Indigenous support system for birthing mothers

By Penelope A. Domogo, MD

October is Indigenous Peoples Month. We take this window, therefore, to celebrate our wonderful indigenous Igorot heritage. You know, dear reader, we, indigenous peoples, have so much to thank our ancestors for. I am a full bloodied Igorot and I cannot run out of things to thank and honor our elders. In this issue we will discuss a set of indigenous practices of the Igorots in Mountain Province revolving around pregnancy, birthing and postpartum with the intention of ensuring the life and well-being of the mother and the baby. Here we go.
In indigenous communities in Mountain Province, women are highly valued because they determine the survival of the tribe. How? By nature, it is women, not men, who sustain life in the womb and until the baby is weaned. Many practices have evolved through the centuries to ensure that women are healthy to give birth not only to one child but to as many because in the past, survival of people was solely dependent on human labor. People of old have discerned that a healthy mother begets a healthy baby and that the postpartum period is a very vulnerable stage for a woman and thus she should be fully supported, not only by her immediate family, but by the community as a whole, during this period. After giving birth, a woman is “naganos” (tender like a baby), even if she feels strong. From the Applais in the west to the Gaddangs in the east, we have the same caring traditional practices that support the mother and family from the time the woman is pregnant to childbirth to postpartum. These practices have been passed on throughout generations until today because, as it was then, a woman should not die when giving life to another. Thus despite the geographically isolated areas in Mountain Province populated mainly by indigenous peoples commonly called Igorots, women, since time immemorial, have given birth in their homes without much ado, sometimes even by themselves. And now we have thriving communities. Thank God, these practices are still widely practiced throughout Mountain Province.
Knowing that pregnancy and childbirth are not diseases, pregnant women are expected to continue their daily work except carrying heavy load and doing heavy work. This physically active life is observed to make labor easy. In this indigenous natural setting, she is allowed to eat anything except twin bananas because she might have twins. There are some other taboo foods depending on what is available in the locality. When somebody sees a pregnant woman carrying a heavy load, he or she is supposed to carry it for her. When my daughter was pregnant with her first child, she was reprimanded by somebody in the community because she was carrying something heavy (she didn’t remember what I told her). She is also reminded by anybody in the community not to do such for her sake. Adults, especially older men and women, instruct the pregnant woman not to go to places that are “nangilin” (like far away water bodies or forests as something bad might happen to the baby), she should not go to wakes (these are unhappy occasions and people then knew that the emotional state of the mother affects the unborn), she should not venture to far places alone. People are also not supposed to make a pregnant woman cry or angry. During celebrations like weddings, she is given a double portion.
During delivery, the husband is expected to be around so wherever he is working, he is supposed to be home when the expected date is near and wait for the birth of the child. This ensures that the woman has somebody to help her 24/7, anytime she delivers or has a problem. The mother of the pregnant woman or her mom-in-law is expected also to be there especially during the expected birth of the first child. These ensure hands-on tutorial lessons thus there is passage of necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills regarding birthing and life, in general, throughout generations. The father of the woman or father-in-law is also expected to teach the would-be father. In the absence of these, there are the aunties and uncles or the neighbor.
In Igorot communities, especially in clustered villages, every one’s life is an open book. It is even more open than Facebook because people see you, warts and all. In Facebook, you can hide the warts or anything you don’t want your friends to know. The community, or at least the neighbors and relatives, will know when the pregnant woman is going to deliver so when there is difficult labor or other problematic situations, an automatic emergency response system takes place. An emergency hammock is fashioned from a blanket and able-bodied men gather to carry the woman to a health facility or any vehicle in the area will be mobilized.
To ensure enough breastmilk of the mother, lactating mothers are served a lot of soup especially bean soup. In Bontoc, the popular beans for lactation is “etab.”. Mothers would keep dried “etab” if their daughter is expected to give birth when the “etab” is out of season. .
After birth, rituals are done with prayers to thank the Supreme Being / the Unseen for the safe delivery and to ask for fast recovery of mother and good health and other blessings for the baby and family. A sign is placed in front of the house (like the “pajipad”, a reed, in Mainit, Bontoc) to deter visitors especially from far places from entering the house to protect the baby from bad energies that the visitor might be bringing in. This is reverse quarantine. Food like shells, vegetables from the field are given to the family knowing that the newly-delivered mother cannot work for some time. The husband and older children and other relatives will take over the work at home and in the field until about 1 to 2 months. They will also help babysit the newborn. The newly-delivered mother is expected to just breastfeed the baby and care for herself. She is “donya” for some time. In many areas, if the husband and other relatives are not around during childbirth, the community people would do the farm work for the newly-delivered woman. This ensures that the woman and her family will not go hungry. This really ensured that the mother and her family would have food because in the distant past, there was no rice for sale. Isn’t that a truly wonderful practice!
At the right time, usually when the cord drops off, the family holds another thanksgiving ritual and the community people give gifts whether cash or kind to the baby. In Sagada, this is called “gobbao” where the child is also given a name.
At this vulnerable stage in a woman’s life, everybody’s energy in the community is directed towards supporting the mother and the baby. These caring practices include teaching the mother, especially first-time mothers, to take care of herself also. Thus Igorot women are relatively independent. This wonderful indigenous support system and the values that it carries ensure the health and well-being of mothers and children. And yes, this support system has enabled Igorot communities to survive and we are here today.
What lessons can we learn from these indigenous practices?
1. Indigenous peoples (IPs) have accumulated an immense body of knowledge on how to live well that have passed the test of time like the following:
-Our natural environment has nurtured the well-being and sturdiness of the Igorots because we have lived in harmony with it.
-It is wise to listen to the wisdom of nature and the wisdom of our elders.
-People need to cooperate with each other, share blessings and burdens (“og-ogbo”).
2. Indigenous peoples’ concept of health and well-being is holistic and goes beyond what can be measured by current western technology as shown by their recognition of good and bad energies or spirits, and by their practice of prayerful rituals. Well-being is a body-mind-spirit-environment condition.
3. Health is not a technical matter. It is, indeed, a social phenomenon. The support system of families and communities is crucial for the health well-being of individuals which, in turn, determine the health and well-being of families, communities and the world.
Now our challenge. With the influx of foreign cultures and as an effect of some government policies, these knowledge, practices, systems and values are being eroded to the detriment of the health and well-being of Igorots. Thus we need to document and reclaim these (this publication is one), teach them in schools including medical and allied medical schools, and for the Department of Health to strengthen its program on indigenous peoples’ health and localize policies to support these practices. With the presence of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and our indigenous peoples mandatory representatives, we expect more action forthcoming.***
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“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” Deuteronomy 32:7