Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/409

 fast by the rope. Hence the expression for a woman in childbirth, ureuëng mat taloë = "she that holds the rope ."

Meanwhile the husband waits in the jurèë or in the front verandah, but when the confinement is difficult his help is sometimes invoked. The custom in Acheh in this respect resembles that in vogue in Java. He must step backwards and forwards (lingkeuë) seven times over his wife's body, and blow hard through his fist on a spot (mbōt-mbōt) just above her forehead. He must also recite a certain prayer (duʾa or tangkay seulusōh) over a bowl of water which the woman then drinks; this is supposed to make her delivery more speedy. This incantation is just as meaningless as most others of the kind, but the general intention is clear enough—to open that which is closed, and to clear away all hindrance.

Should the ië seulusōh be of no avail, a teungku whose prayers are known to be efficacious is called upon to charm some water with his incantations. For the rest, matters are left to nature. Deaths in childbirth seem to be of common occurrence.

Great expectations are cherished in regard to children born feet foremost (jaheuë) and these born with a caul (meusarōng). The first are supposed to have an incomparable natural gift for massage (urōt), and their prayers and their spittle are thought to have great curative properties. Those born with a caul are believed to be invulnerable (keubay ). To ascertain whether they are likely to possess this gift in a high degree, a cocoanut is placed in the fold of the caul (sarōng) and left to sprout. If it bursts through the skin of the caul it is a bad omen, but if it is constrained by the covering to assume a crooked growth, then it is certain that neither lead nor steel will ever threaten the infant's life. The caul is kept, and at the circumcision of the child it is roasted and given him to eat.