Accouchement traditionnel et spiritualité en Haïti

Abstract

Realized by matrons in rural Haitian communities, home birth is an event whose complex spiritual dimension has been empirically observed. Whether it is perceived as a phenomenon of natural laws or as a phenomenon blocked by a lwa (vodou god), an evil spirit, or an evildoer, rural birth is always rooted in spirituality. Matrons-mambos call upon spirits (gods of Haitian vodou), use psalms and prayers to facilitate or unblock a birth. Traditional midwives who claim to be Catholic or Protestant use prayers and psalm texts. But some of them may ask the relatives of a woman in labor to call a houngan or a mambo in case of a difficult delivery. The main objective of this contribution is to show that spirituality is inherent to vaginal delivery and that it participates in its success in the domestic space.

Keywords

• spirituality
• matrons
• home birth