Native Americans and the Rituals of Birth

Native Americans and the Rituals of Birth

There are so many different cultures inside the American Indian culture. Although within the American Indian culture you can categorize or generalize the culture by making factual statements such as: Native Americans value your word, Trust is important, and Native Americans rely on information networks, there are still numerous different religions, tribes, rituals and ceremonies that all lie within the one culture of Native Americans. Birthing rituals in the Native American culture different vastly from the birthing rituals of other culturals. The word is defined as the prescribed order of a religious ceremony; The body of ceremonies or rites used in a place of worship; and the prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony: the ritual of an inauguration.The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved February 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rituals

Keeping the Circle: American Indian Identity in Eastern North Carolina, 1885-2004 (Indians of the Southeast) by Christopher Arris Oakley

Native Americans that practice hindu religion perform ceremonies during pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and growing child. The father may part the hair of the mother three times upward from the front to the back, to assure the ripening of the embryo. Charms may serve toward off the evil eye and witches or demons. At birth, before the umbilical cord is severed, the father may touch the baby's lips with a gold spoon or ring dipped in honey, curds, and ghee. The word vak (speech) is whispered three times into the right ear, and mantras are chanted to ensure a long life. A number of rituals for the infant include the first visit outside to a temple, the first feeding with solid food (usually cooked rice), an ear-piercing ceremony, and the first haircut (shaving the head) that often occurs at a temple or during a festival when the hair is offered to a deity. http://www.experiencefestival.com/spiritual_rituals_and_ceremonies

In the Aztec culture, instantaneously from birth, a child born would be immediately introduced to the customs of the Aztecs. The midwife who had taken care of the delivery would act as mediator and would see to the fulfillment of rites. It was she who welcomed the new born into the world, giving it precious names while at the same time, warning the baby of the sorrows of life. After doing so, the midwife would wash the child, praying to Chalchiuhtlicue, known to the Aztecs as the goddess of water. The prayer would ask for the child to be purified throughout life and that all stain be washed away with the water. Soon after the birth of a child, the father would send for the tonalpouhqui, or soothsayer, who was considered a specialist in the study of the sacred books. The soothsayer would be given a meal and also his fee, and then would begin by asking the exact moment of birth, in order to determine what sign the child was born under. If it was born under a good sign, then the future would be a prosperous one. If the child was born under a bad sign, then the soothsayer would use his wit to find a better sign. Four days after birth, the baptism would take place, as the midwife would pour water drops on the baby’s head and wash the body completely. After this, the midwife would hoist the baby four times in her arms invoking the sun. atencionsanmiguel.org/revi_2006_mar_03_eng.html

In a Sikh’s household, as soon after the birth of a child as the mother becomes capable of moving about and taking bath (irrespective of the number of days which that takes), the family and relatives should go to a gurduwara with karhah prashad (sacred pudding) or get karhah prashad made in the gurduwara and recite in the holy presence of the Guru Granth Sahib such hymns as “parmeshar ditг banг”, “Satguru sache diг bhej” that are expressive of joy and thankfulness. Thereafter if a reading of the holy Guru Granth Sahib had been taken up, that should be concluded. Then the holy Hukam (command) should be taken. A name starting with the first letter of the hymn of the Hukam (command) should be proposed by the granthi (man in attendance of the holy book) and, after its acceptance by the congregation, the name should be announced by him. The boy’s name must have the suffix “Singh” and the girl’s, the suffix “Kaur”. After