Indigenous Experiences of Preguancy and Birth [Paperback]

Traditional midwifery, culture, customs, understandings, and meanings surroundingpregnancy and birth are grounded in distinct epistemologies and worldviews thathave sustained Indigenous women and their families since time immemorial. Yearsof colonization, however, have impacted the degree to which women have choice inthe place and ways they carry and deliver their babies. As nations such as Canadabecame colonized, traditional gender roles were seen as an impediment. The forcedrearrangement of these gender roles was highly disruptive to family structures.Indigenous women quickly lost their social and legal status as being dependent onfathers and then husbands. The traditional structures of communities becamereplaced with colonially informed governance, which reinforced patriarchy andpaternalism. The authors in this book carefully consider these historic interactionsand their impacts on Indigenous women’s experiences. As the first section of thebook describes, pregnancy is a time when women reflect on their bodies as a spacefor the development of life. Foods prepared and consumed, ceremony and otheractivities engaged in are no longer a focus solely for the mother, but also for the childshe is carrying. Authors from a variety of places and perspectives thoughtfullyexpress the historical along with contemporary forces positively and negativelyimpacting prenatal behaviours and traditional practices. Place and culture inrelation to birth are explored in the second half of the book from locations in Canadasuch as Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, andAotearoa. The reclaiming and revitalization of birthing practices along withrejuvenating forms of traditional knowledge form the foundation for explorationinto these experiences from a political perspective. It is an important part ofdecolonization to acknowledge policies such as birth evacuation as being groundedin systemic racism. The act of returning birth to communities and revitalizingInl³*