Just an hour and a half after he was born, little Harper Hoani Spies already did his first baby photoshoot. His was a bit more unique than others’ though, seeing he was still attached to his placenta, with his umbilical cord spelling out ‘Love’.
According to Australian photographer Emma Jena Nolan, the Maori practice a tradition called ‘whenua’ – which means ‘placenta’ and ‘land’. It’s wherein the family buries the placenta after birth, establishing a connection between child and Mother Earth.
But before they did, Nolan and Harper’s parents decided to do a little photoshoot. With some careful twisting, Nolan was able to shape the umbilical cord into the word ‘love’ and snapped this powerful photo.
‘I wanted to show what a physiological birth looks like as most people have never seen a baby still connected to their placenta’, Nolan said. ‘The placenta is not something that is appreciated or honored in the Western culture. It is generally discarded, ignored and considered disgusting. However without the placenta none of us would be here’.
Harper was born to mum Jolene Spies from New Zealand and dad Johann Spies from South Africa. His placenta will be buried under a Tortora tree in his grandpa’s farm in the Bombay Hills of Auckland.
Via - Daily Mail
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