Introduction-E

did not sleep too well. I knew they would come and get me when she was ready to
deliver. I did not even cut the nail of my middle finger.
Why?
Saullu: This is the only thing I used to break the water with. I used to have the fingernail
long because that was the only thing to break the water with. Some [sacs] are thick, some
are thin. That is why it takes so long to deliver. Once it’s broken, the baby comes out.
Is this one of the things that your mother taught you?
Saullu: She did not teach me that. She used to be scared, but she used to deliver.
That was the only way, and you knew how to do that so you did it?
Saullu: Yes, because I used to see it, and that is what I tried to do.
If the umbilical cord was tangled up, how did they handle it?
Saullu: That is how some babies were born. The head came out and stopped, then it
came out further. Some babies had the umbilical cord wrapped around the neck. People
used to tell me not to have one’s kamik strings too long. Even our husband’s kamik
strings were not supposed to be too long. Tiglik told us not to have our kamik strings too
long, because that would affect the baby. He said that his strings were too long and the
umbilical cord was wrapped around a baby. That is what he said and I believe it. If the
umbilical cord tightens up the baby can get strangled. Babies do not come out right
away. The whole baby does not come out right away.
What did you have to bring when you went to deliver?
When you were asked to come, what did you bring?
Saullu: It was already set up at their home, the string (to tie the umbilical cord) and
scissors to cut it with. I’ve never used an ulu to cut the cord, just scissors.
Have you ever seen anyone who miscarried?
Saullu: When I had a miscarriage, it came out really smoothly.
You had a miscarriage before?
Saullu: Yes, I have miscarried three times. I lost a lot of blood that way. Nothing else
happened. Well, nothing else happened to me.
76 Introduction to the Oral Traditions