Reclaiming Auntie Wisdom: Cultivating Indigenous Doula Pathways for Birth Justice and Community Healing
Tess Abrahamson-Richards, PhD, MPH, MichaeLynn Kanichy, MPH, Glenda Abbott, Penny Spencer
Volume 26, Number 1 (2026) 26 (1): 62–82
Keywords Washington Indigenous communities, doula, indigenous maternal health, care access
Abstract
Indigenous doulas protect and pass on ancestral birth and reproductive knowledge and nurture safe birthing spaces for Indigenous people and communities. This paper shares findings from a community-embedded mixed-methods study of the Indigenous Responsive Mentorship Doula Initiative in the northwestern United States. The authors introduce the Auntie Wisdom Indigenous Doula Training Framework highlighting the growth and traditional healing doulas experienced in this training initiative, as represented by cedar (knowledge), sweet grass (connection), and sage (advocacy). The initiative successfully prepared doulas to offer birth support, advocate with and for their clients, and collectively support community healing and futurity. Results indicate the important need for additional resources to support community-led Indigenous doula work and physical birth justice hubs, especially in rural Tribal communities.
Tess Abrahamson-Richards, PhD, MPH
MichaeLynn Kanichy, MPH
Glenda Abbott
Penny Spencer
Published June 18, 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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