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SPIRIT OF A WOMAN
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 Nagamma,
a tribal midwife from the southern
Indian state of Tamil Nadu, attributes illnesses to the spirit world and
declares that Kanyamma, a goddess, helps her with her healingWe have this ritual for coping with psychological problems such as too much fear or anxiety or bad dreams during early pregnancy. We put three stones at the back of the house, and apply kumkum and turmeric on them. We make pongal and offer it there; we also sacrifice a cock. Then the pregnant woman walks around that spot three times. She is given a black sari to wear that had earlier been placed on that spot. This helps to send away the bad spirits and ensures that the fetus grows nicely. She must wear this sari every alternate day till it tears or is completely worn out. It is to be washed every day. Her husband must also attend this ceremony. I do this rite many times every month, in seven villages. A white male goat can also be sacrificed. Sacred ash is brought from the next house or a nearby temple, and used in this ceremony. This rite was done on me as well since I was unable to conceive for a long time. It is done for those wanting to become pregnant and for pregnancy-related problems. It invokes the goddess Kanyamma who is worshipped by the rural people. She is believed to be more accepting and beautiful during the Tamil month of Aadi, July 15-August 15. | |||
 At
our place there is a sacred grove of neem trees. Anybody can come and
place stones and do puja here. It is just not possible to count all the
goddesses who live on this spot. The neem tree itself is adeviam, a goddess,
for us. It is believed that a demon will come and cause problems during
pregnancy—for example, the spirit of a woman who has died in childbirth,
called the aavi, can enter a pregnant woman and devour the fetus.
The pregnant woman will feel cold and have convulsions—the spirit
is breaking the fetus. We use neem leaves and chant mantras to send the
demon away. A munishwaran or manusha is another spirit that
can cause problems. This spirit is found in wells and has got matted hair. These spirits mostly go from the first or seventh child and are usually seeking revenge. Before entering the house where a birth is to take place, I wash my legs and hands and pour water over my head to remove the spirits that may have been attracted to me. If threatening spirits are thought to be present, an exorcist is called who waves neem leaves over the woman in labor and drives them away. In the hut or the stone house, the woman's family ties a long thin palm leaf over the door, and places a knife beside the door. When the midwife comes, she takes the knife and cuts the leaf into two. While cutting, she prays to the household god or goddess. Sometimes there may be many gods and goddesses: Kayana, Selvi, Ganga, Kariya. If the cut is clean, the birth will be easy; if not, there will be many complications. | |||
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