WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 23 



The method of training the child in toilet habits was not ascertained. 

 A non-Araucanian herbalist had observed that in many families very- 

 small children gave notice of their needs to the mother; in other 

 families, children two or three years old were seen soiled. A teacher 

 complained that an 8-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were obvi- 

 ously bed wetters ; their clothes had a most offensive odor. Children 

 do not undress at night. 



CRADLE, TRANSPORTING BABY, HAMMOCK 



Araucanians call their cradleboard kupiilwe. When speaking Span- 

 ish, they call it caballo (horse), not cuna (cradle), the Spanish word 

 used by Chileans. The cradleboard is made before the first child is 

 born and remains in the family until no more children are expected, 

 after which it is given to anyone who asks for it. A cradleboard is 

 never lent or borrowed. In Alepue area the father makes the cradle ; 

 or, if he does not know how, he asks another man to do so. An old 

 woman in the area was positive that formerly one of the grandmothers 

 made it; but all other informants were certain that no woman ever 

 did so. In PanguipuUi area the mother makes it if the father does not 

 do so ; in Boroa area the mother often makes it. 



Two types of cradles were seen. (Pis. 2; 3,/.) Both were of wood. 

 One has a band over the head end which is attached to both sides of 

 the backrest and extends beyond the foot end; the other has a pole 

 or board attached to each side of the backrest and extending beyond 

 both head and foot ends. A cradle rests on the foot-end protrusions 

 when it stands erect — informants called these protrusions "feet." 

 Ends of feet are pointed so they can be securely planted in the ground. 

 The band (about 2 inches in width) is a shaved-down strip of pliable 

 wood, such as avellano, maqui, or tiaca. It is approximately 2 inches 

 in width and one-half inch in thickness. When attached to the back- 

 rest it is bent somewhat above the sides of the backrest. Backrests 

 are slats, of any kind of wood. 'T used boards of colihiie because I 

 had them handy." 



The baby is prevented from sliding off the cradle by a pole or slat 

 of wood fastened across the foot end of the cradle. A canopy over 

 the baby's face is made by bowing a twig of quila and inserting it on 

 the sides directly over the baby's face. Over it a piece of chamall is 

 hung to keep flies and insects away while the baby is asleep. During 

 the baby's waking hours the twig hangs to the side of the cradle, if 

 attached, or is stored on a shelf or in the mother's workbasket — 

 "some place where it can be found when needed." 



