The walian (priestess or quack midwife) should be paid or given gifts for her participation in caring the pregnant woman from pregnancy to giving birth.
Based on old practices, the mother should give the malong she used when she delivered the baby, one new malong (two if twins), the knife used in cutting the umbilical cord or any silver-made items.
After that, the walian should visit the mother and the child often. On the third day, the walian should place the baby (for the first time) to his/her hammock. The walian will recite an incantation that the baby will have comfortable sleep all the time. Then after that, the walian will quickly get or remove the child from the hammock (meaning: so that the child will get well easily if he/she is sick or will have an illness).
In drying the umbilical cord, the mother should use coconut oil and rice residues from “pansing or pansingan” or a rice measuring cup made of coconut shells, but rice flour is okay.
A portion of the dried umbilical cord will soon separate from the umbilicus. That dried portion should be kept on a weaved and purse-shaped pandan leaves, with lucky charms (usually dried leaves), lucky coins and his/her hair. This is to be placed or pinned in the baby’s hammock.
The dried cord is dipped in a glass of water and the baby will drink it every time he/she has tummy aches. A dried garlic is also pinned on the hammock to drive away bad spirits. If the mother have to go outside and the child will be left alone in the room, the mother should place a basin filed with water and a “bolo” below the hammock to drive away bad spirits that might inflict harm to the baby. (There’s a belief that bad spirits are afraid of their reflections – in the water).
All of the above not any more done nowadays, but as for giving gifts to the walian, some Islamic clerics believe that it is okay because gift-giving is not un-Islamic anyway.
MAGUINDANAO PRIDE 