RYUKYU PEOPLE — NEWMAN AND ENG 397 



day and night. This custom may still persist in out-of-the-way areas. 

 Other ancient customs, such as placing a crab on the male baby's head 

 to insure early crawling, may also be found in the recent culture. 



Once the baby came into the Ryukyu world, we have the word of 

 an American psychiatrist ° that it was well mothered. Of 241 Oki- 

 nawan mothers questioned in 1945, the average age of weaning their 

 last child was 3.8 years (Japanese).^" During that time a mother 

 seldom left her child, but carried it on her back in a sling. No set 

 feeding schedules were followed, but the baby was nursed when it 

 desired. Wlien it was weaned the baby was taken over by a substi- 

 tute mother, usually the next elder sister. These "little mothers" 

 carried their charges in slings or led them around, and continued the 

 Ryukyu system of good mothering. In contrast to the Japanese who 

 commence rigid bowel training well before a baby is 1 year old 

 (Western), Ryukyu mothers made no such attempt until their off- 

 spring reached at least a year and a half. At that time the training 

 was largely a matter of emulating the older children. A significant 

 aspect of child training is pointed out by Moloney (1945, p. 394), who 

 states that only once did he see a Ryukyu mother corporally punish 

 her child. 



When the child was over 3l^ years old (Western) it was ready for 

 school operated under the Japanese educational system. As Moloney 

 (1945, p. 394) says, "One not familiar with psychological maturative 

 processes would be inclined to believe that the Okinawan brand of 

 mothering would produce a self-centered, a spoiled, an undisciplined 

 child. On the contrary, they show themselves capable of harmonious 

 social cooperation * * *. Calm, confident, and without fear, they 

 obeyed their elders, but were not obsequious." He emphasizes that 

 Japanese doctrine did not reach a Ryukyu child until, under the pro- 

 tective tutelage of the home, its basic personality structure was al- 

 ready well consolidated. During the next 6 years in the nominally 

 compulsory lower elementary school, Japanese indoctrination only 

 made a superficial impression on the children. Like their parents, 

 they learned to pay "a superficial and expedient homage to Imperial 

 Japan." 



Differential treatment of boys and girls began at preschool age and 

 was continued with more force in the schools. At early ages, both 

 sexes were taught their ascribed status in society, so that they knew 

 how to treat those people with whom they came in contact. These 

 behavior patterns for girls required more humility and deference than 

 for boys. In the early training of both sexes, however, respect for 



» Moloney, 1945, pp. 392. 



" In Japan and the Ryukyus a baby is considered 1 year old at birth, and picks up 

 another year the following January 1. Thus a baby born December 31 is 2 years old the 

 following day, but a baby born January 1 does not become 2 years old until the following 

 January 1. On the arerage, Japanese ages are 1% years ahead of Western ages. 



