The (re)Birth of Urban Indigenous Birth-Work by Tagwanibisan Armitage-Smith

Tagwanibisan Armitage-Smith's Truth Talk, "The (re)Birth of Urban Indigenous Birth-Work: Reproductive Rights and the Cultural Resurgence of Urban Indigenous Populations in a Post-Reconciliation Era," addresses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action Number 20: "In order to address the jurisdictional disputes concerning Aboriginal people who do not reside on reserves, we call upon the federal government to recognize, respect, and address the distinct health needs of the Métis, Inuit, and off-reserve Aboriginal peoples."

In Tagwanibisan's words: 

‍Birth is something that every single human being on this planet has experienced. Of course, we the people may not remember anything in particular about our own birth, but for those in the birth room, including those giving birth, this experience is life changing.

Through the broad lens of Colonization, many of our traditional birthing practices have been lost, but thanks to countless women, mothers, Aunties, and midwives, our communities are slowly regaining what it means to give birth in a good way, through education, consent, and ceremony.

As a direct protest to genocidal practices of government and medicine, many mothers, Aunties, and midwives have championed for safe and equitable perinatal experiences, and from that, Grassroots organizations like Aunties on the Road were born.

Access to culturally-relevant reproductive education has a profound impact on urban Indigenous populations struggling with loss of culture, yet still dealing with the shame and pain of the impacts of Colonization.

Urban Indigenous populations have grown into a quasi-pan-Indigenous subculture of its own, and although as a result many of our approaches have become pan-Indigenous, we have been able to reach a huge demographic of people who would have otherwise slipped through the cracks as a direct result of government classification and reclassification of Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous birth-workers, doulas, midwifes, educators, and support people are on the ground, experiencing the (re)birth of an urban nation of Indigenous Peoples who are working hard to reconnect, so that we can raise our babies and put them on the path, whatever that looks like, with the support of trained professionals who are also highly sensitive to the unique experiences that urban Indigenous families face during their reproductive years.

This last decade of Reconciliation in Canada has seen huge victories for Indigenous Peoples in our societies. Reawakening to our shared past and hopes for our future have come together. And although we the people may have once again become disillusioned by the institutions which first popularized the term Reconciliation, Indigenous Peoples and Canadian allies alike have taken on the mantle into something entirely of their own making.

This talk will focus on historical impacts of modern-day Indigenous parenting, and the work that reproductive educators and birth-workers alike are doing, with tangible results and shared experiences that are making a profound impact on the lives of our urban Indigenous populations throughout their reproductive journeys. From surrogacy, adoption, transitions, foster care system, and reconnection to elation of being the first in your line to breastfeed, or the first parent to keep your child. Indigenous populations have suffered greatly and now they are reclaiming their power to rebirth our nations forward.