Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

[alohabear]

I found it interesting reading in this report about a bill all set to become law that would allow Hawaiians to take home thier child's placenta as according to tradition. What exactly do they do with it? Is some kind of ceremony involved? I would like to learn more.

[pzarquon]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

I know there have been some articles on this in the OHA newsletter, Ka Wai Ola. The March 2006 edition (PDF) has a piece on page 10 by Sterling Kini Wong:

In Nānā i ke Kumu, Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pūku‘i wrote that Hawaiians cleaned the ‘iewe of blood to ensure that the keiki’s eyes wouldn’t be weak or sore. The ‘iewe, she said, was later buried, usually under a tree, to keep the keiki connected to their home and to prevent the child’s spirit from being homeless or hungry after he or she died.

[alohabear]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

I know there have been some articles on this in the OHA newsletter, Ka Wai Ola. The March 2006 edition (PDF) has a piece on page 10 by Sterling Kini Wong:

Thanks for the info!

[timkona]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

I say if you have the proper permits to transport human biological waste, along with the proper container, and procedures in place, that all bio-waste disposal companies must adhere to, then sure, fine, go for it. Law should not be applied selectively based on race or culture.

If we should be guided by the quirks of our ancestors, then let us bring back public hangings and human sacrifice and witch hunts, etc etc etc.

Sounds crazy to me that there are some people who would advocate this.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

I think this is an O'ahu issue. On the isle that I gave birth (all three times) I got to take home the placentas, no questions asked, no fanfare and over ten years ago. They were each planted with a special tree on behalf of each child.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

I say if you have the proper permits to transport human biological waste, along with the proper container, and procedures in place, that all bio-waste disposal companies must adhere to, then sure, fine, go for it. Law should not be applied selectively based on race or culture.

If we should be guided by the quirks of our ancestors, then let us bring back public hangings and human sacrifice and witch hunts, etc etc etc.

Sounds crazy to me that there are some people who would advocate this.

Tim, I know that ideas such as these are counter-intuitive to what you consider rational, and I do respect that, but think about it for a minute longer: are you entirely tradition-free? When you hear the Star-Spangled Banner at a ball game, do you stand respectfully? Of perhaps do the same when part of an audience holding a standing ovation for some deserved accolade? Or how about at a graveside service (whether in the ground or at an ash-scatttering), do you behave reverently, in a manner consistent with your fellow participants, while staying true to your own values?

As for the topic at hand, can we please separate a family's reverent celebration of creation with your appeal for public hangings?

[pzarquon]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

Can anyone explain, basically, how "cord blood" requests are handled? Do hospitals accomodate them, and if they do, is the blood released to the parent, held by the hospital, or outsourced to private "banks"? The purpose for saving the material is different, obviously, but I'm wondering if there might be parallels enough to better understand the concerns and/or to develop some kind of procedure.

[timkona]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

Silly me, I was thinking of the medical/public health/scientific/rational/safety issue.

Sorry Puai.

Times change, Cultures change too. ALL cultures change. I no longer burn crosses and you no longer build stone temples for sacrifice to war gods. Though it is likely that our great great great great grandfathers may have done both.

"Oh the times, they are a changin"

Ku met Christ in a field. They looked across and saw Allah, Ra, Zeus, and Buddha drinking tea on a grassy plateau under an old Olive tree. All sat down together and talked of the future.

Then 6 olives simultaneously fell from the tree and hit each of them on the head.

They laughed together.


PS - Rationality, rooted in science & logic, is the reason why cultures change.

PSS - This post was written carefully, thoughtfully, and edited with an eye toward not intentionally offending any of the readers.

[Miulang]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

Here's some info on the process of collecting umbilical cord blood and banking it. Taking the cultural aspects out of the picture, both the placenta and cord blood are a rich source of stem cells, and as such, are in high demand in medicine. For certain diseases like anemia, stem cells harvested from cord blood appears to be saving some lives. I don't know if the Hawaii commercial bloodbanks allow for the collecting of cord blood, though.

"...Where and when is cord blood collected and stored?
Expectant parents can make arrangements before the birth of their child to have their baby’s cord blood collected immediately after birth (within 15 minutes of delivery) and stored by a commercial blood bank for their own use. Or they can donate it to a public bank to be available to any appropriately matched individual needing a transplant. If parents use a commercial bank, the initial cost ranges from $250 to $1,500, plus an annual storage fee of $50 to $100. Some health insurance companies are beginning to cover these costs.

Although public banks pay for processing the cord blood sample, they require completion of a lengthy parental health/disease questionnaire. Required testing for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV can be costly for parents. In addition, expectant parents must make arrangements with these banks at least 90 days before the expected delivery date.

Who should consider storing cord blood?
Expectant parents who have a family history of certain genetic diseases, such as severe anemias, immune disorders or some cancers, may want to consider the family benefit of storing cord blood. Most families have no such risk factors, and only about a 1-in-20,000 chance of needing a stem cell transplantation. Families can get complete information and counseling from health care providers, including genetic counselors.

Families who want to donate their baby’s cord blood to a public bank for use by others should be fully informed of their responsibilities and other implications of such donations.

What are some concerns?
Universal guidelines for collection and storage of cord blood have not been established but are necessary for samples to be interchanged among banks. Currently, some banks store whole blood samples, while others separate the red cells, white cells and other blood components before freezing. There are also safety issues about the method of cord blood collection to prevent contamination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is studying these concerns.

There are many ethical issues in connection with umbilical cord blood banking that have yet to be resolved. Some questions are: Who owns the cord blood sample? How is informed consent obtained from parents before harvesting cord blood? How is the counseling process for informed consent provided? How should the obligation to notify parents and donor-children of the results of medical testing for infectious diseases and genetic information to be handled? How are privacy and confidentiality to be maintained? How will services for the harvesting of and access to umbilical cord blood be provided fairly?

Is cord blood transplantation still experimental?
The use of umbilical cord blood stem cells for transplantation treatment holds exciting promise, but this area of medical science is still largely investigational. It was only in 1988 that French researchers performed the first successful stem cell transplantation using umbilical cord blood. The transplant was taken from a newborn and given to a 5-year-old sibling with a severe anemia syndrome that included skeletal defects (Fanconi anemia). Since then, cord blood cells from related and unrelated donors have been successfully transplanted in about 2,000 individuals worldwide. Doctors at Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles, recently reported that three boys treated for life-threatening immune deficiencies (X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome and hyper-IgM immunodeficiency) had normal immune systems two years after receiving cord blood cells from unrelated donors...."

The burying of a placenta after birth is not unique among the Hawaiians. That rite was (and still is, in some instances) practiced by East Indian families, Turkish families, Yugoslavian families, in Japan, and, of course, in the kanaka maoli families in Hawai'i.

Miulang

[sinjin]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

Silly me, I was thinking of the medical/public health/scientific/rational/safety issue.

PSS - This post was written carefully, thoughtfully, and edited with an eye toward not intentionally offending any of the readers.

Then you failed as your generally condescending manner offends me.

Btw cultures are changed by conquest as well.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

The burying of a placenta after birth is not unique among the Hawaiians. That rite was (and still is, in some instances) practiced by East Indian families, Turkish families, Yugoslavian families, in Japan, and, of course, in the kanaka maoli families in Hawai'i.

Eating your baby's placenta, however, is still considered rather unusual.

[Miulang]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

Eating your baby's placenta, however, is still considered rather unusual.

ROFL! There's gotta be a Scientology joke in there somewhere...anywhere...I'm surprised the National Enquirer hasn't picked up that little nugget yet.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

The ritual of eating a placenta is called "placentophagy" (really! ) Of course we know lower forms of mammalian life do this naturally as a part of the birthing process. Does that mean Tom Cruise is a ferret?

Miulang

[alohabear]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

The ritual of eating a placenta is called "placentophagy" (really! ) Of course we know lower forms of mammalian life do this naturally as a part of the birthing process. Does that mean Tom Cruise is a ferret?

Miulang

Remember Miulang.... Ferrets are cute, not CRAZY!

[Miulang]

Re: Placenta and Hawaiian Culture

My bad, AlohaBear. Thanks for sticking up for the ferret. How's about wombats? Anybody got any beefs about me comparing Tom Cruise to a wombat???

Miulang