Judy wrote:
I read somewhere, a long time ago, that primitive cultures that practiced
abrupt weaning at or before the age of six months tended to be warlike, while
those that practiced extended nursing and gradual weaning tended to be
peaceable.  Kathy D., do you know how true this is?


As far as I know, there are no "primitive" cultures (whatever that means)
that wean their infants before the age of six months.  Those children would
have all died before the age of two years.  Traditional societies
(pre-Industrial) all nursed their children for 2-3-4-5-6 years, with solids
introduced sometime during the first year, and then several years of nursing
plus solids before cessation of breastfeeding.  Certainly some of the tribes
of highland New Guinea were very formidable and engaged in war with
neighboring tribes on a regular basis, and they nurse their children til
they are 4-5-6-7 years of age.




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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352