The long shadow of colonization continues to shape Native maternal health. Systemic barriers, chronic underfunding, and the erasure of traditional knowledge have led to alarming disparities in birth outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

But Indigenous birthworkers, midwives, and advocates are leading the way—revitalizing ancestral practices and creating community-rooted care. As highlighted by Grantmakers In Health, efforts like the Alaska Native Birthworkers Community and the Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor training are powerful examples of healing through cultural reclamation.

Native health is essential to Native futures. We must support the work of those reclaiming birth as a space of sovereignty, safety, and sacred care.

Interested in contributing to this conversation? Consider submitting to the Fourth World Journal’s special issue on Indigenous Women in Traditional Medicine and Health Practices—a platform to uplift stories of resistance, healing, and resurgence.

Call for Papers: https://lnkd.in/giMzA9f5

Photo by Peter Thoeny – Quality HDR Photography, via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/center-for-world-indigenous-studies_indigenoushealth-reproductivejustice-healthsovereignty-activity-7324150758981976066-S9vu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAHi1TAByARrwqBLYjL0rgWk_Ihjxvx_e7c