Aboriginal women, water and health

She spoke of the role of the Grandmother that is the keeper of that lake in the spirit realm. [...] In there you are taught and cared for by your mother–everything within the surroundings of that water (nibi).” 8. Aboriginal Women, Water and Health The distinct relationship between women and water according to many Aboriginal cultures is connected to the fact that women’s bodies have the capacity to host and sustain the life force that water represents. [...] Pauline talked about how the baby spends nine moons in the “water vessel” that is the womb, and how birth is “like the Saskatchewan river; you are flowing so fast in there and you are sliding as you come out.” She noted that “the spirit of the water helps you at birth, and the spirit of the child within the water vessel is called and couraged by the grandmothers (Nokomis), who are the helpers and [...] It’s the father who takes care of the environment, takes care of the food and the water and the drinks for the safety and care of the baby and the mother.” Rhoda noted that water is also involved in sustaining new life through the mother, “because for women, we produce milk; babies are able to drink from their mothers.” All of these connections are manifest in the significant role that water plays [...] Pauline spoke about the use of water during labour and birth in her culture, illuminating how birth is understood as a ceremony: The grandmas do the boiling of the water and the medicines and all of that… The placenta needs to be looked after, and there is ceremony for that.