Symposium†

This is the fifth in a series of articles entitled Symposium on Infant Care and Feeding in Oceania.

: Infant care and feeding practices and the beginnings of socialization among the Maisin of Papua new guinea‡

The research on which this paper is based is supported by grants from the Spencer Foundation and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

This paper describes the beliefs and practices of the Maisin people of Collingwood Bay, Papua New Guinea, regarding pregnancy, birth and infant care and feeding, and discusses ways in which infant care and feeding practices represent the beginnings of socialization for Maisin children. Maisin infant care and feeding practices reflect adult systems of belief regarding pregnancy, birth and early infancy as periods of vulnerability from which the child gradually emerges; the powers inherent in foods; the importance of interdependence with other people; and the social significance of food. Beliefs about the importance of interdependence and about the social significance of food play a role in defining the kinds of opportunities for social interactions in which the infant takes part. Beliefs about vulnerability and about trie powers of foods influence means of socialization during infancy, but the substance of these beliefs must be communicated later when the child is able to participate in verbal communication.

Key words:

• Socialization
• infant feeding
• lactation
• Papua New Guinea
• pregnancy
• birth
• food taboos
• food prohibitions

Notes

This is the fifth in a series of articles entitled Symposium on Infant Care and Feeding in Oceania.

The research on which this paper is based is supported by grants from the Spencer Foundation and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.