Different rituals

The following are some examples of different cultural beliefs and rituals that have been performed with the cord and the placenta after a baby's birth. Many of these were carried out in the past, but some are still practised today. In some cases we are unable to definitely ascertain which rituals are past or present, due to the western influence on many cultures.

The cord
The placenta


The cord

	A close friend or relative cuts the cord and becomes the child's 'navel mother'.
	The father of the baby cuts the cord.
	The older sibling cuts the cord.
	The woman herself cuts the cord.
	Some cultures keep the cord to make special healing preparations to be taken by the child during their childhood.
	It may be dried and kept as a memento.
	A tribe in Arizona dries the cord, and places beads onto it so the child can rub or bite it when teething.
	Aborigines used to make necklaces from the cord for the child to wear, representing growth and aimed at warding off disease.
	In Kenya, Masai midwives chew the cord with their teeth to separate the cord from the placenta. The midwife then pronounces, 'you are now responsible for your life as I am responsible for mine'.

The placenta

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