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To receive the waiwaia (spirit children) in the water seems to be the most usual way of becoming pregnant. . . . They come along on large tree trunks, and they may be attached to seascum and dead leaves floating on the surface. —Bronislaw Malinowski, Baloma: The Spirits of the Dead in the Trobriand Islands Go to the sea the morning after a rainstorm, preferably fresh from your man's arms— the waiwaia are drawn to love smell. They are tiny luminousfish and blind. You must call the soul of your child in the name of your ancestors: Come to me, little fish, come to Tamala, Tudava, come to me. Sit in shallow water up to your waist until the tide pulls away from you like an exhausted lover. You will by then be carrying new life. Make love that night, and every night, to let the little one who chooses you know she is one with yourjoy. 119 How to Get a Baby ...

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