ABSTRACT

Experiences of childhood in colonial New Zealand are difficult to reconstruct from the historical record alone. Many of those who came to the colony were illiterate, and the Victorian tendency to avoid discussion of pregnancy and breastfeeding practices restricts our understanding of this important period. Bioarchaeological investigation, however, has the potential to illuminate the life stories of these first-generation Pākehā (European) settlers. Here we use isotopic evidence combined with dental pathology from children interred in a historic cemetery from Otago, New Zealand, to examine colonial childhood. We show how weaning practices in the colony differ from those experienced by their emigrant parents, highlight periods of illness likely associated with the weaning process, and bring to light the potential problems caused by maternal Vitamin D deficiency in the colony.

摘要

仅从历史记录很难重建新西兰殖民时期的童年经历。许多来到殖民地的人都是文盲，维多利亚时代避免讨论怀孕和母乳喂养实践的倾向限制了我们对这个重要时期的理解。然而，生物考古调查有可能阐明这些第一代 Pākehā（欧洲）定居者的生活故事。在这里，我们使用同位素证据与埋葬在新西兰奥塔哥一个历史悠久的墓地的儿童的牙齿病理学相结合，来检查殖民时期的童年。我们展示了殖民地的断奶做法与其移民父母所经历的不同，突出了可能与断奶过程相关的疾病时期，