The massages 

On one occasion, when M was massaging a patient who had blood circulation problems in her legs, she explained to me: "this happens because massages were not done correctly after childbirth."

Then I understood that there was a chasm between us. For them, everything is holistic, everything depends on everything else. At every level. Everything is connected to everything else, the microcosm to the macrocosm, in the external material world but also in inner worlds like our bodies.

Our body is not a fragmented collection of independent organs. For them, the body is a sacred house built by our spiritual fathers Ade Serankua and Abu Saineken. It is a house where that which will never cease resides: ruama. It is our inner fire, our light, energy directly connected to Sé.

Our body is a perfectly conceived entity where everything is connected and influences one another. Not only are the organs, fluids, tissues, and all of physical life in continuous interaction, but everything and everyone around us can affect the development and health of our sacred house. 

Therefore, from before conception, through pregnancy and childbirth, to the postpartum period and beyond, throughout our entire physical life in this world, the Mamos and Sagas watch over, care for, and heal the sacred houses of each person, both physically and spiritually. 

I realize that, for the Kogui Wiwa indigenous people, massage has been an integral part of their hygiene and daily life, their rituals, and their medicine since birth. They cannot conceive of life without massage. It is a knowledge that is passed down because it harmonizes, regulates, balances, and heals.

How do I explain to M that we don't offer massages here—not before pregnancy, not during pregnancy, not during childbirth, not after childbirth? That we don't know how to do them, this knowledge wasn't passed down to us, and it's not part of our daily routine...