114 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARV AN [MEMO ftoL N xxi£ 



that might result from the transgressions, even involuntary, of those taboos which forbid that anyone should sit 

 at the dpor of a pregnant woman's house, or return to the house after having begun his descent down the house 

 pole or ladder. 



3. A third magic means, helpful in birth, is the consuming of a portion of the hearth frame followed, as 

 described above, by a fumigation of a part of the patient's person. The particular effect of this charm is to coun- 

 teract the evil influences which might otherwise result to the child from the nonobservance of the various other 

 taboos mentioned previously. 



4. Finally, various herbs, of which I did not learn the names because of secreti veness on the part of the women, 

 are put on a plate or on anything that is convenient, and burned. On one occasion I observed that the leaves 16 

 used to cover sweetpotatoes and other vegetables during the process of steaming were employed, and on another 

 I procured a piece of grass that had fallen from the plate and later on I ascertained it to be the leaf of a variety 

 of bamboo. I was unable to learn the purpose of this charm, the replies being contradictory or variable in different 

 localities. 



The midwife applies numerous other medicinal herbs and has various other secret expedients of which I 

 have been utterly unable to learn the nature. In one case a midwife claimed to have a bezoar stone " found in 

 the body of an eel. This could not be seen, for it was wrapped in cloth. When the patient gave signs of suffering, 

 she would dip this stone in water and rub it over the woman's abdomen. 



PRENATAL RELIGIOUS AIDS 



It is very rarely, indeed, that any serious difficulty is encountered in childbirth, but I have 

 been informed that difficulties are occasionally met with. In such cases, when all human 

 resources fail, the matter is said to be left in the hands of the family priestesses and the usual 

 religious invocation and rites are performed. In every case one or more priestesses are present, 

 and take the usual precautions, such as the placing of lemon and sasd reed under the house, 

 against the approach of evil spirits. 



ACCOUCHEMENT AND ENSUING EVENTS 



The midwife and her companions continue to assist the patient until the moment of delivery, 

 which takes place ordinarily within from four to six hours after the first pangs of childbirth 

 have been felt. The umbilical cord is immediately cut with a sliver I8 of bamboo, and the mother 

 is made to sit up at once in order to prevent a reflux of the afterbirth into the womb. At least 

 such is the reason assigned for this last practice. 



The child is immediately washed with water and some medicine sprinkled over its navel. 19 

 It is then returned to its mother. Should the birth have occurred during the period between 

 new and full moon, it is said that the child will have good luck 20 during life. 



I desire to call special attention here to the fact that should the mother be in such a condition 

 that she is unable to nourish her babe, it is not given to another woman for nurture, but is 

 sustained temporarily on soup, rice water, and sugarcane juice. I have heard of several cases 

 in which the child succumbed for want of natural nourishment. One case that occurred in San 

 Luis on the middle Agusan, I verified beyond a doubt. Father Pastells, S. J., 21 states that if the 

 child can not be suckled, it is buried alive, its mouth being sometimes filled with ashes. I, how- 

 ever, have never heard of such a practice. 



The reason for allowing no woman other than the mother to nourish the child is that, if the 

 child were nourished by another woman, it would die. In this connection it may be well to 

 state that infant mortality is high. I do not hesitate to say that it is not less than 25 per cent 

 and may be 33 % per cent. " 



The afterbirth, together with the umbilical cord, is nearly always buried under the house. 

 I was told that it is sometimes wrapped up and hung from the beams that are just under the 

 hearth. No reason is given for the selection of this particular place, except that "no one passes 

 there." 



18 Tit-yus. 



•' Mut-ya. 



IB Ba-lis. 



" I was informed on one occasion that the medicine used was pulverized coconut shell, but this point needs further inquiry. 



» Pai-ad. 



« Cartas de los PP. de la Compafiia de Jesus, 8, 1879. 



