Last week we were invited to two events for new babies, both
for two month old boys. Though both events were
held by local Barat people, they were very different. One followed ancestral traditions whereas the other followed more current religious teachings.
The first event, the more current religious event, can be loosely compared to a baby
dedication in the States. We attended
this event of our close neighbors on Monday, who had a little boy in
November. These events are held anywhere from a couple weeks to even up to a year after the birth. It began at 10:30 in
the morning with the grandparents and a few close friends attending, about 15 people in all. The guests all sat on
a carpet in the house while a portion of their holy book was read. Then a portion of the baby’s hair was cut and
placed in a coconut. Some families plant
the coconut to bring about future success.
We unfortunately were late, missing this portion, therefore we did not
see what this particular family did.
After the short ceremony, we all ate a meal where we were sitting on the floor. For this event goats are sacrificed and served to the guests, along with other traditional food items. Two goats for a son and one for a daughter. Some people wait to name their child until this event as well. In this case, our friends had selected and 'named' their child a week after he was born.
Additional
guests where invited, by hand delivered invitations, for a buffet style meal at noon. We
had eaten in the house after the ceremony and left shortly before noon.
Guests arriving for the buffet all ate outside under a large tent
set up in the road. Many events occur in
this manner. People receive an
invitation, they arrive for a buffet meal, greet and congratulate the parents
or newlyweds (depending on the event), and then leave. Often people will trickle in and out for hours,
not having experienced any part of the ceremony and at times never seeing the new baby.
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The Living Room
All furniture was moved out and carpets laid to accommodate guests. Food is brought out on large trays and later cleared away by extended family member and friends that came just to help. All helpers eat after the initial guests have.
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| John and Evangeline talking afterwards. |
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A Bedroom
(their house is currently under construction, but still being lived in and used)
Food is prepared the two days prior.
It is arranged on trays and serving dishes in the kitchen and extra bedroom.
A typical, modern, hammock that most babies sleep in during the day is pictured in the top right.
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The second event we attended began on Sunday and ended on
Tuesday. This more traditional event was
called “Place in a Swing/Hammock,” when translated literally. The baby of this second family was not
allowed to leave the house before this event.
The first day consisted of reading from the holy book, serving food to guests, and a ceremony that involved placing the child in his
swing/hammock. The ceremony itself was
led by a ‘traditional medicine’ woman and attended by the extended family.
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Prepared food on the bed in the bedroom
The 'placing in the hammock' ceremony took place in the bedroom.
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Mom and Baby
The baby was placed in the hammock by the 'medicine woman,' turned around and then taken out by the mom, three times. Then a mixture of flour, water and chicken blood was used to mark the baby and mom's faces.
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Monday and Tuesday both consisted of visiting the graves of ancestors or important Barat figures. We were fortunate to be able to accompany the family on these trips. Though the kids and I, Erin, only attended the trip on Tuesday, it turned out to be an incredible cultural experience. The family, led by the grandmother and grandfather, accompanied by various aunts and uncles, took a complete meal, live chickens, bananas, and young coconuts to each grave site.
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| The walk to a grave site |
After arriving at each site, food was laid out on a tray and
prayers were said. The grave stones, or
site if a stone didn’t exist, were then sprinkled with water, leaves, and rubbed
with perfume. Live chickens were brought
and ‘let go.’ Later we learned these
sites were visited at a prior time to ask for health, safety, or something else
and a promise was made that a chicken would be given in return. So, the chickens were thrown towards the
grave then recaptured. The recapturing
had to be by someone else to show you really were ‘giving’ the chicken
away, though it was later taken home. At
a couple gravesites with caretakers, one chicken was given to the caretaker as a payment and thank you for
his work.
Bananas were also roasted and a young coconut was
opened at the sites. Some family members, but not
all, ate the roasted bananas and drank the coconut water. The rest of the food was packed up and taken
home to eat there as an actual meal.
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| Roasting bananas at the site |
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| Food is set out on a tray and prayers are said by the grandfather |
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The family
The baby is laying on his grandmother's lap with a stocking cap on.
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| The grandmother tying a string on the tree growing at the gravesite, this marks a request and promise made. Later when the request is granted the string is taken off. |
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| The Great Aunt cleaning the site. |
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| The grandmother 'giving' (letting go) a chicken. |
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| An aunt capturing the chicken. |
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| The grandfather rubbing perfume on the tree. |
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Whitman walking to the second grave.
After driving 15minutes to the first site, the family realized they had forgotten the chickens. So John, the driver for us all, drove back with the father. This was a blessing in disguise as it allowed him to pick up the boys from school at the same time. Caedmon and Whitman were able to join us for both gravesite visits.
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| A Walk along the beach to the second site. |
It was a very interesting outing. We have often seen glimpses of ancestral beliefs that are still held and adhered to here, but more often than not they are hidden by a façade of current day religious adherence. We saw and learned so much about unabashed ancestral practice, all aimed at appeasing or trying to manipulate spiritual beings. We hope this all will aid us in more clearly communicating truth.
