HOW IGALA BRING THEIR NEW BORN BABY TO OUTSIDE DAYS AFTER BIRTH
HOW IGALA BRING THEIR NEW BORN BABY TO OUTSIDE DAYS AFTER BIRTH
In Igala tradition, when a baby is born, he or she stays indoor for some number of days. When the baby is born, if the baby is a boy, a hoe is beaten like a gong, and a song (oma gbeyi atawe oma gbeyi iyewe,…) is sang, accompanying him from the birth location, usually at the back of the house or now from front of the house into the room if born outside the home. If the baby is a girl, a small plate called Ukoje, used for parking fufu from the pot is beaten, and with the same song.
This song is to let the baby know that he or she must be obedient to the father and the mother. One beautiful thing will then happen before taking him or her into the room. As the person carrying the baby is close to door, water will be thrown to the top of the room. It will drop like rain in an amazing way.
It will drop on the baby and the person bringing her or him as the person who must be a woman irrespective of whether the baby is a boy or girl steps into the room. This is to show that her or his arrival into the family is welcomed with peace and growth, and let let new good things follow the arrival of the baby home. After this day, the baby will be inside until 14 days. The food of the mother, mostly benneseed soup and fufu with vegetables are cooked inside or separately from the family’s own. For the child not to fall sick, herbs will be in pots for him or her to drink and to use to bath. On the 14th day, it is the first day the baby is coming out into the public.
On this day, he or she is not just coming out, but it is the day that name will be given to him or her. As for the bringing out of the baby, it is not done “anyhow “. It has rules. The person bringing the baby out must be a person in the family or the community known to be of very good character.
According to the research by the forefathers, it is believed that the baby will always take the character of the person that brings him or her out. From this day, the baby can stay outside, but only in the house. The mother cannot take him or her out until after 3 months. This is not only Igala culture.
There are some grounds that even the mother cannot reach. There are some traditional rulers that she cannot see, and they must not set their eyes on her, either by mistake. There are some elders that the woman is not supposed to greet especially the traditionalists. It means, she has desecrated (made impure) them.
She must cleans them, except she wants the baby to go. This is not what can be changed, and that is why Igala women including those in the town are very careful of where they go, and who they look at when they are not up to 3 months after they gave birth.