Breaking Ground at Sturgeon Lake First Nation!

by. Lily Naytowhow

Today we celebrated the sod turning ceremony that took place in Sturgeon Lake First Nation across from the Lloyd Johnson memorial center. Our band membership was there, including our Cheif Christine Longjohn and the council members, to begin the construction of the women's birthing Centre.

There were people from all over the country, including two other Indigenous nations representatives who are also running Indigenous birthing center's in their communities. I was pleased to find out that the model, for this was inspired by six nations Haudenosaunee confederation community, Akwesasne located in New York. 

We are not only breaking ground to build a Centre that is one of the first of its kind in our area but also helping others when we create center's and policies that others can inspire other Indigenous communities to do the same. This is the vision of self-determination that we read so much about when talking about our treaty rights. As elder Wally Fox was speaking, he said that treaty rights come first before Canadian law, and we have an inherent right to birth our children the way that we want to and raise them the way that we want to. So many injustices have happened in the past related to the birthing and rearing of children. It is refreshing to see that there is a new way, which is actually the old way, our way. 

The following is an overview of our birthing center's planning. Written by Norma Rabbitskin and the women's birthing team.

INHERENT RIGHT TO BIRTH CHILDREN

Protected under the Inherent Authority of pakitahawikaniw-sakahikaniýiniwak

(Sturgeon Lake First Nation people)

When pakitahawikaniw-sakahikaniýiniwak (SLFN people) entered Treaty No 6 with the British Crown in 1876 - all our inherent laws and traditions were not changed by the treaty making. Our ways of child birthing and child rearing remained in place - our ancestors added the medicine chest to the Treaty to ensure that our future generations would always have access to the medicines that come with the Queen's subject.

We, the pakitahawikaniw-sakahikaniýiniwak (SLFN people) accept as true that kise-manitow created the universe, infused it with life and gave manitow-wiicikiwin (the principles that would govern existence). nehiyawak understand the life and principles of creation as wiýasiwewin (the natural law of the universe). Our original instructions are to live a life in harmony with the creation and to move with pimatisiwin (the natural flow of the universe).

Rooted in our customs and laws, awāsisak (children) were brought to this place through their spiritual connection to the creation. As a collective decision, our Nation is resuming our ways of bringing a child onto this place. Our awāsisak are sacred gifts for the future generations. We, welcome our blessings using our ceremonies and songs.

Our ways are from our inherent authority as caretakers of our mother — the earth. As we honor her, we honor the birthing of a child. This is an expression of our inherent authority.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Sturgeon Lake First Nation (SLFN) is a dynamic and growing community located on the eastern shores of Sturgeon Lake about 30 km northwest of Prince Albert and 150 km north of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan. SLFN is predominately Plains Cree culture and language with a total population of 2,815. There are an average of 45 births a year. The community is rich with cultural ceremonies and tradition being practiced and we have a thriving, increasing youth population. Established in 1995 SLFN Health Services provides comprehensive, on-reserve, patient-centered care by aligning its core programs: Primary Care, Community Health, and Home Care. Our integration of traditional First Nation healing philosophies and a miywayawin (Wellness) model incorporate western bio-medical approaches to healthcare. The services acknowledge the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person, which we believe must be addressed to ensure holistic health and healing. SLFN developed a four-pronged approach to systematically develop birth-related supports and programming with a traditional knowledge base:

1. The first prong of the approach is Awakening the Ancestral Knowledge System by teaching the knowledge and skills of nihtawikihawasowin and miyo ohpikinäwasowin as an awareness and curriculum project.
2. The second prong is Incorporating Traditional Birthing Practices and Teachings within Sturgeon Lake's Maternal Child Health program, with Knowledge Keepers' support. Revitalizing Birthing Knowledge and traditional teachings in the community includes training people who were only previously taught in western worldview.
3. The third prong is Building Capacity with a Midwifery and Indigenous Birth Support System that will enhance the birthing experience for our women and improve the health of our families. This part of the Project articulates the necessary mechanisms that must be in place, a requirement for any community level programming.
4. In fiscal 2019-2020, a fourth prong was introduced: Community knowledge transfer is the alignment of cultural continuity of community knowledge to ensure intergenerational transfer.

Intergenerational transfer:

Grandmother's and Matriarchs of pakitahwakan sakahikanihk

(Sturgeon Lake First Nation)

Sturgeon Lake Grandmothers Child Rearing Practices and Mentorship will provide mental health support for the youth "while teaching and practicing knowledge transfer of traditional ancestral knowledge." It is important to include youth in cultural practices and traditional knowledge from family Matriarchs and Patriarchs. The traditional teachings provide the opportunity for youth to connect and experience kinship, through their elder's knowledge, and the delivery of mental health supports. The teachings engage youth and elders in cultural teaching and learning but most importantly valuable knowledge transfer is occurring at every meeting. It feels great knowing that our words, our wisdom is being shared and recorded for those that want to learn.

Traditional birthing a step toward reclaiming health care sovereignty:

Indigenous midwives and Sturgeon Lake birth support workers joined (sitting) Ashley Rabbitskin with Kaleo Rabbitskin, Norma Rabbitskin. Back row: Natalie Pambrun, Carol Couchie, Wanita Bear, Patricia Ermine, and Jocelyn Shrader. Feb 23, 2022.

When Ashley Rabbitskin went into labor in February 2022, her mother, two midwives and other women trained in supporting traditional childbirth joined her in the healing lodge at Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan.

Men lit a fire outside and tended it throughout the occasion. Inside, a pipe was lit and sweetgrass smoke scented the air. Years of cultural training with Elder women and proponents of traditional childbirth had prepared Rabbitskin for the natural act of bringing life into the world.

Seven hours later, her healthy baby was born. "When Kaleo was born, songs were sung welcoming him to this world and that was very special," said Ashley's mother, Norma Rabbitskin. Four hours after that, once the midwives were satisfied mother and baby were well, Ashley and Kaleo went home with Norma. "One of the things that was really empowering was, instead of going to the hospital, we went straight to my house and looked after her from there," said Norma. "It was really good not to go to the hospital. "As the senior health nurse at Sturgeon Lake Health Centre, Norma is part of a team that has been working for five years to revive traditional birthing. Leadership at Sturgeon Lake First Nation, located 48 kilometers northeast of Prince Albert, had taken guidance from a circle of Elders who were concerned about discrimination in health care, including the disturbing reality that some Indigenous women have been coerced into being sterilized after giving birth in Saskatoon and elsewhere. In 2017, the Saskatoon Health Region apologized.