Karakalpaks’ Magical Beliefs Associated with Children’s Rituals

Abstract

The article examines Karakalpaks’ magical beliefs related to child’s birth and first years of life. Drawn both on fieldwork and on comparative literature, it attempts to show the part that magic plays in rituals pertaining to the early period of the life cycle. Strong rootedness in tradition and stability are characteristic of magical beliefs related to birth and first years of child’s life. There is in fact a system of beliefs and practices that is meant to safeguard birth and health of the child and protect it from illnesses. The observance of this system is seen as essential for both mother’s and child’s well-being. The field materials discussed present a range of interesting information about birth, name-giving, period of shille (a forty-day period), and various taboos, providing ample data for exploring magical beliefs that are engendered by certain conditions of life and that nonetheless get along with the Islamic tradition. Some have been ingested and adapted by the Islamic tradition and are now perceived as its proper components.