Meaning of "natural features"

[All Potted Out]

"Some aboriginal tribes believed that the spirit of a baby entered the mother when the baby 'quickened'. Spirits were believed to reside in natural features; the place where the woman felt the baby quicken indicated the spirit that had entered her."

What are "natural features"?

[Yankee]

Hi apo

My guess is that 'natural features' simply means natural occurrences -- i.e. something that is characteristic of pregnancy. It is a 'natural feature' of pregnancy that a baby begins to show signs of life ('quicken') at some point.

Amy

[Alan]

Hi,

Sorry I'm going to suggest something quite different. To me the 'natural features' refers to the natural surroundings in which the pregnant woman is living and surrounded by and it these that affect the unborn child.

A
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[Conchita]

So, if I understood correctly: if a pregnant woman felt her baby move while she was walking through the woods, it meant that the forest spirit had entered her; if she was performing her ablutions in a river, then it was the spirit of the river, and so on.

[Yankee]

Hi apo

I think Alan's interpretation is better than mine. And I think Conchita's examples sound good.

Amy