July

HEALTH AND HEALING PRACTICES

(text by Lucia Ellis )

The traditional medicine practices of the Garinagu consist of practices that are embedded in its African and Amerindian ancestry. These practices of the Garinagu fall into four categories which include herbalists, technical specialists, traditional birth attendants, and spiritual or magico-religious healers. Some of these categories may overlap in their roles. The skills and knowledge are passed on by oral tradition and sometimes generational.

Garinagu herbalists have knowledge of medicinal plants, their uses, preparations, and potions of medicinal plants to suit the need of the ill in the community. Herbal baths and sea baths are used to relieve stress, grief, spiritual trauma and emotional disharmony.

Technical specialists include snake doctors, chiropractor, masseuse (anointing), and curanderos/birth attendants. In the former, technical specialists treat persons who have bone fractures and damaged ligament are treated using herbs prepared in the form of poultices, drinks and oils.

Curanderos/ traditional birth attendants are mainly female caring for women with fertility, home delivery, pre- and post-natal care. The treatment provided for the care of the sick include baths, teas, poultices, smudging and saunas.

A pregnant woman is held in regard by Garinagu. During pregnancy, the mother is sheltered from negative experiences as much as possible, so as not to effect the physical and psychological development of the unborn child. In Garifuna communities, the pregnant female avoids viewing traumatic scenes and limits her participation in events, such as funeral rites. Should these situations be unavoidable, herbal baths are prescribed to realign the pregnant female’s equilibrium so that she and the unborn child are not affected.

In order to meet physical needs of the newborn and her own body, and to experience an easy delivery, recommendations to the new mother are provided by experienced (older) women. These recommendations are provided to assist the mother with the tools for nurturing her child. For example, in preparation for breastfeeding, the mother is taught the importance of monitoring her diet to ensure high quality of her breast milk. She is taught the procedure known as ‘combing of the breast’. This knowledge helps prepare the breast (ducts) for easier milk flow.

The recommendation also include a diet of okra, which allows for an easy delivery for a mother whose husband is away from home. The pregnant female is also taught to avoid certain type of wild (game) meats which can be transmitted to the baby through the breast milk, causing the baby to have an offensive odor.

After delivery, the mother of the newborn child is treated with herbal baths and massages. Her abdomen is also tied (banded) as she recuperates from the birthing experience. The older sister, mother-in-law or friend takes charge of performing these rituals until the mother is capable of doing it for herself. Note, the sisterhood and bonding between women are very important and are strengthened at this time.

Both mother and child are not to be seen by outsiders for nine days after birth. The significane of the number nine is based on the traditional believe that on the ninth day, that the ‘spititual double’, afurugu arrives. This spiritual double derived from ancestral dead of the father’s side. Note that thtere is a cross-cultural practice of tying a red ribbon on the wrist of the infant to protect him/her from the evil eye (mal de ojo).

Another ritual that takes place during childbirth is known as ‘couvades’. Oxford English Dictionary defines coubages as “the custom in which a man takes his bed and goes through certain rituals when his child is being born. An oral account states that, a father who is sexually active with another woman, has an effect on the newborn, which can make the newborn child listless and colicky. In Garifuna culture, the responsive rituals involve restriction to the behaviour of the father. That restriction takes the form of avoidance of over-exertion (sexual activity), which may prove to be dangerous to the child. In addition, a newborn child will react severely in the presence of an individual, male or female who was recently involved in sexual activity. Also hard labour and other forms of strenuous work, such as chopping down trees, etc, which the father is engaged in, can be harmful to the newborn child.

Smoke bath (Smudging): the use of tobacco (Nicotania tabacum) and other herbs are used to cleanse an individual and used in indigenous tradition. The smoke is blown onto the client. There is an overlap between the traditional health and spiritual practices of the Garinagu. Garinagu sees physical ailments as a manifestation of imbalances of the spiritual aspect of the human being. Spiritual leaders use their knowledge, experience, spiritual power and other resources in the process of healing of individual, family and community. During the treatment, the spiritual healer combines prayers, herbal medicine and baths to accomplish their goals. The purpose of spiritual healing and improving health is to restore balance and give life to all members so that they will be able to share their gift and assume/carry out their responsibilities on behalf of their family, clan and/or community.

Source: Traditional Medicine: A Belizean Perspective by Lucia Ellis