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Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The relatively recent urbanization process in Romania allowed traditional knowledge to be transmitted, despite industrialization and technology diffusion. Childbirth is still a mysterious event, and magic thinking fills in the gaps of science in order to keep parents confident and at peace. Taboos are obeyed after birth and before christening, only to reach the phase when the future can be moulded: specific elements are chosen for the ritual bath, the child has to touch several objects that would make them smart, a good singer, etc. A year later, their future occupation will be predicted in a specific ceremony. All these active practices are found in urbanites' families, and also in Romanian immigrant communities in Western Europe. Rituals are mostly compared to neighbouring countries, but also to other distant cultures that show striking similarities. This large geographical spread indicates Indo-European synergies. The identical form of the post-liminal practice of haircutting in Eastern Europe and the Asian rite of passage have not been previously dwelt upon, and it implies the existence of traditional thinking universalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy and childbirth were among indigenous Maya women’s most dangerous life experiences, with very high maternal and perinatal death rates from pre-Hispanic times through the first decades of the twentieth century. This article contributes to the knowledge of colonial Yucatec Maya women through the interpretation of documentary evidence of three indigenous rites meant to facilitate women’s perinatal health and successful childbirth. This evidence is contained in the eighteenth-century collection of healing chants known as the “ritual of the bacabs.” The chants include those for cooling the steam bath used in indigenous perinatal treatments, for difficulty in childbirth, and for rites surrounding the disposal of the afterbirth. Through an analysis that combines philological approaches with ethnographic interviews of contemporary Maya speakers, this article provides new insights into the intersection between ritual and culture-specific notions of the body among the colonial Maya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on female-gendered activities in Mesoamerican culture and reveals a strong link between conception, pregnancy, and childbirth on the one hand and weaving and other activities that produce cloth on the other. Supporting evidence from sources such as codices painted during the Postclassic period (13th to 15th centuries) in the northern Maya area indicates that these associations have a longtime depth, spanning at least a millennium. Ethnohistoric sources from highland Guatemala, paired with contemporary practices in that region, provide further insights into beliefs and rituals associated with childbirth and midwifery among prehispanic Maya populations. A review of colonial-period Nahuatl sources provides a comparative perspective for framing the Maya data within the broader context of pre-Conquest Mesoamerica. Despite the events that have transpired during the past five hundred years in this region, this study finds that many of the elements that were key to this conceptual framework during the Pre-Hispanic period continue to be important today, although their range is more restricted now than it was during the Postclassic and colonial periods. Striking commonalities, as noted, are those that link weaving activities with pregnancy and childbirth. Additionally, objects and iconography related to women and birth—in the form of serpents, umbilical cords, and ropes—tie the act of birth to primordial creation events and highlight the association between midwife and creator grandmother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on two years of fieldwork I carried out among the Mixe of Oaxaca (Mexico), I have suggested that the multiplicity of phenomena linked to life can be studied by using a pragmatics-based approach to map the agentive configurations within which vital processes appear and to delineate the participation of human and nonhuman agents in these processes. As an example of what this approach can do, this paper uses some of my ethnographic data to make some new arguments for interpreting life as a process of making in the context of a birth ritual. I will show how, within a regime of coactivity, humans and nonhuman agents participate together in changing the status of a child so that he/she can become an active person within his/her society. More generally, my aim is to explain how, beyond simple wordplay, the notions of “life forms” and “forms of life” can be conceptually articulated in anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis of bed figures in ancient Egypt focusing on childbirth rituals using medico-magical spells, amulets and other objects aimed at ensuring the survival of both mother and child. It discusses topics including a Middle Kingdom magical birth bricks found by the Pennsylvania Museum in South Abydos, the female figurines and model beds, and concubines of the dead and related theories, as well as figurines for fertility and birth.

Background: Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has the highest maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) due to traditional practice and beliefs on pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. The objective of this study was to get a better understanding of cultural beliefs and practices surrounding pregnancy, ANC and postpartum care among rural women in Lao PDR.Methods: Eight focus group discussions and 52 interviews were carried out with delivered women, husbands, mothers, traditional birth attendants, head villagers, Lao Women's Union members and healthcare workers, in Khammouane and Champasack provinces in Lao PDR. In order to accurately grasp participants' perceptions and understandings, content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts.Results: Most women in the study claimed to have attended ANC, but participants also explained that it was unnecessary to attend ANC and give birth at a clinic if the woman felt healthy. Factors that discouraged ANC attendance and giving birth at clinics included: time and money constraints; the perceived necessity of giving birth on a "hot bed"; the need for "mother-roasting" after giving birth; the belief that preparing for a birth was a bad omen for the birth; the belief that colostrum is unhealthy for the newborn child; and the preference for cutting the umbilical cord with a piece of sharpened bamboo.Conclusions: Harmful cultural practices such as discarding colostrum should be discouraged; beneficial practices such as family involvement in birthing and keeping a mother warm after birth could be integrated into biomedical practice. Given the prevalence and importance of the cultural understandings we have described in this study, it is clear that proposed changes in cultural practices need to be addressed with sensitivity and that community stakeholders and trusted leaders will need to be involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this Western Australian study was to describe the overall labour and birth experience of women who were transferred during the first and second stages of labour from a low risk woman-centred, midwifery-led birth centre to a co-located tertiary maternity referral hospital.Methods: Using a descriptive phenomenological design, fifteen women were interviewed up to 8 weeks post birth (July to October, 2013) to explore their experience of the intrapartum transfer. Giorgi's method of analysis was used.Results: The following themes and subthemes emerged: 1) The midwife's voice with subthemes, a) The calming effect and b) Speaking up on my behalf; 2) In the zone with subthemes, a) Hanging in there and b) Post birth rationalizing; 3) Best of both worlds with subthemes a) The feeling of relief on transfer to tertiary birth suite and b) Returning back to the comfort and familiarity of the birth centre; 4) Lost sense of self; and 5) Lost birth dream with subthemes a) Narrowing of options and b) Feeling of panic. Women found the midwife's voice guided them through the transfer experience and were appreciative of continuity of care. There was a sense of disruption to expectations and disappointment in not achieving the labour and birth they had anticipated. There was however appreciation that the referral facility was nearby and experts were close at hand. The focus of care altered from woman to fetus, making women feel diminished. Women were glad to return to the familiar birth centre after the birth with the opportunity to talk through and fully understand their labour journey which helped them contextualise the transfer as one part of the whole experience.Conclusions: Findings can inform midwives of the value of a continuity of care model within a birth centre, allowing women both familiarity and peace of mind. Maternity care providers should ensure that the woman remains the focus of care after transfer and understand the significance of effective communication to ensure women are included in all care discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain birth customs were lost or are in the process of disappearing, of being contaminated with customs borrowed from other regions of the country or even with traditions imported from abroad by those who immigrated. It is difficult to continue speaking of an authentic folklore as regards this ceremonial, the rites deteriorating due to the loss of their initial significance. There are new customs as active expressions of the human spirit, thus the system of customs changes and regenerates. Society develops and inherently the mentality and perception of life also change. Birth is seen as an absolute beginning and all the phenomena connected with this event have the status of the primordial gesture repeated through ritualization in order to influence the future. The complex of practices accompanying birth is connected not only to the phenomenon itself but also with the period of pregnancy and lying-in. The pregnant woman is subjected to a whole range of interdicitons. The moment of birth and the period of lying-in used to be loaded with rites whose malefic or beneficial action was based on the priciple of contagion - analogy. The entire complex of magic practices, of preparatory or post-natal rites, referring to the infant's and of the lying-in woman's protection, used to be the midwife's task in the past. In the villages of the Land of Lăpuş, the party representing the unreligious part of the christening is called baptismal feast in which all those who are invited participate. Through its physiological function, the alimentary act holds a central place in human existence and implies, more than any other activity, numerous techniques and symbols, social norms and rules of conduct, interdictions and presciptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Routines and meaningful rituals play an important role in the family dynamic system. During the past 30 years, migratory flow into Italy has been constantly increasing. Our aim was to explore the structure of daily life in order to understand and compare family functioning of migrant couples in Italy with the family functioning of couples who were born and bred in Italy. In our study there were 124 participants (31 Italian couples and 31 migrant couples) who completed modified versions of the Family Routine Inventory and the Family Ritual Questionnaire. Participants were contacted by teachers at kindergartens attended by the children of the couples. The results highlighted a significant difference between Italian and migrant couples in the symbolic-significance dimension of rituals. The particularity of this finding is its coexistence with the absence of significant differences in the more pragmatic aspects of rituals. The possible influence of the migration experience and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines stone figurines from the Central Sahel region. Particular focus is given to how these stone figurines and animals were used in birth protection rituals in the area. Additional topics discussed include how animals were viewed as spiritual protectors during births, how the ages and origins of these groups of stone figurines are being determined and the various cultures that expanded throughout Yatenga in Burkina Faso. Evidence of wear, patinas and human polishing on these figurines is also explored.

Background: Over the past several decades in Northern Thailand, there has been a contest of authoritative knowledge between the Hmong traditional birth system and the Thai biomedical maternity system. In this paper, we explore the contest in one Hmong village by describing the traditional and biomedical practices; families' birth location choices; and elements of authoritative knowledge. Methods: We built on a village survey and conducted an ethnographic qualitative case study of 16 families who made different pregnancy care choices. Results: The contest is being won by the Thai biomedical system, as most families deliver at the hospital. These families choose hospital births when they evaluate problems or potential problems; they have more confidence in the superior Thai biomedical system with its technology and medicines than in the inadequate Hmong traditional system. But the contest is ongoing, as some families prefer to birth at home. These families choose home births when they want a supportive home environment; they embrace traditional Hmong birth knowledge and practices as superior and reject hospital birth practices as unnecessary, harmful, abusive, and inadequate. Despite their choice for any given pregnancy, the case study families feel the pull of the other choice: hospital birth families lament loss of the home environment and express their dislike of hospital practices; and home birth families feel the anxiety of potentially needing quick obstetrical assistance that is far away. Conclusion: While most families choose to participate in the Thai biomedical system, they also use Hmong pregnancy and postpartum practices, and some families choose home births. In this village, the contest for the supremacy of authoritative birth knowledge is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to describe and analyze the culture and traditions related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care of the Kukama kukamiria women, living in the Peruvian Amazon, and their experiences and perceptions of care at home compared to that received at the health center. Methods: a qualitative study based on ethnography that seeks to analyze traditional knowledge and practices of self-care, taking into account descriptions of home births attended by traditional midwives, compared to that of birth care at the health institution. Results: home delivery prioritizes women's' comfort, through the use of teas, baths and specific rituals in caring for the placenta; dietary regulations and attention to environmental aspects such as temperature and lighting are built into care. At the health facilities, routine interventions include acceleration of labor with the use of drugs, vaginal cutting (episiotomy), immobilization in lithotomy position, and the disposal of the placenta as garbage; which is perceived as inadequate and aggressive. Conclusion: a preference for traditional care is justified based on feelings of neglect and vulnerability at institutionalized health centers, resulting from the lack of consideration by the health services for the cultural and well-being specificities of the Kukama Kukamiria women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents some of the conclusions a post-doctoral research which gathered data on childbirth beliefs from 20 urbanites, for almost 2 years. Most of the traditional memory of superstitions and rites proved itself to be alive and active, although subjects have been living in towns for decades and decades. The author explains this fact by three characteristics of human reactions to life, and details the second one: science cannot answer to all the questions raised by events, the need to deflect harm and the aspiration to influence positively the future. All the apotropaic elements surrounding the yet unbaptized baby speak about a magical vulnerability to the world around. Moreover, death before Christianization represents an unchanged fear for the first generation of town dwellers, since it is considered a great sin for the parents. The study also investigates common elements of this belief with similar ones from different European countries. Moreover, in order to cheat death, urbanites still magically sell the sick babies on the windows from their apartments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hereby article presents some characteristics of the family customs, those related to birth, marriage, funeral. These rites of passage have a collective character, although they are related to each individual life. We do not intend to make an exhaustive presentation on the rites of passage of the Jews in Maramures, or to come up with theoretical considerations on customs' research, but we just want to present a of the information achieved so far based on field research and of course using bibliographic sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Científica Guillermo de Ockham is the property of Revista Cientifica Guillermo de Ockham, Universidad de San Buenaventura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Electronic Turkish Studies is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Traditional beliefs and customs concerning pregnancy and childbirth are still numerous and vivid in Romania and among Romanian inhabitants in neighbouring countries. Fieldwork on this theme carried out over several decades has resulted in a large body of material showing the special position of a pregnant woman in traditional Romanian society. This paper deals specifically with Moldovan birth tradition and concentrates on society's view of the pregnant woman and her unborn child as indicated by the large variety of beliefs and traditions aimed at protecting her and her child. It is evident from this material, that both the prospective mother and society are expected to be aware of, and to engage with, traditional precepts concerning the healthy development of the foetus and the achievement of an unblemished birth. It is also clear that the role and influence of the former untrained midwife in the magical protection of the mother and her child are still part of cultural memory in Moldova. The idea that a pregnant woman has the ability to bring rain in times of drought seems to emanate from a traditional perception of her as embodying fertility powers linked or analogous to the earth's germinative capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination into the ancient Sumerian text of "A balbale to Bau for Šu-Suen," also referred to as Šu-Suen A or SRT 23, from the Ur III period. Subjects discussed include the roles of the characters of Šu-Suen, Abī-simtī, and Kubātum in the tale, the literary style and structure of the work, and comparisons to birth narratives from Egyptian literature to highlight the tale's distinctive elements. Discussion is also given to the birth gift-giving customs of ancient Mesopotamia as seen in their administrative texts.

The author uses a mirror technique to highlight the few change birth customs have undertaken over centuries in Romania and more specifically in Moldova villages. She invokes ethnographic work from 19th and 20th century and compares it to customs she gathered from actual fieldwork in the past years. Each phase from this passage rite seems to have preserved ritual patterns that help the new mother and her child adapt to a different ontological situation. Although technology and society evolution have exposed traditional thinking to change, birth beliefs remain the same and secure the neophytes, both on a psychological level and on a magic one. The study also approaches the figure of the midwife, although this occupation performed without professional training faced extinction. Women still remember her and the stories they tell on the midwife are close to legend. The overall impression on birth customs emphasizes the sacred nature of the woman able to give life and to propel germination or sterility to the surrounding environment. On his turn, the baby appears highly receptive to anything his mother thinks, acts or touches, also to the persons that come into contact with him before baptism. The midwife was in charge with the magic protection of the two and some of her mystical actions are now performed by the mother herself or by her relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the practices related to pregnancy, birth, naming, and circulation of children in order to approach to their socially constructed place among the Argentine's Mbyá Guaraní. I begin by arguing that the religious values are central to their production as people. Then I examine some non-ordinary and disruptive situations, such as the conception and birth of twins, to show how a Mbyá person settles down in the group. Finally, I consider the exceptions to the traditional ways for they show that in the Mbyá worldview, new mechanisms of inclusion of children have been generated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Maternal mortality is particularly high among poor, indigenous women in rural Peru, and the use of facility care is low, partly due to cultural insensitivities of the health care system. Approach A culturally appropriate delivery care model was developed in poor and isolated rural communities, and implemented between 1999 and 2001 in cooperation with the Quechua indigenous communities and health professionals. Data on birth location and attendance in one health centre have been collected up to 2007. Local setting The international nongovernmental organization, Health Unlimited, and its Peruvian partner organization, Salud Sín Límites Perú, conducted the project in Santillana district in Ayacucho. Relevant changes The model involves features such as a rope and bench for vertical delivery position, inclusion of family and traditional birth attendants in the delivery process and use of the Quechua language. The proportion of births delivered in the health facility increased from 6% in 1999 to 83% in 2007 with high satisfaction levels. Lessons learned Implementing a model of skilled delivery attendance that integrates modern medical and traditional Andean elements is feasible and sustainable. Indigenous women with little formal education do use delivery services if their needs are met. This contradicts common victim-blaming attitudes that ascribe high levels of home births to "cultural preferences" or "ignorance". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of several birth narratives by various authors including Jennifer Lauck, Anne Lamott, and Rahna Reiko Rizzuto is presented. The psychological, political, and literary reasons birth narratives are told are examined and their effect on maternal self-esteem, critiques of medical care, and use as cautionary tales are explored. Linearity, familiarity, and reliability within childbirth stories are also discussed.

The article looks at the ethnology of the Rajbanshis, one of the indigenous peoples in Nepal. It provides a historical overview of the Rajbanshis, noting various legends relating to their origin and ancestry. It also discusses their settlement which is mostly in Jhapa, their housing patterns, their lineage, and the structure of their families. Their rituals relating to birth, marriage, and death ceremonies are investigated, as well as their food habits, dress patterns, and religion. Particular focus is also given to the economic system of the Rajbanshis.

Viewing the wider collective rituals of childbirth as liminal is helpful in understanding the highly contested nature of many cultural practices. With English & Irish historical examples, this essay will argue that it has been to the advantage of women that they maintain a wide range of post-partum taboos and rituals. The themes of post-partum pollution and female power are developed in the context of wet-nursing and the withholding of colostrum. 'Churching', evident in the medieval period in Britain, continues to this very day, though in a simplified form. The colostrum taboo and ideas about the transmission of personality via breast milk are very ancient ideas, now entirely discredited in a British context, though to breastfeed another's baby is now socially taboo. Ideas about how the passions of the nurse could spoil her milk and cause diseases in the child were still widespread in the nineteenth century, and there are resonances of these ideas evident today in beliefs about how pregnant women's emotions might damage her developing foetus. Theoretically, this article illustrates how anthropological ideas can enrich our understanding of cultural history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]