Untitled - Smithsonian Institution
Share Embed Flag
Download ePaper

Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

Untitled - Smithsonian Institution Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

si.pddr.si.edu
from si.pddr.si.edu More from this publisher
24.01.2013 Views

126 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99 more rational view of it, and apply a more efficacious if somewhat rough treatment. A skilled midwife can ascertain the position the child is taking up, and if this is not natural, and parturition is delayed on its account, the four women take hold of the patient, each of them grasping an arm or a leg, and swing and shake her body in such a way as they consider helpful toward an easier delivery. Afterbirth Even while the newly born baby is being properly groomed and cared for by one of the women, the others, detailed to look after the parturiens, get busy helping her with expelling the afterbirth. Afterbirth: uDt-'yaDo"', "that which has remained." Also: uDzo-'t'ano'H, "it has had it in it." (This term is also used for "cocoon.") This is done by reciting a formula, and at the same time rubbing the patient's abdomen with the right hand, warmed near some charcoals, taken from the fire. (See p. 62.) A considerable amount of simples are also held to be highly efficacious in this case; the Ay. manuscript, unfortunately, does not contain a single formula or prescription for this emergency, but Ms. II has one formula and Ms. Ill one formula and three prescriptions. From these, and from oral information collected, it appears that the following plants are used: Ga'noGWa^k'ski y't*ano°' {Scutellaria lateriflora L., mad-dog, skull cap); GaDo'y'ti u'stf'aa, {Polymnia uvedalia L., leafcup). A decoction of the roots is drunk, after which the patient should induce vomiting. Tlvis decoction is also used as an emmenagogue. Another prescription lists "all kinds of Ga'naGWa^lt'ski." These plants are popular in this case more on account of their name, which means "it is like clotted blood," than for any otlier reason. Or again a decoction of the roots of Ga'"liwo''ti {Smilax glauca Walt., saw brier); no'na' (Tsuga caroliniana Engelm., hemlock); k'u'wtyu''sti {Platanus occidentalis L., buttonwood). The roots should be taken shooting out toward the east. They are boiled, and the decoction is drimk by the patient. The placenta is disposed of in the following way: The father, or should he be absent, another near relative, takes it, wrapped in some old cloth, and crosses (usually) two mountain ridges; there he makes a hole, an "overhand" (i. e., 25-30 cm.) deep, in which he buries the placenta; while doing this he whispers: k'a' t'a'"li tsuD€'ttyQ-'°D8 i-yQ-'^Do" t*a'"lfn€-'° 't^DziGo'Va"' Now tlieul Two years from now again I will see it aGWe'tsi "Well! I will want another cliild two years from now." my child

Olbrechts] the swimmer MANUSCRIPT 127 Should the father be anxious to have another baby after one year he only crosses one mountain ridge, and should he want a child again only three or four years from then, he crosses the same number of ridges. While the father is on this errand he should be carefid that nobody watches him, for should anybody want to harm him they will stealthily follow him, and when he has gone, either (1) Dig up the placenta, bury it an arm deep and put four or seven stones on top of it before filling the earth in again. As a result of this action, never again will a baby be bom to the victims. (2) They can dig up the placenta and throw it away in the open. In this case a child is liable to be born to these people just any time; in any case before the parents wish this to happen. The mother remains in a recumbent position for two to three days, or even less. After that, if no complications have set in, she is up and busy. In spite of the fact that she is supposed to be under restrictions for 12 or 24 days,^^ she attends to quite a munber of her household duties. But she abstains from cooking, nor has she anything to do with the preparation of food, as anybody partaking of a meal prepared by her would become dangerously ill. She should not eat any fish the first couple of days after delivery, "because fish have cold blood, and they would therefore chill the blood that has still to come out of her, and would cause it to clot." Nor should she take any hot food, or any salt. (See p. 121.) During this taboo period the woman is as dangerous as during her pregnancy or her catamenial periods. The child is still now often given its name by one of the prominent old women of the settlement; possibly it used to be the chief woman of the clan who had the privilege of bestowing names on newly born infants, but this rule no longer obtains. As was pointed out in the previous pages, the child may be given its name even before it is bom. In those cases where partus is difficult a name is bestowed on the child so as to have something "material" by which to exercise an influence upon it. Old informants remember that in times gone by a child was endowed with its first name four or seven days after its birth. Mooney has left us a description of the ceremony in his "Cherokee River Cult," Journal of American Folk-Lore, 1900, page 2. To this first name another name could be substituted later on; this name, that usually clung definitely to the individual for the rest of his life, was usually descriptive of one of his physical or moral *3 One informant told me that he had heard that the usual taboo of 24 days could be reduced to 12 by drinking a decoction of certain simples. He did not know which ones, though. 7548°—32 10

126 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99<br />

more rational view of it, and apply a more efficacious if somewhat<br />

rough treatment.<br />

A skilled midwife can ascertain the position the child is taking up,<br />

and if this is not natural, and parturition is delayed on its account,<br />

the four women take hold of the patient, each of them grasping an<br />

arm or a leg, and swing and shake her body in such a way as they<br />

consider helpful toward an easier delivery.<br />

Afterbirth<br />

Even while the newly born baby is being properly groomed and<br />

cared for by one of the women, the others, detailed to look after the<br />

parturiens, get busy helping her with expelling the afterbirth.<br />

Afterbirth: uDt-'yaDo"', "that which has remained."<br />

Also: uDzo-'t'ano'H, "it has had it in it." (This term is also used<br />

for "cocoon.")<br />

This is done by reciting a formula, and at the same time rubbing the<br />

patient's abdomen with the right hand, warmed near some charcoals,<br />

taken from the fire. (See p. 62.)<br />

A considerable amount of simples are also held to be highly efficacious<br />

in this case; the Ay. manuscript, unfortunately, does not<br />

contain a single formula or prescription for this emergency, but Ms.<br />

II has one formula and Ms. Ill one formula and three prescriptions.<br />

From these, and from oral information collected, it appears that the<br />

following plants are used: Ga'noGWa^k'ski y't*ano°' {Scutellaria<br />

lateriflora L., mad-dog, skull cap); GaDo'y'ti u'stf'aa, {Polymnia<br />

uvedalia L., leafcup).<br />

A decoction of the roots is drunk, after which the patient should<br />

induce vomiting. Tlvis decoction is also used as an emmenagogue.<br />

Another prescription lists "all kinds of Ga'naGWa^lt'ski." These<br />

plants are popular in this case more on account of their name, which<br />

means "it is like clotted blood," than for any otlier reason.<br />

Or again a decoction of the roots of Ga'"liwo''ti {Smilax glauca<br />

Walt., saw brier); no'na' (Tsuga caroliniana Engelm., hemlock);<br />

k'u'wtyu''sti {Platanus occidentalis L., buttonwood).<br />

The roots should be taken shooting out toward the east. They<br />

are boiled, and the decoction is drimk by the patient.<br />

The placenta is disposed of in the following way: The father, or<br />

should he be absent, another near relative, takes it, wrapped in some<br />

old cloth, and crosses (usually) two mountain ridges; there he makes<br />

a hole, an "overhand" (i. e., 25-30 cm.) deep, in which he buries<br />

the placenta; while doing this he whispers:<br />

k'a' t'a'"li tsuD€'ttyQ-'°D8 i-yQ-'^Do" t*a'"lfn€-'° 't^DziGo'Va"'<br />

Now tlieul Two years from now again I will see it<br />

aGWe'tsi "Well! I will want another cliild two years from now."<br />

my child

logo

products

Resources

Company

Terms of service
Privacy policy
Cookie policy
Cookie settings
Imprint
Change language
Made with love in Switzerland
© 2024 Yumpu.com all rights reserved

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!