takohpinawasowin: Indigenous Elders’ Stories of Traditional Birthing and Child-Rearing Practices

Regina, Saskatchewan – A 4-year CIHR Project Grant of $512,546.00 has been awarded to researchers at the First Nations University of Canada to conduct a study that will centre on the teachings of Elders and Knowledge Keepers from the File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC) to develop educational materials on traditional birthing and child-rearing. The project is entitled takohpinawasowin.

Dr. Brenda Green, Nominated Principal Investigator, says that “takohpinawasowin is intended to provide a culturally safe, place-based, supportive environment where community members can story and re-story their experiences and their understanding of birth and child-rearing practices”. takohpinawasowin means ‘wrapping around to support each other where life-giving and child-rearing is a community responsibility and wholistic activity.’

“In this way,” Green says, “we hope to support a renewed relationship with the land, build community capacity for traditional family bonding and reflect on the strengths of how to incorporate traditional customary practices into mainstream health services.”

Knowledge Keeper, Colleen Strongarm, initiated the project to create educational materials that could bring the community together to support families in life-giving practices.

Initially, the team received a $5,000.00 grant from Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research to establish and support a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) made up of community Knowledge Keepers and Elders. The members of the CAC are Knowledge Keeper, Colleen Strongarm (Kawacatoose First Nation), Elder Rose Pambrum (Muskowekwan First Nation), Elder Edna Brass (Kawacatoose First Nation), Elder Mary McNab (George Gordon First Nation), and Elder Monica Buffalo (Day Star First Nation).

The FNUniv research team consists of Dr. Brenda Green (Nominated Principal Investigator) – Indigenous Health; Dr. Kathleen O’Reilly – Indigenous Education; and Cassandra Wajuntah (PhDc) – Indigenous Health.

University of Regina research members are Dr. Elizabeth Cooper – Health Studies and Dr. Anna-Leah King – Education. Community members are Knowledge Keeper, Colleen Strongarm and Debbie Vey, a community midwife practicing within the FHQTC.

About First Nations University of Canada

The First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) was founded in 1976 and is a First Nations owned post-secondary institution that aspires to have transformative impact by bridging our ceremonies, knowledge keepers, languages, and traditions with the delivery of high-quality post-secondary education that will lead to the pride and success of all students, First Nations communities and Canada. For more information about FNUniv, please visit http://fnuniv.ca.

-30-

For media inquiries only, please contact:

Bonnie Rockthunder

Senior Communications Officer

First Nations University of Canada

Cell:     204.292.3253

Email: comm@firstnationsuniversity.ca

NT5