Introduction-E

assisting in births as much?” That’s because I used to assist in a lot of births and I don’t
assist in as many any more. I have even put my hand in up to the middle of my arm, it’s
not that big, to make sure that the placenta was not stuck to the uterus.
I am capable of doing this. But for those who give birth among qallunaat, it is
different for them. They are in more pain. A person is not going to be born when it’s over
here [demonstrating]. A person can only be born through here [demonstrating]. It is
only through checking the opening that one can see how the baby is placed. This is how
I feel it. I have also burst the water. I have even burst my own water while I was in
labour. I have assisted in a lot of births. There were many times when I was the only one
available.
Were you afraid the first time you were a midwife?
Saullu: There is nothing I’m afraid of. I’m not afraid of people. I’m not afraid to cut a
person. I’m even not afraid to have to cut off part of a person. There is nothing that I
consider not worth saving. No... dogs I do not consider worth saving. All that I have
talked about is what I have experienced. I have not talked about what I have not
experienced.
We used to have to loosen our kamik ties when we were assisting in a birth, in order
for the birth canal to be loose.
You used to have to untie things?
Saullu: We would have to untie them all. We would even have to untie our hair ties in
order for the birth canal to be loose. That’s the way they did that back then.
You had to untie everything that was tied?
Saullu: Yes, we would loosen [everything]. Those of us who were assisting in a birth
were made to do that.
Even hair ties?
Saullu: Yes. My niece went into labour while we were in our camp. I told them what to
do over the radio. They would get back to me on the progress using the radio.
How did they need to prepare when a female was in labour?
Saullu: Just a place where she’d deliver, a bed and a mattress. They had caribou skins
for mattresses, or they used heather. She would deliver on the bed.
72 Introduction to the Oral Traditions