Non-maternal infant care among the Efe and Lese of Zaire: How much and by whom

This study examined infant caretaking practices among the Efe (Pygmies) and Lese, who inhabit the Ituri Forest in northeastern Zaire. The data presented here, collected as part of a larger study of child development among these people, focus on two related questions. First, to what extent are infants\u27 mothers their primary caretakers during their first months of life? And second, who are the other individuals responsible for infants\u27 care? Ten Efe and nine Lese infants were observed longitudinally. Naturalistic observations were made when infants were 3, 7, and 18 weeks old, using an event sequence format with the infant as the focal subject. The behavioral scoring system noted the occurrence of, or any changes in, the ongoing behavior of infant or caretaker, as well as caretaker identity, in each one-minute interval. Four measures of infants\u27 contacts with caretakers were derived: percentage of intervals infants were in physical contact with various caretakers; the rate at which infants were transferred among caretakers; the mean length, in intervals, of caretaking bouts; and the mean number of individuals who held the infant in an observation period. Descriptive data and comparisons of caretaking by mothers and other caretakers are presented. Analyses examine non-maternal caretakers\u27 age, gender, familial relationship to the infant, and the reproductive status of adult female caretakers. Data reveal that Efe and Lese caretaking practices include extensive participation by non-maternal caretakers. Efe infants spent more than 50%, and Lese infants almost 40% of the time with caretakers other than their mothers, and were passed to these caretakers more often than to their mothers. Infants spent little time out of physical contact with a caretaker. Effects of group membership and infant age on contributions by various classes of caretakers are presented. The findings are discussed with respect to models of mother-infant contact during the first months of life. Models such as the continuous care and contact or the bonding model, which place narrow and rigid constraints on the range of acceptable human caretaking practices are challenged, and a more culturally sensitive strategic model is proposed