Mothers know best: Constructing meaning in a narrative event

This paper treats a female storytelling-round which preceded a family wedding. As is typically the case, the topic teras improper gender relation, with wider implications about gender categories and social boundaries transmitted from mothers to daughters. Beginning with a description of the event as seen by a member of the group, the paper progresses to an analysis from a performance perspective treating patterns of participation, genres, and meaning within the specific cultural context. My involvement in the production of the verbal interaction is used to examine the position of "native ethnographer," in and outside of the field. This is followed by reflections on the process of interpreting experience and insights into the writing of an ethnographic text.