There is…some persuasive rationale for dwelling on ontogeny, for its early phases take up a goodly proportion of human life for reasons intrinsic to the nature of human evolution; and yet, that fatefulness throughout history has been ignored, repressed, and mythologized for the same reasons. As we wish to study, then, the ontogenetic origins of man's visions of himself, we must become aware of the possibility that over-all images of childhood, and age-old repressions concerning it, are and always have been important aspects of changing world views…the mere search for beginnings always harbours some vision of an innocence lost or a hidden curse to be dealt with – and both with some sense of inescapable predestination.

They give them milk for four years, and they love their infants so much and care for them with such affection and solicitude that they avoid having contact with their husbands so that they can continue giving milk to the child for all of that time, and so that no ill may come to it through their pregnancy. If they are widowed and the child is not yet weaned, they will not remarry until the child has no need of milk, so they will not get pregnant. If a mother does so, it is thought to be a treacherous action.