Molding body as a care practice: waltha-chumpi (bundle child) among bolivian immigrants

Objective: To analyze el chumpi, a Quechua baby body care cultural practice during the first year of life. Method: Qualitative study based on ethnography and grounded theory procedures. Muestra: 27 inmigrantes bolivianos. Las estrategias para recoger datos fueron las entrevistas en profundidad y la observación participante. Los datos se categorizaron y ordenaron en esquemas lógicos manualmente y a través del programa ATLAS-ti v.5. Results: El chumpi makes newborns transport easier and protects them from the cold of the Andean region while being carried by their working mothers. However, we found that this practice remains among Bolivian immigrants in southeast Spain. Conclusions: Quechua worldview motivations lead Bolivian women to continue practising el chumpi in destination countries. El chumpi molds the body and the character of the infant so that a strongly wrapped child will be strong. El chumpi, a practice of care, becomes a cultural identity sign. El chumpi generates controversial situations within the health sphere.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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