Burying the umbilicus: Traditional medicine on the West Coast of Mexico
Fourth World JournalVolume 13 Issue 1 (Summer 2014)
Abstract: After
giving birth, indigenous women in rural West Mexico traditionally bury
the umbilical cord underneath a tree on their land. This ritual
symbolizes the planting of roots for their child in the land and in the
community, thus reaffirming the child's cultural connections. It is this
people/land connection that passes from one generation to the next,
demonstrating the essence of human culture. It is easy to see this
relationship in the word itself. Culture (cult, meaning worship and ure
meaning earth) links the land and its life-giving benefits to the health
and well-being of the family and reinforces daily activities and
rhythms of nature in women's lives. It is in a peoples' traditional
medicine that we see the fullest expression of culture. The Mexico of
the 21st century is a place of many cultures created and recreated in
response to changing human and environmental forces, yet it retains the
profound cultural connection between the peoples and the land
exemplified in traditional medicines and healing practices. In its
complex cultural geography Mexico is richly rewarded with a diversity of
traditional medicines used to treat illness and restore health by urban
and rural families alike.
To cite this article: Korn, Leslie. Burying the umbilicus: Traditional medicine on the West Coast of Mexico [online]. Fourth World Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1, Summer 2014: 5-31.
Availability:
<http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=450909088083047;res=IELIND>
ISSN: 1090-5251.
[cited 27 Aug 15].
Personal Author:
Korn, Leslie;
Source: Fourth World Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1, Summer 2014: 5-31
Document Type: Journal Article
ISSN: 1090-5251
Subject:
Traditional medicine; Rural health services; Alternative medicine; Medicinal plants; Herbs--Therapeutic use;
Peer Reviewed:
Yes
