It's shame that makes men and women enemies: The politics of intimacy among the Miskitu of Kakabila

This article argues that 'joking' and 'respect' among the Miskitu of Kakabi la in Eastern Nicaragua are best understood as diametrically opposed perfor mance styles or registers which mediate both symmetry in same-sex relations hips between men and asymmetry in two quite different cross-sex relationshi ps. It concludes by arguing that 'shame' in Kakabila is an important techni que for ensuring that these performance styles, 'joking' and 'respect', are appropriately enacted in the contexts of these relationships.