Water into Bones: Birth Rituals, Ancestors, and Religious Pluralism in Northern Madagascar

Water into Bones is an ethnographic exploration of the religious practices around birthing and infant care in northern Madagascar. The book highlights the processes by which Malagasy "instill bones" in the newly born by way of haircutting ceremonies, rituals of baptism and circumcision, and the use of "growth medicines" (aody be), teething necklaces, and special jewelries meant to embed the newly born in the powerful legacies of their ancestors.

Author Erin Nourse investigates how Malagasy w...