Mother and Child by Dave Seymour

When a woman became pregnant restrictions were placed on the woman and her husband. She was not allowed to eat certain foods or do certain things for the sake of the baby she carried. Even though the pregnant woman craved much she was told not to gorge on food, but ration her meals. She was told not to eat fatty foods, and to boil or steam much of what she was to eat. She was not allowed to look at ugly or deformed things so the baby would have its likeness.

As soon as she found out she was pregnant she drank medicines and tea to help with the delivery of her child, and to keep her body system clean. Then the pregnant woman had to prepare what would be needed during her delivery. The woman went into isolation preceding birth. With the possible exception of her husband she was left on her own. Also she chose the person she wanted to assist in the delivery of her baby. Being pregnant was another stage of life for which every women was expected to be prepared for.

During her pregnancy the woman was still required to get around and do work on a regular basis. However, her family made sure she did not have to carry heavy objects or do intense jobs. It was said that a woman that sat or lay around too much would have a big baby with a large head, and this would make the birthing process difficult.

When the woman bathed she took a green, smooth stone, which she received as a young woman in training, with her. She would go into the creek, sit in a squatting position, and pray and talk to the rock. She would rub it upon herself in the direction that the water flowed. It is believed that this would help during the birth of the baby, because the baby would come out just as easily as the water flowed and smooth as the texture of her stone. The mother would not have to endure a long, hard labor.

After a child was born, his umbilical cord was ritually buried on the ancestral land of his people, symbolically attaching him to the land. The mother and father were then released from restrictions. The baby would receive a name during a public feast. Most names chosen were hereditary.