We talked a little bit in class on Monday about the morality of the Oankali. One of the examples used to make the claim that they are immoral was their lack of concern for the human concept of choice. Because the Oankali can read into your heads (sense, read, whatever), they have an uncanny ability to know what humans might REALLY want. Obviously, Joseph's reaction to ooloi sex is one such instance. An even more disturbing example is Nikanj's assumption that Lilith wants a child when she is ready, instantly looking into her thoughts and saying, "I mixed a girl to be a companion to you. You've been very lonely" (Dawn 246). Obviously, as humans, this strikes us as immoral, partially because it overrides our ability to choose some of our most basic desires--sex, child, etc.
However, I think it's really interesting that drugging reappears in Adulthood Rites: not with humans, but between Oankali themselves. The instance that caught my attention the most is the fight between Akin and the two Construct siblings. Although Akin initially protests, the girls take him and hold "him between them and put him to sleep...He understood what they were doin and resisted them angrily at first, but they were right...He knew [that he could get them captured], and they could feel his contradictory feelings. They knew he knew. Thus, there was no need to argue....He accepted it finally and allowed them to send him into a deep sleep" (Adulthood Rites 395). This brings up a whole new side to the issue of choice, and I think it's a good argument for the Amorality rather than the IMmorality of the Oankali.
I don't think they were ever trying to destroy the humans' lack of choice: obviously, they made some decisions that we instinctually label as wrong. However, they were simply acting on their own moral system, drugging the humans as they did each other.
However, does this make it right? Is it ever possible to judge something completely alien to yourself?