ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part examines the impact of sedentarization on Baka infant care. It examines the impact of history, colonialization, and political economies on the "schooling" of Ongee children. The part explores the natural history of forager childhood as it is the only infant-focused study of the Baka, who are one of the largest remaining forager groups in the world, with an estimated population of 30,000 in three countries. It shows that some features of forager infancy common to other active foragers persist after the group becomes sedentary, but that other features change with changes in the economy, such as the importance of sibling care with increased farming and earlier and more abrupt weaning. Studies of culture change among foragers are common, but none explicitly address the impact of change on children.
