Mamatoto: A Celebration of Birth

by Carroll Dunham, Body Shop Team

A compilation of international lore, legends, remedies, and advice, just in time for Mother's Day, reveals different cultures' conceptions of the mysteries of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. 25,000 first printing.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Momatoto, “Motherbaby” in Swahili is a celebration of other birth traditions, primarily pulling from aboriginal peoples of Africa and Australia and from the peoples of Tibet. The book is organized by the biological journey—conception, prenatal period, labor, delivery, post-natal and early childhood rites of passage—so various traditions are related throughout the book. While it was interesting to learn a diverse range of beliefs, customs and rituals, I was disappointed by the condescending tone the authors took when referencing Western medicine. I found this disparagement was especially strong in the forward written by Body Shop founder Anita Roddick.

I understand that Roddick wants to acknowledge and uplift women's experiences through the ages. It is good to recognize and honor women’s practical knowledge and experiences, but her criticism of modern medicine and, as she put it, “the ‘scientific’ method” was disconcerting to me. Many lives have been saved and improved because of medical advancements that have withstood the rigors of scientific study and review.

I understand that women want to feel control over their bodies, and I understand that the medical establishment was not always receptive or respectful of women’s needs and preferences; however, I think the medical establishment has progressed, is more respectful and has opened up to complementary and alternative treatments for those who are interested.

I think another problem that inspired Ms. Roddick’s disdain is the contemporary trend to want to control every aspect of our health and diet; this hyper-controlling approach is what we’re fed by the media—take this pill, buy this product and you will be restored, in control and empowered. In most cases, they are selling false hope and a false sense of security. One cannot control every detail of life and trusting a doctor doesn’t make one ignorant or oppressed. In fact, a good doctor honors a woman’s preferences, communicates options, discloses risks of all procedures and treatments, reminds her that there are many things in life we cannot control and allays her fears in a way that makes a woman feel engaged and empowered.

Momatoto is an interesting and light social/cultural anthropological read interspersed with some critical social commentary about modern medicine. In addition to the text, the book includes some poetry, song lyrics, inspirational quotations and pleasant graphics that serve to honor the spiritual journey of motherhood. Despite my reservations about some anti-science sentiment, I believe this book would make a nice gift for expectant mothers.

[Amandas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool little gifty book with myths, stories, and statistics about childbearing, birth, and motherhood from a variety of world cultures. You can learn, for instance, that a woman in Russia holds the world record for live childbirths--80+.

[Lisa Muniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun celebration of birth from around the world.