Ancient birthing practitioners perceived childbirth as a biological, cultural, and spiritual event that works in harmony with the body’s innate knowledge of birthing. By positioning birth as a physical and sacred phenomenon, the health of the mother and the baby was perceived to be inseparable from the health of the entire ecosystem. Colonialism and western medicine positioned biomedical model of birth as superior and safe. In contrast, the Indigenous model of birth was labelled as primitive and unsafe.
Giving birth to a physically healthy baby in an environment that contributes to the killing of the knowledge of the baby’s ancestors is culturally unsafe. As one of the ancient proverbs puts it, it takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, it would take a spiritually healthy village to ensure physical and culturally safe birth outcomes. In this course, we define a healthy birth outcome as one that encompasses biological, psychological, cultural, and spiritual safety.
