Silver Rod

This beautiful fella is from the tribe where they have a very deep and complex system of beliefs about such a simple (in other countries/tribes) thing as the navel. In this tribe it is considered to be the main energy center of the body. The logic is very simple, the navel is pretty much the center of the embryo from which the rest of the body grows inside the womb.

Therefore the navel is treated as the sacred part of the body. The birth-giving ritual in this tribe is very different, usually in most countries the connection between the mother and the baby is cut and creates a scar on the baby's tummy which is known as the navel, it is very painful for the baby and it cries a lot, but in this tribe a long silver rod is immediately inserted into the baby's navel to prevent infection and to make it feel comfortable after the separation from the mother.

The rod is also blessed through a special ritual and therefore it saves the baby from all evil spirits. After washing the baby is wrapped in tight sheets that remind of the womb and its comfort, and the rod always remains inside since then.

As the child grows, the smooth long rod inside the navel creates the great feeling of joy, peace and comfort. Of course every child likes to experiment and take it out from time to time but only to find out it doesn't feel any good at all without this rod inside.

The baby-sized rod is later replaced with bigger and more proportioned rods, every year or so. In the end the navels of people of this tribe are very deep, the rod carried inside usually has the same size as the person's middle finger, which is the most comfortable size, although there are always people who like to experiment and show off.