Family Interview My family is comprised of primarily blacks. My great great grandmother family was from Syrian and my great great grandfather family was of African descent. My family is Protestant Christian and we attended a Church of Christ while growing up. Jamaicans prefer using natural remedies. Most will try to use herbs or different bushes to treat various medical conditions before going to an actual doctor. My grandmother would go to the fields (similar to farms) and gather herbs or bushes for us to drink when we were sick. If she wasn’t able to find a particular herb she would consult a Bush Doctor. These were unlicensed herbalist living in the very rural areas in Jamaica. They knew from experience what herbs or bushes should be used to treat various illnesses. My grandmother said medicines were not readily available and these Bush Doctors were their principal source of care. I remember growing up if I had a fever my mom would bathe me in very cold water a few times throughout the day and had me drink a special herb until the fever went away. Like my grandmother my mother didn’t use a lot of medicines. Most issues are treated holistically first and when those failed, modern medicine was used if available.
My family as well as the majority of Jamaican families is very superstitious, hence if you had an unexplainable illness, more often than not they would associate it spirits/ghosts. I remember my grandmother placing pure Frankincense & Myrrh in all corners of the house to ward off spirits. More traditional forms of protection included drinking a warm liquid every morning to prevent gas build up in the stomach which they believed could lead to serious health issues. The family house always had a cross hanging close to the doors for protection. In older days my grandmother would also place a liquid called Jaze in the home. A bottle of cod liver oil was could also be found in the possession of many older Jamaicans. My family used a lot of herbs in home remedies to restore health. Quite often it was a plant of nuts that you could find in your backyard or your neighbors backyard. Bissy was a popular plant used for stomach pains, vomiting and to treat for poison. For Diabetes or high blood sugar levels, Cerasse, a very popular plant in Jamaica would be boiled and drank every day to cleanse your body and reduce sugar level. Fever grass was used to reduce high temperature fevers. “Sincle Bible” or Aloe Vera was used for almost anything. My grandmother would put small pieces into cuts or burns to prevent infection. We used it on our skin and in our hair. We ate it raw or blended it into drinks to cleanse our bodies. My grandmother stated that she roast bitter oranges and eat them to lower her blood pressure.
Child birth was a very special in my family. After the baby was born the umbilical cord was buried next to a tree as a symbol of connection with the earth. No one was allowed to cut that tree down. Visitors were not allowed to visit the baby until he or she was at least three months old. My grandmother’s generation believed that spirits could follow someone into the house and make the baby sick. A bible was placed next to the baby’s head every night, usually on Psalms 93. Cod liver oil that was prayed over by a minister was used to make a cross on the baby’s forehead every night for protection against evil spirits. A red string was also placed somewhere visible on the baby to ward to evil spirits. My mother did all of these things when we were born.
My family believes in celebrating the life of the dead by having a “Nine nigh” or “set up” before the funeral. This celebration is typically held on one or several nights before the burial service. People who knew the person who died gathered and sung many hymnals, eat drink and had a very festive time. It was believed that if this is not done the spirit of the dead person would hang around and be a nuisance to others. After a person passed away furniture in the house would be rearranged so that the spirit of the person who passed on would not return to the house as they would not recognized the home. My grandmother stated that there were many sightings of people who had died and came back to visit their families. Wives were told to wear red underwear backwards to prevent their husbands coming back to visit them. We weren’t allowed to walk on graves as that were a sign of disrespect and that person who was buried there would haunt you if you did.
After completing my family interview I was not very surprised about the responses I received. . While growing up in Jamaica I got to experience most of the traditional health practices. Most of health practices were handed down from slaves and from the slave owners from Britain and Scotland and many are still practiced today. With the emergence of technology and easier access to healthcare I foresee some of these practices being eradicated in the years to come.