/

asya, That’s a great book.