318 AUSTRALASIAN AND POLYNESIAN 
sacred, and is not touched by the husband, nor can he approach 
any other woman, until the child is grown, crawls about, and 
picks up food. 
The woman does not cook food during the time the child is 
small, lest the child should suffer ; the husband cooks, or friends 
for him. 
Illegitimate children only are destroyed. I know of no 
infanticide anywhere in New Guinea. 
The first-born child, if a son, is named by the father; if a 
daughter, by friends. Children are named frequently from events. 
Deformed children are not destroyed. Fathers frequently 
nurse children, and are very fond of them. 
Children are carried in arms, and, when grown, on the hips. 
The cradle used is a netted bag, hung up to a rafter, and swung 
to and fro. 
The child is long suckled. I have seen children playing with 
spears, bows and arrows, sporting in the sea, and spying the 
mother, rush up to her, insist on her sitting down until they have 
been suckled. Women suckling frequently suckle a young pig or 
a pup at the same time. I have seen a child at one breast and 
a pig at another. 
Nothing is applied to the child’s head to regulate its shape. 
When the child is first washed with lukewarm water the head is 
squeezed to make it round. At Levalupoand Eelema, after birth, 
the mother and child bathe in the sea. 
All children are lovingly cared for. Discipline is unknown, 
“they grow.” Fathers teach sons to fight, hunt, fish, plant, and 
to make nets, and mothers teach girls to make pottery, cook, &e. 
Children are betrothed sometimes in infancy by their parents. 
The boy’s father, seeing a nice girl, or because of friendship, will 
take a present of food to the girl’s parents, signifying he wishes 
their daughter for his son. If the food is taken it is agreeable, 
and the betrothal is made. The mother and daughter will 
constantly visit the boy’s home, fetching water, wood and food. 
The food is cooked in the boy’s house by the girl’s mother, and 
eaten by the boy’s parents. 
MATURITY (Zidua-koht). 
When menses are first seen, the girl will be ordered to wash the 
blood off her legs, and taught how to use her under rami (petticoat). 
When getting better food is cooked, and friends invited, and an 
aunt will then take some of the food, pass it round her head, 
body, and under her legs, praying to the spirits that the girl may 
grow up strong, beautiful and pure. The girl will be taught to keep 
pure, to remember that for a virgin a great price is paid. During 
menstruation she is not allowed to eat pig, fish, or kangaroo. 
They reach the age of maturity when thirteen or fourteen years 
old. 
