The Cultural Context of Geophagy among Pregnant and Lactating Ngwa Women of Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Currently, geophagy qualifies as one of the least understood human nutritional practices. This is certainly due to the tendency among scholars to view or treat geophagy as an aberration or a perversion of appetite, disregarding the cultural context within which it occurs. This paper examines the cultural context of geophagy among lactating and pregnant women, focusing primarily on the Ngwa of southeastern Nigeria. E vidence has emerged from the study is that Ngwa women eat soil to deal with, and draw attention to the precarious nature of pregnancy following the period of and after birthing. The study concludes that focusing on the cultural context of geophagy may well offer scope for a more critical understanding of the practice and its dynamics across human societies and populations. The African Anthropologist Vol.10(2) 2003:180-199