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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The birth song as a medium for communicating woman's maternal destiny in the traditional community
Author:Okereke, Grace EcheISNI
Year:1994
Periodical:Research in African Literatures
Volume:25
Issue:3
Pages:19-32
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:Igbo
birth rites
songs
Cultural Roles
arts
Women and Their Children
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/3819843
Abstract:Birth is an important 'rite de passage' in traditional African cosmogony and is always an occasion for festivity. Birth songs are a central part of such festivities. The author analyses the content and style of birth songs from her native clan Ututu (in Abia State, Nigeria). The songs are divided into four categories, each communicating one aspect of a woman's maternal experience and destiny. The first set of songs announces the birth of a child, and the women's reaction to this joyful news. The next set consists of songs which give a joyful recapitulation of the pains of labour and childbirth. The third set addresses the predicament of the childless woman which the new mother has escaped. The last set of songs consists of songs of thanksgiving to God, a befitting conclusion to the joy of a safe delivery. Examples of songs from each category are presented, first written in the Ututu Igbo dialect, then translated into English. Bibliogr.
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