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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page research paper that discusses health beliefs, rites of passage and superstitions held by African Americans in regards to pregnancy, birth, puberty, menopause and death and dying. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khaaheb2.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
life and human nature in terms of energy, with all things "living and dead" having an "effect on each other" (Fields). Pregnancy: Some common folk beliefs among African American
women concerning pregnancy are: 1) that a pregnant woman should not hold her hands over her head as this movement could strangle the baby; 2) sit with legs crossed as
this can cause hemorrhoids; and 3) that a pregnant woman should indulge her cravings for certain foods, as, if she does not, the baby will have "unpleasant physical or
personality traits that match the characteristics of the food" (Moore). Geophagia refers to the consumption of non-food items, such as "clay, red
dirt, starch and ice," and this is especially common among pregnant African American women (Fields). This health belief is controversial because it can lead to the development of serious electrolyte
deficiencies in these women (Fields). Belief in folk medicine and folk hearers is also common among some groups of African Americans. There
are roughly three categories of healers, who are differentiated according to the source of their healing power (Gordon, et al). These categories are: 1) those healers who learned healing by
being mentored by an elder; 2) those who received their ability to heal as a divine gift; and 3) those who were born with the ability to heal (Gordon, et
al). Birth: It is believed that that a knife placed under the womans bed or pillow will "cut" the pain (Moore). It is also culturally acceptable for a woman
to be very vocal during childbirth and express her pain (Moore). In some African cultures, it is believed that placenta possesses a "spirit of its own" and must be buried
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