﻿282 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  without 
  a 
  fight. 
  The 
  amazing 
  speed 
  of 
  Topa 
  Inca's 
  conquests 
  was 
  

   due 
  in 
  large 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  his 
  diplomacy. 
  (Sefiores, 
  1904, 
  p. 
  

   200; 
  Anonymous 
  Discurso, 
  1906, 
  pp. 
  154-155; 
  Cieza, 
  1880, 
  bk. 
  2, 
  ch. 
  17.) 
  

  

  LIFE 
  CYCLE 
  

  

  Childbirth 
  and 
  infancy. 
  — 
  The 
  chroniclers 
  give 
  few 
  particulars 
  about 
  

   pregnancy. 
  Children 
  were 
  a 
  great 
  economic 
  asset 
  in 
  Inca 
  society, 
  

   and 
  were 
  probably 
  greatly 
  desired. 
  Pregnant 
  women 
  were 
  not 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  walk 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  but 
  otherwise 
  their 
  work 
  was 
  not 
  inter- 
  

   rupted 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  38). 
  Before 
  bearing 
  a 
  child, 
  a 
  

   woman 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  confess 
  and 
  pray 
  to 
  the 
  huacas 
  for 
  a 
  successful 
  

   birth. 
  During 
  the 
  delivery, 
  the 
  husband 
  and 
  sometimes 
  the 
  woman 
  

   fasted. 
  Women 
  who 
  had 
  borne 
  twins 
  often 
  acted 
  as 
  mid 
  wives, 
  

   but 
  many 
  women 
  delivered 
  unassisted. 
  The 
  midwives 
  massaged 
  

   the 
  mother's 
  abdomen 
  to 
  straighten 
  the 
  fetus, 
  and 
  could 
  produce 
  

   abortion. 
  Immediately 
  after 
  birth, 
  the 
  mother 
  took 
  the 
  baby 
  to 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  stream 
  and 
  washed 
  both 
  herself 
  and 
  it 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  

   ch. 
  6). 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  fourth 
  day 
  after 
  birth, 
  the 
  baby 
  was 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  cradle 
  where 
  

   it 
  was 
  kept 
  until 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  walk 
  (fig. 
  29, 
  b). 
  The 
  cradle 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  a 
  board 
  or 
  slat 
  back 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  baby, 
  with 
  four 
  low 
  feet. 
  

   It 
  was 
  cushioned 
  with 
  a 
  folded 
  shawl, 
  and 
  the 
  child 
  was 
  lightly 
  tied 
  

   to 
  it. 
  Two 
  crossed 
  hoops 
  passed 
  over 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  another 
  over 
  

   the 
  feet, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  blanket 
  could 
  be 
  thrown 
  over 
  the 
  cradle 
  without 
  

   danger 
  of 
  suffocating 
  the 
  baby. 
  The 
  mother 
  carried 
  the 
  cradle 
  on 
  

   her 
  back 
  wherever 
  she 
  went, 
  supporting 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  shawl 
  tied 
  over 
  her 
  

   chest. 
  Little 
  care 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  cradle 
  clean 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  6; 
  Poma, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  212, 
  233). 
  

  

  The 
  child 
  was 
  not 
  named 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  weaned, 
  probably 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  

   two 
  after 
  birth. 
  The 
  name 
  giving 
  was 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  elaborate 
  ceremony 
  

   called 
  *rutuchicoy, 
  "hair 
  cutting." 
  Eelatives 
  and 
  friends 
  assembled 
  

   for 
  a 
  feast, 
  followed 
  by 
  dancing 
  and 
  drinking, 
  after 
  which, 
  the 
  child's 
  

   oldest 
  uncle 
  cut 
  its 
  hair 
  and 
  nails, 
  which 
  were 
  preserved 
  with 
  great 
  

   care, 
  and 
  gave 
  it 
  a 
  name. 
  Then 
  the 
  uncle 
  and 
  other 
  relatives 
  gave 
  it 
  

   presents 
  : 
  silver 
  garments, 
  wool, 
  etc. 
  They 
  prayed 
  to 
  the 
  Sun 
  that 
  the 
  

   child's 
  life 
  be 
  fortunate 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  live 
  to 
  inherit 
  from 
  his 
  father. 
  

   The 
  name 
  given 
  at 
  the 
  hair 
  cutting 
  was 
  retained 
  only 
  until 
  the 
  per- 
  

   son 
  reached 
  maturity. 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  6; 
  Gonzalez, 
  

   1608; 
  Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  1913, 
  p. 
  176.) 
  

  

  Education.— 
  Most 
  children 
  learned 
  only 
  by 
  helping 
  their 
  parents, 
  

   which 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  do 
  almost 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  could 
  walk. 
  Formal 
  

   instruction 
  was 
  reserved 
  for 
  the 
  nobility 
  and 
  the 
  Chosen 
  Women. 
  

   Some 
  kind 
  of 
  elaborate 
  instruction 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  arms, 
  the 
  Quechua 
  

   language, 
  Inca 
  religion, 
  history, 
  and 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  quipus 
  was 
  given 
  

   in 
  Cuzco 
  to 
  the 
  sons 
  of 
  provincial 
  officials 
  sent 
  there 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  hos- 
  

  

  