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Story: Te whānau tamariki – pregnancy and birth

Māori mother breastfeeding

Image
Māori mother breastfeeding

A Māori mother (centre) breastfeeds her child in an 1849 image. Before the arrival of Europeans breast milk was the only suitable food available for young babies.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0032-6

by Richard Aldworth Oliver

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Hope Tupara, Te whānau tamariki – pregnancy and birth – Rites and baby care, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/27629/maori-mother-breastfeeding (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Hope Tupara, published 23 March 2011, updated 1 June 2017.