Cultural awareness in an integral part of today's multicultural society. It is beneficial for people involved in the healthcare system to be aware of the aspects of different cultures.
The following information is based on interviews from people of Hawaiian and Palauan descent.
The Aloha spirit was born from the true Hawaiian, polite, warm and free spirited. The Aloha spirit is something to feel. It is not something you can hold in your hand or take with you, but a blessing that is felt and experienced, it lingers. It is felt with the heart, not with the mind. It is something to be cherished and shared.
Healthcare Providers
The people who were interviewed, sought medical information from physicians practicing western medicine while their ancestors sought the advice of a Kahuna, or "medicine man" for medical and spiritual advice.
Family members or the pregnant woman herself, had cravings for food that they normally did not eat. One family member craved nonfoods which is a condition called pica. The cravings were signs that someone in the family was pregnant. Once the cravings were confirmed, then the women went to their medical doctors to have pregnancy tests done.
Foods avoided during pregnancy
Cabbage and cucumber will cause to have a colicky baby. Spicy food will lead to an agitated baby. Sour or bitter foods will cause a miscarriage. Any white fish will cause difficulties during pregnancy. Ilima blossom eaten during the 7th week of pregnancy will help to lubricate the birth canal
Behavior during pregnancy
Do not hold grudges against people while pregnant or your baby will look like the person you were angry with. If you are jealous at someone, your baby will be born crippled.
Your attitude should be positive during pregnancy. Think positive thoughts about the unborn baby.
Ways to tell the sex of the baby
If the mom is unattractive during pregnancy, she will have a girl. All the mother's beauty goes to the baby. If the mom is beautiful, she will have a boy. If you walk with your right foot first, you would have a boy or left foot first, a girl.
Things to avoid during pregnancy
Leis or necklaces should not be worn. If worn, the baby's umbilical will wrap around its neck.
Family support during pregnancy and delivery of baby
Family members support the mom during labor and delivery. The baby's father and the pregnant woman's mother are allowed in the delivery room.
Family Size
The size of the family is not any certain ideal number. As long as you want each child, it doesn't matter how many you have.
The following information is from an interview with a 38 year old Palauan male who has lived in Hawaii for 20 years. He was born in Ngatpang, Palau, and left Palau at age 18 to attend college in Hawaii. He has returned to Palau for visits with family only.
1) Tell me about your family and where they were born.
His parents were born on the island of Ngermlengui, outside of the capitol city of Koror. He has five sisters and two brothers who were born in Koror. He is the second oldest son which is very important, culturally, to his mother.
2) Where did your ancestors come from?
From information from his mother, his ancestors came from Germany, Japan, and South America. They came to Palau during World War II to settle and eventually some intermarried into other cultures.
3) How do you feel about the roles physicians and nurses play in health care in Palau?
Physicians and nurses are held in high regard and seen as gifted. To show respect to health care providers, they bathe and dress nicely prior to their doctor's appointment.
4) How do you view childbirth and your involvement as a male?
Women take care of the women during childbirth while men wait outside. About 2 to 4 weeks after the birth, all the women of the village, gather with the woman who gave birth as she goes to the "hot shower". In Palauan, this is called a "Mesurche". The new mother will sit in a hut in steaming hot water with herbs, leaves and ginger oil. This acts as a purification ritual after birth.
7) Do you have any home remedies you use at times when you get injured or ill?
It is common to put aloe on cuts and burns. They also run hot water over cuts to "sterilize" them. They feel, even though it is painful, that it aides in healing.
8) How do you feel about yourself when you are feeling ill?
He believes that health has a lot to do with what you think and what you expose yourself to in everyday life. If you dwell on your illness, it will get worse. He tries to ignore feelings of sickness, they cannot run your day.
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Last updated July 7, 2005 by Julie Moore, Asst. Professor of Nursing