A High Incidence of Suicide in a Preliterate-Primitive Society

A 1966 survey of the Kandrian District, New Guinea, showed a suicide rate double that of some Western countries. Although similar to other New Guinea societies, Kandrians differ in the strength of the suicide option where an interpersonal relationship has been disrupted. The suicide taboo either fails or is actively reversed. This may be due to social fragmentation caused by the prolonged conflict of warring groups & the high social value placed upon the preservation of interpersonal ties.