WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 2/9 



weaned my child slowly, but if it bit me while nursing I gave it a slap, 

 and that ended the nursing." Generally, however, if weaning was an 

 abrupt affair, the child was taken to the house of a relative or neighbor, 

 and left there for three or four days so that the mother would not 

 hear it cry, "It will cry much during the first night, but after that, 

 not very much." When the child is returned to its mother, the mother 

 puts a repellent on her nipples, such as chili or the bitter-tasting 

 ajenjo, or garlic-smelling ajo. Fur repellent was not used. When 

 nursing ends, the milk is pressed from the mother's breast and poured 

 into a brook, the belief being that if it is poured on dry land the 

 mother's breasts will dry and incapacitate her for nursing children 

 yet to be born to her. 



ATYPICAL CONDITIONS 

 MULTIPLE BIRTHS 



Twins, but no other multiple births, were known among the Arau- 

 canians, and, according to the oldest informants, not even twins were 

 born to them in very early days. "But suddenly there were several 

 sets," said an 80-year-old woman ; "and since then one hears of a pair 

 born occasionally." Most informants told of a woman who had given 

 birth to two sets of twins: one set lived, the other died. All four 

 grandparents of the twins were pure Araucanians, a relative insisted. 

 Twins were of either or of both sexes. There was no way of predict- 

 ing twins before birth. 



All informants, except an 85-year-old man, agreed that twins were 

 not desired ; that people were frightened when they were born ; that 

 they were a punishment from God, because "the people had laughed 

 at an animal that had twins or triplets — goats, you know, sometimes 

 have triplets." Women did not want twins because of the work of 

 bringing up two children at the same time. The 85-year-old man said 

 the father liked his twin children and provided for them ; he and his 

 wife were visited by persons who congratulated them and said, "What 

 luck you have had to have twins." Parents of twins were not presented 

 with gifts. 



One of a pair of twins was not killed — "there is too much love for 

 children in our people ever to kill a child. Old people used to say, 

 however, that if one twin died, the other would also soon die." 



INCEST, ILLEGITIMACY 



No information was collected on incest. A child born out of wed- 

 lock — spoken of as a "natural" child — was a rare thing formerly. "It 



