The Mystical Afterbirth: A Mini-Essay

     Due to its intimate connection to the mother and her infant, the placenta and umbilical cord have played a major role in birthing ceremonies among ancient civilizations and current indigenous tribes. For the Munduruça Indians of Brazil and the Balinese of Indonesia, these organs hold protective powers and new parents are instructed to bury them under the house to guard the family from evil entities.[1] The Chukchee Indians of Northeast Siberia hold a similar belief; however, they construct a miniature reliquary for the items and place it in the corner of their tents.[2] The Zulu tribe of Africa possesses the most interesting ritual. For these individuals, the placenta and umbilical cord’s personal connection to the infant can allow malicious spirits to take control of the child if these organs are not properly hidden. To accomplish this, the mother must wait seven days following her child’s birth. On this particular day, she nonchalantly wanders down to the river with the items hidden under her clothing and buries them as deeply as she can in the mud of the banks. She must then casually trek back to the village as though nothing has happened. All of this, in turn, is done to fool the evil spirits and prevent them from digging up the organs and using them to enact harm on the infant.[3]

Works Referenced

Sorel, Nancy. Ever Since Eve: Personal Reflections on Childbirth. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.
____________________
[1] Sorel, 123.
[2] Sorel, 123.
[3] Sorel, 123.