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taboos and rituals in pregnancy |
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(57) During his wife's pregnancy a man must not do any basket work. In case of difficult delivery all baskets which by chance he has made must be torn to pieces, he cuts also the cane on the handle of his dao and may take out the dao of the handle. Also a small chicken is taken and and old man or old woman swings it towards the woman in labour and says: [konyak]. (58) Sometimes shavings of iron are mixed with water and given to a woman in labour. If a woman has a miscarriage (nau-lu-bu) the whole village holds a genna of one day, also if a child is stillborn. It is said that Ben women are nine months pregnant, and Ang women ten months, but Yongang says himself that that is not true, all children are born within ten months. |
