Traditional Innu Midwife

Sheshatshiu, NL

Josephine was an Innu Elder and Midwife who lived in Sheshatshiu. She attended the 1990 Northern Childbirth Workshop:

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"Midwifery was passed to me by my mother. She used to ask me to watch her as she delivered babies. Gradually, I helped her. When a mother had complications, for example she used hands to turn a baby in an awkward  position or detached the placenta if necessary. The woman would be in a kneeling or squatting position. The father would help and he

would be with his wife in the same position with

both arms around her. With the help of the

father, it really encouraged the mother, and it

was easier for the midwife. 

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The midwife used sinew made from caribou to

tie the umbilical cord. If the placenta couldn’t

come out, a bottle would be given to the

mother to blow and help her push."

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