﻿550 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Today 
  Christian 
  names 
  are 
  employed 
  universally. 
  In 
  Bolivia, 
  

   according 
  to 
  Kadin 
  (following 
  Bandelier), 
  children 
  are 
  often 
  named 
  

   after 
  magicians, 
  doctors, 
  or 
  wealthy 
  individuals 
  (Radin, 
  1942, 
  p. 
  279). 
  

  

  Children 
  are 
  usually 
  nursed 
  for 
  2 
  years. 
  In 
  Chucuito, 
  the 
  child 
  is 
  

   first 
  put 
  to 
  breast 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  12 
  hours 
  after 
  birth. 
  Nursing 
  intervals 
  

   are 
  irregular, 
  in 
  theory 
  depending 
  upon 
  when 
  the 
  child 
  cries 
  and 
  in 
  

   practice 
  upon 
  how 
  occupied 
  the 
  mother 
  is. 
  Infants 
  are 
  continually 
  

   with 
  the 
  mother 
  during 
  the 
  nursing 
  period, 
  and 
  are 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  fields, 
  

   to 
  market, 
  and 
  to 
  fiestas. 
  When 
  the 
  child 
  is 
  a 
  year 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  old, 
  

   it 
  is 
  given 
  mashed 
  boiled 
  potato 
  after 
  it 
  has 
  nursed, 
  and 
  is 
  gradually 
  

   fed 
  more 
  solid 
  food. 
  

  

  Although 
  cradles 
  are 
  not 
  employed, 
  babies 
  are 
  tightly 
  bound 
  with 
  a 
  

   belt 
  until 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  8 
  or 
  9 
  months, 
  and 
  are 
  carried 
  about 
  slung 
  in 
  a 
  

   cloth 
  on 
  the 
  mother's 
  back. 
  Old 
  rags 
  wound 
  about 
  the 
  infant 
  beneath 
  

   the 
  binding 
  belt 
  serve 
  as 
  diapers, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  changed 
  in 
  theory 
  

   when 
  the 
  mother 
  notices 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  become 
  soiled, 
  in 
  practice 
  

   about 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  daily. 
  Children 
  are 
  usually 
  bathed 
  4 
  days 
  a 
  

   week, 
  the 
  other 
  3 
  being 
  considered 
  unlucky. 
  Since 
  children 
  sleep 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  bed 
  as 
  their 
  parents 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  walk 
  and 
  talk, 
  and 
  

   often 
  until 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  5 
  or 
  6, 
  they 
  become 
  familiar 
  with 
  adult 
  sexuality 
  

   at 
  an 
  early 
  age. 
  

  

  Formerly, 
  all 
  children 
  born 
  during 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  were 
  brought 
  

   into 
  the 
  plaza 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  potato 
  harvest 
  for 
  a 
  rite 
  

   called 
  suKULu, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  their 
  faces 
  were 
  anointed 
  with 
  vicuna 
  

   blood. 
  Little 
  boys 
  were 
  anointed 
  by 
  their 
  paternal 
  uncles, 
  little 
  girls 
  

   by 
  their 
  paternal 
  aunts. 
  The 
  children 
  were 
  then 
  presented 
  with 
  a 
  

   kind 
  of 
  wrap-around 
  skirt 
  decorated 
  according 
  to 
  sex 
  (Bertonio, 
  

   1879 
  b). 
  Small 
  children 
  today 
  wear 
  such 
  skirts. 
  

  

  At 
  about 
  2 
  years, 
  a 
  child's 
  hair 
  is 
  cut 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  

   rite. 
  This 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  done 
  at 
  too 
  early 
  an 
  age, 
  lest 
  the 
  child 
  be 
  un- 
  

   able 
  to 
  walk 
  and 
  talk. 
  Inadequate 
  statistics 
  from 
  Chucuito 
  indicate 
  

   that 
  male 
  Aymara 
  infants 
  (5 
  cases) 
  speak 
  their 
  words 
  at 
  12.6 
  months 
  

   and 
  walk 
  at 
  16.8 
  months, 
  while 
  female 
  infants 
  (5 
  cases) 
  first 
  speak 
  at 
  

   11.6 
  months 
  and 
  walk 
  at 
  16.7 
  months. 
  

  

  Because 
  a 
  small 
  child 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  particularly 
  liable 
  to 
  lose 
  his 
  

   soul, 
  a 
  small 
  bag 
  containing 
  salt, 
  aji, 
  and 
  a 
  knife 
  to 
  ward 
  off 
  evil 
  spirits 
  

   is 
  hung 
  around 
  his 
  neck. 
  

  

  Puberty. 
  — 
  Puberty 
  receives 
  no 
  formal 
  social 
  recognition 
  today 
  in 
  

   Aymara 
  society, 
  nor 
  is 
  there 
  any 
  indication 
  in 
  the 
  Conquest 
  Period 
  

   literature 
  that 
  puberty 
  rites 
  were 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  past. 
  That 
  full 
  

   adult 
  status 
  is 
  achieved 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  marriage 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  

   verb 
  "to 
  marry," 
  which 
  means 
  literally, 
  "to 
  become 
  a 
  person." 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  slight 
  fear 
  of 
  menstrual 
  blood, 
  and, 
  although 
  women 
  are 
  

   not 
  segregated 
  during 
  their 
  monthly 
  period, 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  inter- 
  

   course 
  should 
  be 
  avoided 
  at 
  these 
  times. 
  Menstruating 
  women 
  should 
  

  

  