Jean Liedloff, Attachment Parenting and the Ye'kuana People

Abstract

The experiences of the anthropologist Jean Liedloff with the Ye'kuana Amazonian people–collected in the book The Concept of the Continuum, in search ofthe lostwell-being– have provided theoretical basis to the lactivist movements, who try to adapt indigenous breeding practices to the Western context. They mean a reaction to the more widespread habits, increasingly focused on providing creatures with a multitude of implements, while we are neglecting basic issues such as the quality of the care provided. Through the comparative study and the hermeneutical analysis of secondary sources, we will explain what are and what were the practices of breastfeeding of the Ye'kuana people, with the aim of examining if they can respond to the needs and contradictions of our society.