Native Language-Based Paradigms for Indigenous Midwifery

In the North Carolina Cherokee communities, elder women are coming together to renew traditional models for women’s health. Applied anthropologists are working with community members to address a variety of social concerns including those related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The women concerned with these issues are finding solutions within their own language, beliefs, and memories--traditions that have become disconnected from many young Cherokee women today. This paper outlines the development of the initial stages of the Cherokee Native Midwifery Project, the language-centered paradigm at its core, and possible future directions as the project develops.