Reclaiming Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Health: The Impacts of Colonization on Indigenous Motherhood and the Revitalization of Traditional Birthing Practices
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Prior to the Allotment and Assimilation Era in 1887 and the introduction of Western medicine, Indigenous women’s reproductive health was immersed with cultural practices, medicinal plant remedies, and ultimately handled by women of the community. However, with time and assimilation, these practices began to fade and be forgotten. This thesis explores the following questions: How has assimilation and western expansion impacted the reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and how do these continue to impact them in today’s current society? Looking into the oral histories of traditional birthing practices and the herbal medicines used for women’s health, how can these teachings be integrated or reintegrated back into the culture and potentially into Western medicine? What steps can be taken to reclaim this traditional knowledge and reverse the current state of Native women’s reproductive health and rights? I examine the impact of colonization and assimilation on the current state of Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Health to provide insight as to why there is a loss of Indigenous traditions. Looking at Navajo, Lakota, and Dakota Sioux birthing knowledge specifically, I explain their traditional birthing practices based on examinations of ethnographies from 1920-1940, interviews I conducted with elder women affiliated with these tribes, along with other research interviews on the topic. With this knowledge of the birthing practices, I explore the medicinal plants that aided in the births, as well as in serving as a contraceptive, abortifacient, gynecological aid, and reproductive aid to women in these tribes. By understanding the history of Indigenous women’s reproductive health, this paper aims to help in revitalizing Indigenous knowledge around birth and women’s medicine and possibly integrating these practices into Western medicine.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 28, 2021 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Goodwill, Jade Okute Win |
|---|---|
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Department of Science, Technology, and Society |
| Primary advisor | Schiebinger, Londa |
| Advisor | Sato, Kyoko |
Subjects
| Subject | Indigenous women |
|---|---|
| Subject | reproductive health |
| Subject | tradition birthing practices |
| Subject | traditional medicinal plants |
| Subject | Science |
| Subject | Technology |
| Subject | and Society |
| Subject | STS |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
Goodwill, Jade Okute Win. (2021). Reclaiming Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Health:
The Impacts of Colonization on Indigenous Motherhood and the Revitalization of Traditional Birthing Practices. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/cg764xx3892
Collection
Stanford University, Program in Science, Technology and Society, Honors Theses
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- Contact
- jo.goodwill@yahoo.com
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