Friday, January 14, 2011

Nigerian Babies in 1931...

 I've been reading 'Infant Potty Training: A Gentle and Primeval Method Adapted to Modern Living' in preparation for our next baby (#3, expected April/May), and have been fascinated with the last section that looks at babies around the world.  Of course, their focus is on the pottying of the babies  but since many of the same cultures wear their babies there are lots of little glimpses into that. 

Here is a passage from field research conducted on the topic of native life among the Dahomey (in Nigeria) during a period of five months in 1931...

Beautiful photo from National Geographic, here


"Returning now to a consideration of the development of the normal child, it is to be observed that very young children are carried most of the time on the backs of their mothers or, in rare instances, of nurses.  Unless prevented by special circumstances, a mother takes her baby with her wherever she goes, and women may be seen selling in the market, carrying burdens on the road, working in the fields, or dancing in ceremonial dances with their infants straddling their backs." (page 410 of IPT)


found via image search here, can't figure out from where to give credit... 
if anyone knows where it is from please let me know!

I think that in both of these photos they're wearing their babies with a Kanga... what do you think, babywearers?