placenta | MAGUINDANAO PRIDE

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.

PART II

Read Part I here: KAPEMBATA: Giving Birth/Laboring

When a woman is in pain while laboring, she is given medicinal plants specially prepared by a learned walian or quack doctor.

When the woman is about to labor, someone should utter the word KASILI (eel), so that she will have an easy delivery. After delivering the baby, that is the time that all the people in the house can speak loud or can do their usual chores.

Observe that, Maguindanaons are very careful of how they utter words because they believe that spirits are always listening to them.

When the placenta is out, the walian will tie the umbilical cord, and cut it with a bamboo or stainless knife. The baby should not be laid separate from her mother; the baby should be laid beside her mother.

5.-umbilical-cord-blod — Tying the umbilical cord

The walian will wash the placenta and somebody will look at the walian while she’s washing the placenta. If the placenta has two opening, the baby has a unseen twin, a spirit twin. (So every time, the baby is to be a given gift, another gift should be prepared as offering to the spirit twin).

Before disposing the placenta, the walian will fill it with cold water and then empty it; this is done so that the child’s life will be filled with success. After washing the placenta, it is placed in a clean cloth or plastic.

After sunset, the placenta is “planted” somewhere near the house. “Buried” is not used as a term because the term is for the dead. So, in instructing the father or the pandita, one will say “Please, plant the placenta.” The placenta should be “planted” in a place that cannot be easily stepped on.

Observe that, Maguindanaons are very careful of how they utter words because they believe that spirits are always listening to them.

According to the old belief, the child will easily cry if the placenta is planted in a place that is always stepped on. The father or the pandita who planted the placenta should again recite the adhan if the child is a boy, or recite the “qamat” or “iqamah” if the child is a girl. The pandita should be given token after planting the placenta.

ADHAN:

Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest)

Ash hadu an la ilaha illal lah (I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)

Ash hadu an-na Muhammadar rasulul lah (I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is the messenger of Allah)

Hayya ‘alas salah (Come to prayer)

Hayya ‘alal falah’ (Come to your Success)

Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest)

La ilaha illal Lah (There is no deity but Allah)

QAMAT OR IQAMAH:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

Ash-hadu alla ilaha illa-llah.
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah.

Ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

Hayya ‘ala-s-Salah, hayya ‘ala-s-Salah.
Hasten to the Prayer, hasten to the Prayer

Hayya ‘ala-l-falah, hayya ‘ala-l-falah.
Hasten to real success, hasten to real success.

Qad qamati-s-Salah, Qad qamati-s-Salah.
Prayer is ready, Prayer is ready.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.

La ilaha illa-llah
There is none worthy of worship but Allah.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The correct practice – and Allah (SWT) knows best – is to give Adhan only, since the AUTHENTIC Hadith only refers to the Adhan. As for the iqamah being given in the other ear, then al-Baihaqee reports two Hadith about that – but they are BOTH WEAK as Ibnul-Qayyim says, and as such cannot be used as proof. That is also reported from the practice of the Khaleefah ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul – ‘Azeez – as being his action only. Therefore, it is more correct and closer to the Sunnah to give the Adhan alone.

Also, some of the practices indicated herein are against the teachings of Islam. For Islamic practices on calling adhan to the ear of the newborn, read THIS.

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