Chisasibi display encourages the return of midwifery to Eeyou Istchee

 

Until the last half-century or so, Cree mothers almost always delivered their babies at home in Eeyou Istchee. Only in the 1970s did the practice of having babies in hospitals become regular practice. Now, all Cree babies are delivered outside of the community.

Now many are saying it’s time to bring childbirth home. For instance, a recent Cree Board of Health display in Chisasibi encouraged the public to see a link between traditional childbirth practices and the modern practice of midwifery.

“We wanted to do it in a teepee, because that’s what it would look like in the old days,” said the Board of Health’s Laura Bearskin, advisor to the Assistant Executive Director of the Nishiiyuu Muyipimaatsiiun Department. “We wanted to show how these two practices could complement each other – the traditional practices and the midwife.”

In a teepee set up outside Chisasibi’s Mitchuap complex, Paula Napash played the role of the mother delivering her baby. Having birthed three babies of her own in Val-d’Or, Napash knew how to play the role of a mother delivering a child, surrounded by family members, a midwife and two Elders who have acted as natural midwives in the past.

The Elders recalled traditional birthing practices while the midwife explained what modern practices could be applied to childbirth. Doctors in attendance asked the Elders how they dealt with medical emergencies in the old days, and Elders explained the application of traditional medicines.

“We traditionally had natural midwives in the Cree territory,” Bearskin explained, admitting that she had only recently learned of the tradition herself. “I found out from these gatherings that there are still some natural midwives living with us – they’re in their 80s and 90s. There are some in each community. In Chisasibi, we identified four. I’m aware there’s a couple in Mistissini. There are some in each community – they actually delivered children in teepees, out on the land.”

The CBHSSJB is only at the beginning of what will likely be a long consultation about bringing midwives into the Cree territory. They have been working on the program in various ways for several years. Following an agreement with the Quebec government in 2013 to work toward bringing births back to Eeyou Istchee, the CBHSSJB conducted interviews with a variety of Elders in order to gather together a body of traditional knowledge about birthing practices.

“It’s difficult to have births outside of the community,” said Bearskin. “Now we don’t have births in the Cree communities. It’s really difficult to have babies in Val-d’Or, Chibougamou, Montreal – it’s hard on the families. People have to be away from their families for sometimes as long as five weeks. Some mothers have other children, and sometimes those children are placed in homes that aren’t really secure. It causes a lot of stress to a pregnant woman. That’s why some women feel strongly that it’s important to bring birthing back to Eeyou Istchee.”

The term “midwife” is a relatively new one in the Cree Nation, Bearskin noted. However, as soon as community members at the re-enactment learned about the possibilities, they immediately began to ask for more information about available support.

“People were saying yesterday, ‘If I had known better, I would have gone with a midwife,’” Bearskin said. “The Elders strongly recommended that both practices have mutual respect and we can find a way to work together so each service complements the other.”