Reproductive Justice: Birthing The Next 7 Generations

In this episode, we sit down with Camie Jae Goldhammer (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyaté), BirthKeeper, Reproductive Justice advocate, and founder of Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services, to define, discuss, and explore how Indigenous birthing practices, breastfeeding, and community care intertwines to combat colonial and capitalist systems of oppression that disproportionately affect Indigenous, Black, and, Brown people.

The maternal mortality rate of American Indian and Alaska Natives is 8 times higher than white Americans, with 80% of deaths being preventable. Before Hummingbird was founded, there were no resources in the Pacific Northwest specifically for Native parents and families. Camie shares her own birth journey and how it led to her career serving over 3,000 Native moms and parents.

This conversation with Camie is a love letter to Native mommas, parents, and communities as she shares her wisdom as an Indigenous Lactation Consultant and Full Spectrum Doula, having co-created the first and only lactation counselor training created for Native people by Native people. Hummingbird’s mission is to have healthy Indigenous babies being born into healthy Indigenous families being supported by healthy Indigenous communities. Our Indigenous reproductive justice is healing not only the future generations but also the ones that have come before us.

This conversation is especially close to our hearts at All My Relations as Matika’s baby #2 is on the way, and resources like Hummingbird Family Services are so crucial to the reclamation of our birthing stories and practices.

Tune in for an unforgettable episode on reclaiming Indigenous birthing practices and reproductive justice .

Episode artwork by Ciara Sana & Matika Wilbur

Editing by Teo Shantz

Films by Francisco Sánchez

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Follow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.