Pregnancy
Pregnancy and Birth
Pregnancy
Fertility
Birth
Death of a Child
After Live Birth
Childhood Initiation
Historic Dipo
Western Influences
Christian
Influences
Dipo Today
A woman’s actions during pregnancy will determine many characteristics of the unborn child. There are many different practices to protect and help the unborn child. The most important thing is to protect an unborn child from the evil spirits. A future mother will make sure to avoid any place with these types of spirits.
Evil spirits have many different places and times where they are the most active. The times during the day such as late at night, when the sun is the hottest, or while the sun is setting are when the spirits are the most active. Being near the cemetery is another typical place where one could encounter many evil spirits.
While the mother
is sleeping at night she will make sure to lay with her stomach facing away
from the moon ,
the light of the moon gives off too many nyama (bad energy).
Additionally, she will not allow anyone to touch her stomach so that no bad
energy is transferred to the baby. Another way to try and keep the bad nyamas and spirits away
v.was by wearing amulets and talismans.
There is a
typical drink a pregnant mothers
will drink to help insure a healthy and peaceful pregnancy. This drink
consists of different herbs; roots of ntoro and other
plants.
Drinking kolobé with out sugar will help reduce the risk of diabetes during
pregnancy. The mother of the unborn child isn’t the only one that needs to make sure to
protect the unborn baby, the father does as well.
Just as the mother isn't allowed to observe any violence or blood, the father isn’t allowed to kill or partake in the killing of an animal. He must also stay away from the cemetery and cemetery path because of the high levels of nyama. Neither the mother nor the vi. father is allowed to eat the meat of an animal that might have been pregnant. The parents are also not allowed to pre-name their child or even think of names for the child, it would display a lack of respect to the spirit world. If a baby stays in its mother’s womb for more then nine months would be considered an extraordinary being. This child would be considered to have great potential in its life. 4.