In Basutoland, (as elsewhere in Africa), the infant is carried on the back and incorporated in the folds of its mother's gay blanket. The infant head is always clean shaven, and the entire baby is kept shining with vaseline (formerly animal fat), a protection against summer sun and winter frost. This mother's dress echoes the Victorian missionary era in the series of tucked aprons and petticoats. Her purchase at the local trading store is ‘tickey paraffin’, a constant need.