Healthy Pregnancies and Beyond: Exploring the Experience and Teachings of Indigenous Grandmothers to Promote the Health of Future Generations of Indigenous people in Alberta
Creators: Gill, Taylor
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2023

<p>Damaging colonial practices have disrupted the intergenerational transmission of culture to Indigenous children in early childhood. Culture and cultural identity play a central role in Indigenous peoples’ well-being. Despite their remarkable resilience and deep reserves of wisdom about healing traditions, Indigenous cultures have been severely impacted by colonization (Kim, 2019). Pregnancy and early life are critical periods in children’s developmental trajectories (Barker, 2007). By promoting healthy environments through intergenerational cultural engagement during the child’s early years, we can positively affect the health of future generations of Indigenous peoples. <br>
Indigenous Grandmothers play vital roles in promoting healthy environments in early life by providing a connection to kinship networks and passing on Traditional Knowledge. This research follows the lead of five Indigenous Grandmothers from Alberta, who collectively represent the Grandmother’s Wisdom Network. They aim to pass on Traditional Knowledge and practices for the preservation of Indigenous cultural identity during a child’s early life. <br>
Using an Indigenist research framework, this work draws on participatory approaches to explore the roles of Indigenous Grandmothers, their experiences of Grandmothering, and the challenges that they have faced in carrying out their roles. This work also explores sacred Ceremonies and Traditional Teachings about pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood. Sharing circles that facilitate Indigenous storytelling were used for data generation, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. <br>
The results of this work illustrate how supportive early environments, including connection to kinship and culture, can promote children’s social, emotional and spiritual wellness. Indigenous Grandmothers, as keepers of culture and caregivers, play a key role in this connection to kinship and culture. We found that Indigenous Grandmothers provide a sense of belonging to children in early childhood that increases their sense of worthiness. Additionally, Grandmothers serve as mentors for children in their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual journeys through life. They guide children on the correct path so one day they, themselves may be the Elders of the next generation. Grandmothers carry out these responsibilities for biological grandchildren and adopted or informal grandchildren within their communities. Furthermore, caregiving for children by Grandmothers was found to be protective in keeping children out of the child welfare system. The Ceremonies and Traditional Teachings that this work captured included lessons on easing the child’s journey from the spirit world to the physical world and how to protect a baby’s spirit from harm. Teachings about sacred items, like the Moss Bag and the Swing were also explored. Welcoming and cherishing children as a gift from the Creator was an important teaching from the Grandmothers recorded within this work. The Grandmothers provided lessons about pregnancy, childbirth, the treatment of the umbilical cord, baby showers and giving children spiritual names. Finally, the results discuss the challenges Indigenous Grandmothers face, which include the diminishing respect for Grandmothers and intergenerational trauma that continues to affect Indigenous families. The Grandmothers call for forgiveness and reconciliation from within Indigenous families and communities to heal and bring up healthy, thriving children that will predict the well-being of the future seven generations. <br>
By understanding the roles of the Grandmothers in cultural transmission, policymakers can gain better insight into how a child’s early years affect their development and use this knowledge to help close the gap in health equity and life circumstances between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The findings from this research also point to a need for changes in institutional practices to support and celebrate the preservation of traditional Indigenous cultures, and the reversal of policies that are contributing to the disappearance of cultural practices, knowledge and languages. <br>
Following the wishes of the Grandmothers, the teachings recorded through this research will be collected in the form of a resource booklet and shared with new Indigenous parents. This resource will support those Indigenous parents who do not have access to keepers of cultural knowledge passed down in oral tradition.</p>