“Oh that you were like a brother to me, one who had nursed at my mother's breasts.” Breast Milk as a Kinship-Forging Substance

Abstract

The term “blood relatives” exists as an accepted and understood part of our English lexicon. It is only recently that anthropologists focusing on kinship studies have leveled a critique against the uni- versal application of the metaphor of “blood” as a substance that establishes kinship relatedness. Adam Kuper, for example, argues that the notion of blood relatedness is culturally constrained, a uniquely European concept that finds its fullest articulation within British imperialism, an era that coincides with the development of the field of anthropology in Europe.1 Likewise, Edouard Conte, who examines concepts of relatedness within Arab cultures, posits that the notion of kinship being determined by “blood” is a par- ticularly western phenomenon and does not fit the self- understanding of Arabs.2 He argues that Classical Arab physicians deal little with blood and do not see blood as passing on hereditary attributes.

“Naomi the Nurse: Obed’s Ambiguous Identity Transmission”

“…It is here that the argument that breast milk transfers identity recommends itself. Specifically, Chapman (2012: 3) argues that breast milk offers “kinship relatedness” in the Hebrew Bible and looks to the examples named above of Sarah, Moses’ mother, and Hannah. Meanwhile, Penniman (2017: 58) makes the case that mother’s milk accentuates the connection “between physical nourishment and intellectual formation.” Penniman makes this argument on the basis of a variety of texts from within ancient Judaism and Christianity.…”

“…4.13–14). 15 Chapman (2012: 38) rightly notes that Mordecai in his role, “conferred upon Esther her Jewish identity.” In other words, Mordecai has become a metaphorical wet nurse, transferring to Esther knowledge of her Jewish heritage and kinship.…”

“…According to such an interpretation, Naomi functions symbolically as nurse (e.g., LaCocque, 2004: 143). Taking a middle ground is Chapman (2012: 38), who concludes that this nursing activity of Naomi’s could be either literal or symbolic. Only McNeel (2014: 109) argues that Naomi literally nursed Obed, in part based on the fact that the action of carrying an infant, performed by Naomi, is associated with nursing, as in Isa.…”

Exploring Past Ontologies: Bodies, Jugs and Figurines from the Phoenician-Punic Western Mediterranean

“…Chapman suggests (2012, 7) that it was considered as more than a mere source of nutrition and was believed to transmit physical and social traits to the baby suckling at the breast. In the ancient Near East and Egypt, it is commonly assumed that kings and heirs were breastfed by divinities (either feminine, masculine or hybrid) and that this nurture made them royal, even divine (Chapman 2012;Lynn Budin 2011). Other ethnographic accounts describe how suckling inculcates culturally defined boundaries in the child and transmits traits from the mother or wet nurse.…”