﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  457 
  

  

  LIFE 
  CYCLE 
  

  

  Infancy 
  and 
  childhood. 
  — 
  Children 
  have 
  a 
  clearly 
  defined 
  role 
  in 
  the 
  

   Quechua 
  community. 
  Certain 
  types 
  of 
  work 
  are 
  systematically 
  

   assigned 
  to 
  them; 
  from 
  the 
  earliest 
  age, 
  children 
  are 
  productive 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  community. 
  This 
  fact 
  has 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  notion 
  that 
  

   children 
  are 
  unwanted 
  by 
  the 
  Quechua 
  unless 
  the 
  household 
  requires 
  

   additional 
  labor, 
  that 
  parents 
  value 
  their 
  livestock 
  more 
  highly 
  and 
  

   ignore 
  their 
  children 
  completely. 
  The 
  truth 
  is 
  that 
  parents 
  display 
  

   what 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  normal 
  amount 
  of 
  affection 
  toward 
  their 
  off- 
  

   spring, 
  though 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  expose 
  them 
  to 
  coddling 
  and 
  overprotec- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  drench 
  them 
  with 
  excessive 
  sentimentality. 
  The 
  events 
  sur- 
  

   rounding 
  childbirth 
  and 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  infancy 
  and 
  childhood 
  are 
  

   accepted 
  with 
  matter-of-fact 
  realism. 
  

  

  Pregnant 
  women 
  engage 
  in 
  their 
  customary 
  activities 
  until 
  about 
  

   2 
  weeks 
  before 
  delivery, 
  when 
  they 
  remain 
  at 
  home 
  attending 
  only 
  to 
  

   the 
  duties 
  of 
  the 
  immediate 
  household. 
  A 
  midwife 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  in 
  

   for 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  the 
  child 
  (at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  20 
  centavos 
  per 
  day), 
  or 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  relatives 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  several 
  children 
  will 
  lend 
  her 
  assistance 
  

   both 
  at 
  the 
  delivery 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  running 
  of 
  the 
  household. 
  The 
  expec- 
  

   tant 
  mother 
  is 
  massaged 
  with 
  coca 
  and 
  aguardiente. 
  She 
  is 
  given 
  

   steam 
  baths 
  in 
  which 
  aji 
  (pepper), 
  tomato, 
  and 
  incense 
  are 
  used. 
  As 
  

   soon 
  as 
  she 
  begins 
  to 
  feel 
  the 
  birth 
  pains, 
  the 
  midwife 
  presses 
  her 
  

   abdomen 
  and 
  pulls 
  at 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  feet 
  to 
  hasten 
  the 
  delivery. 
  

   Immediately 
  after 
  birth, 
  the 
  umbilical 
  cord 
  is 
  cut 
  with 
  a 
  knife 
  or 
  

   potsherd 
  and 
  tied 
  with 
  a 
  woolen 
  thread 
  wound 
  to 
  the 
  left, 
  and 
  the 
  

   infant 
  is 
  bathed. 
  An 
  informal 
  celebration 
  occurs 
  in 
  some 
  communi- 
  

   ties 
  at 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  a 
  child, 
  but 
  no 
  fiesta 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  the 
  occasion 
  is 
  

   held 
  in 
  Kauri. 
  Here 
  the 
  child 
  is 
  inscribed 
  in 
  the 
  municipal 
  register 
  

   at 
  the 
  capital 
  of 
  the 
  district. 
  After 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  days, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  not 
  

   until 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  days 
  after 
  birth, 
  the 
  child 
  is 
  baptized. 
  Baptism 
  is 
  an 
  

   event 
  of 
  first 
  importance. 
  The 
  padrino, 
  called 
  "marccac" 
  in 
  Kauri, 
  

   must 
  be 
  sought 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  influential 
  Indians 
  or 
  Mestizos 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighborhood 
  and 
  the 
  appropriate 
  gifts 
  must 
  be 
  presented 
  to 
  him. 
  

   If 
  the 
  newly 
  born 
  infant 
  becomes 
  seriously 
  ill 
  or 
  is 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  dying, 
  

   a 
  neighbor 
  is 
  usually 
  asked 
  to 
  perform 
  the 
  baptismal 
  ceremony. 
  For 
  

   unless 
  the 
  child 
  is 
  baptized 
  before 
  it 
  dies, 
  its 
  spirit 
  will 
  bring 
  harm 
  to 
  

   the 
  community 
  and 
  stop 
  the 
  rains. 
  Even 
  children 
  who 
  are 
  meant 
  

   to 
  be 
  abandoned 
  or 
  destroyed 
  (infanticide 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon 
  among 
  

   the 
  Quechua) 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  baptized. 
  Those 
  who 
  die 
  unbaptized 
  are 
  

   cremated 
  and 
  their 
  remains 
  buried 
  in 
  a 
  distant, 
  deserted 
  place. 
  Even 
  

   the 
  skeptical 
  who 
  have 
  no 
  fear 
  of 
  the 
  malevolent 
  spirits 
  believe 
  that 
  

   baptism 
  must 
  be 
  performed 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  child 
  a 
  name. 
  

  

  The 
  mother 
  bathes 
  the 
  child 
  every 
  day 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  6 
  months 
  in 
  warm 
  

   water 
  and 
  then 
  douses 
  it 
  with 
  cold 
  for 
  protection 
  against 
  the 
  rigors 
  of 
  

  

  