P­ATTERA SIN LISENSIA

MIDWIVES IN TRAINING

1901

Women skilled in assisting other women giving birth are called pattera (midwife) in Chamorro, a word borrowed from the Spanish partera, meaning the same thing. Parto in Spanish means "labor" as in birthing.

In 1900, the US Naval Government mandated, with General Order No. 28, the licensing of Guam's pattera. They were told to report to the Naval Hospital in Hagåtña to undergo an elementary course, free of charge. They would then be given licenses, again free of charge. Only those licensed could practice midwifery.

One of the reasons stated for this training and licensing was to reduce the "present deplorable rate of mortality among mothers and infants."

Well, one lady claiming to be a pattera never got around to getting a license. And, to make matters worse, the mother she assisted in childbirth died while giving birth to the baby.

Late in the night of April 3, 1901, María, a woman just 22 years old from Sinajaña, sent word to a woman named Joaquina that she was feeling labor pains. Joaquina told the family there was no need to call for a pattera. She claimed that she herself could do the job. Poor María, however, died after giving birth, and it was reported to the government that she had been assisted in her labor pains by Joaquina, who lacked a license.

The court ordered Joaquina to pay a heavy fine. But, having no earthly goods, Joaquina was unable to pay the fine. So the court ordered that Joaquina spend 7 days in jail.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

I know no further details about Joaquina and her role as a pattera, whether she had been a genuine pattera or not.

But, while we're on the subject, it's good to know that many of our people in those early days of American rule preferred to keep distance from American medical services. If they could take care of it at home, with traditional åmot (medicine) or practices, our grandparents generally would do that instead of going to an American doctor, especially if the sickness were common and simple to treat.

So when Chamorro midwives came under Navy training, many people had a hard time accepting that. Even the Chamorro lady already a pattera, or wanting to become one, often hesitated to enroll in the Navy's midwife training program or come under Navy supervision. 

The Navy had hoped that the midwives under their supervision would help bring more Chamorros to the Navy's hospital. But this didn't have the level of success the Navy wanted for many years.