WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 275 



A mother traveling on foot usually carried her baby in her arms. 

 One old enough to walk was often transported on the back of an 

 adult, with arms around the adult's neck, while the adult held the feet 

 of the child. 



Generally the father made a cradle for his first child shortly before 

 its birth, and it was kept by the family for the use of all subsequent 

 children ; occasionally the expectant mother or a relative made it. 



A child not able to walk spent the greater part of the day in its 

 cradle amusing itself watching other persons, especially its mother; 

 its naps were also taken in its cradle. A restless or crying baby had its 

 hands freed so it could play with them. The cradle with its baby was 

 laid down, leaned against an object or wall, or suspended in the house 

 or from a branch of a shade tree by means of a leather band which 

 was securely attached at the head end, "Last week I saw a cradle- 

 board hanging from a rafter in my husband's brother's house. An 

 older girl was swinging her little baby sister in it, back and forth. It 

 really amused me, but I thought it was nice. The baby's father had 

 made the cradle; it looked new." At night the baby slept with its 

 mother, out of its cradle. 



A hammock, shaped like an ellipse, was made by securely tying the 

 overlapping ends of a colihiie stalk or a willow, and then fastening 

 to them, at many points on it, a piece of pelt of young guanaco or 

 lamb. The pelt was fastened rather loosely to provide a dip in which 

 the child could sit. Sometimes the pelt was padded with wool. One 

 woman had recently used a folded flour sack in place of a pelt. 



The hammock was suspended in the house, or from the limb of a 

 tree, by means of two thongs or cords of equal lengths so fastened to 

 the rim as to cross each other at midpoint. It was set in motion, often 

 by another child, to quiet a restless baby, thus affording the mother 

 an opportunity to keep on with her work. 



LULLABIES 



Both burdened and nonsense-syllabled lullabies were sung to babies 

 to put them to sleep, to quiet their crying, to amuse them, and "just 

 because I loved my baby." "We never let a baby cry long. Its mother 

 will take it in her arms and walk back and forth and sing, 'Be quiet, 

 now. Be quiet, now. We're going for a walk.' " One informant pre- 

 tended to pull a string and swing a hammock, and sang in Araucanian, 

 "Kaipai mailon. Kaipai mailon. Kaipai mailon. Uman tune." (Now 

 comes the malon [sudden attack by an enemy]. Now comes the 

 malon. Now comes the malon. Sleep you, my little child.) Another 



