Accouchement traditionnel et spiritualité en Haïti

oleh: Obrillant Damus

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Université des Antilles

Deskripsi

Realized by matrons in rural Haitian communities, home birth is an event whose complex spiritual dimension has been empirically observed. Whether it is perceived as a phenomenon of natural laws or as a phenomenon blocked by a lwa (vodou god), an evil spirit, or an evildoer, rural birth is always rooted in spirituality. Matrons-mambos call upon spirits (gods of Haitian vodou), use psalms and prayers to facilitate or unblock a birth. Traditional midwives who claim to be Catholic or Protestant use prayers and psalm texts. But some of them may ask the relatives of a woman in labor to call a houngan or a mambo in case of a difficult delivery. The main objective of this contribution is to show that spirituality is inherent to vaginal delivery and that it participates in its success in the domestic space.