﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  549 
  

  

  Birth 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  house. 
  Usually, 
  the 
  mother 
  is 
  

   assisted 
  by 
  female 
  relatives 
  or 
  by 
  professional 
  midwives, 
  who 
  are 
  old 
  

   persons 
  of 
  either 
  sex. 
  The 
  midwife 
  is 
  paid 
  for 
  his 
  or 
  her 
  services 
  and 
  

   receives 
  an 
  extra 
  fee 
  for 
  disposing 
  of 
  the 
  afterbirth. 
  The 
  husband 
  

   may 
  be 
  present 
  and 
  may 
  assist, 
  No 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  couvade 
  exist. 
  

   When 
  birth 
  is 
  imminent, 
  glowing 
  coals 
  are 
  passed 
  around 
  the 
  house 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  the 
  child 
  from 
  becoming 
  sick, 
  and 
  a 
  knife 
  is 
  stuck 
  into 
  the 
  

   floor 
  near 
  the 
  door 
  to 
  facilitate 
  delivery 
  and 
  to 
  protect 
  mother 
  and 
  

   child 
  from 
  evil 
  spirits. 
  The 
  midwife 
  massages 
  the 
  woman 
  and 
  tumbles 
  

   her 
  in 
  a 
  blanket 
  to 
  put 
  the 
  baby 
  in 
  the 
  proper 
  position 
  to 
  be 
  born. 
  If 
  

   the 
  birth 
  is 
  difficult, 
  a 
  medicine 
  is 
  administered 
  to 
  speed 
  it, 
  although 
  

   nothing 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  relieve 
  labor 
  pains. 
  

  

  A 
  woman 
  delivers 
  in 
  a 
  crouching 
  position, 
  supported 
  by 
  her 
  husband 
  

   or 
  a 
  female 
  relative. 
  She 
  does 
  not 
  remove 
  her 
  clothes. 
  When 
  the 
  

   child 
  begins 
  to 
  come, 
  her 
  belt 
  is 
  tightened 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  abdomen. 
  

   The 
  umbilical 
  cord 
  is 
  cut 
  with 
  an 
  obsidian 
  blade 
  and 
  tied 
  with 
  cotton 
  

   twine. 
  It 
  is 
  supported 
  by 
  a 
  string 
  passing 
  around 
  the 
  child's 
  neck, 
  

   and 
  a 
  cotton 
  pad 
  is 
  placed 
  over 
  the 
  navel. 
  If 
  the 
  baby 
  does 
  not 
  

   breathe 
  at 
  once, 
  the 
  midwife 
  breathes 
  down 
  its 
  throat. 
  The 
  child 
  is 
  

   washed 
  either 
  by 
  the 
  midwife 
  or 
  by 
  a 
  relative 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  day 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  propitious 
  for 
  this 
  operation. 
  If 
  a 
  belt 
  twisted 
  tightly 
  about 
  

   the 
  mother 
  fails 
  to 
  expel 
  the 
  placenta, 
  the 
  midwife 
  pulls 
  it 
  out. 
  The 
  

   mother 
  is 
  then 
  rubbed 
  with 
  herbs 
  to 
  prevent 
  her 
  catching 
  cold. 
  

  

  The 
  placenta 
  receives 
  special 
  treatment. 
  The 
  midwife 
  floats 
  a 
  

   piece 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  basin 
  of 
  water 
  to 
  divine 
  by 
  its 
  movements 
  the 
  child's 
  

   future. 
  In 
  the 
  La 
  Paz 
  area, 
  the 
  placenta 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  flowers 
  and 
  

   buried 
  in 
  the 
  shade, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  miniature 
  farm 
  implements 
  if 
  the 
  

   child 
  is 
  a 
  boy 
  or 
  cooking 
  utensils 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  girl 
  (Paredes, 
  1936, 
  p. 
  114). 
  

   The 
  Peruvian 
  Aymara 
  place 
  it 
  inside 
  two 
  new 
  pottery 
  bowls 
  and 
  burn 
  

   it, 
  either 
  keeping 
  the 
  ashes 
  as 
  a 
  medicine 
  or 
  burying 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  shady 
  

   spot. 
  After 
  handling 
  the 
  placenta, 
  which 
  is 
  considered 
  dangerous 
  and 
  

   is 
  thought 
  to 
  injure 
  the 
  hands 
  and 
  eyes, 
  the 
  hands 
  must 
  be 
  rubbed 
  

   with 
  llama 
  fat 
  and 
  red 
  ocher. 
  

  

  The 
  mother 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  for 
  a 
  week 
  after 
  birth, 
  during 
  

   which 
  her 
  diet 
  is 
  restricted, 
  salt 
  and 
  aji 
  being 
  prohibited 
  (Perti); 
  in 
  

   Bolivia, 
  women 
  are 
  said 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  confined 
  after 
  childbirth. 
  During 
  

   confinement, 
  the 
  mother's 
  feces 
  and 
  urine 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  child 
  are 
  

   deposited 
  in 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  near 
  the 
  door, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  

   thought 
  that 
  throwing 
  them 
  outside 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  would 
  make 
  the 
  infant 
  

   ill. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  week, 
  the 
  blankets 
  and 
  other 
  objects 
  contami- 
  

   nated 
  by 
  the 
  birth 
  are 
  washed 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  poured 
  into 
  the 
  hole, 
  

   which 
  is 
  then 
  filled 
  in. 
  Before 
  the 
  mother 
  mingles 
  again 
  with 
  other 
  

   people, 
  her 
  clothes 
  and 
  house 
  are 
  disinfected 
  with 
  the 
  smoke 
  of 
  certain 
  

   herbs. 
  She 
  may 
  not 
  wash 
  with 
  water 
  for 
  a 
  month, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  

   she 
  must 
  wash 
  her 
  hair 
  and 
  hands 
  with 
  an 
  infusion 
  of 
  special 
  herbs. 
  

  

  