Indigenous care centre reflects the voices of Elders

Kihew Awasis Wakamik Cultural Society opens welcoming doors

Son Kade (left) studies a scavenger hunt sheet with sister Breya and mom Heather Casselman at the 10th anniversary open house. Photo: Constance Brissenden

Outside the Kihew Awasis Wakamik Cultural Society (KAWCS), 111 Avenue is bustling. Rain is falling and winds are blowing. Inside, a warmth, both physical and emotional, envelops the visitor.

In a comfy living room area, small family groups chat while children look for objects in a scavenger hunt. The lively atmosphere is perfect for the official opening of KAWCS new Indigenous care centre.

The relatively small two-storey building holds ambitious goals. Many programs are already well established, including a community-based midwife training program. And new programs are gathering strength.

Inspiration comes from co-directors Nadia Houle and Lori Inkster, members of Otipemisiwak Métis Government, backed by Elders, Knowledge Keepers, mentors, students, midwives, and a host of family and friends.

Co-directors Nadia Houle (left) and Lori Inkster at the new Indigenous Care Centre launched by Kihew Awasis Wakamik Cultural Society on its 10th anniversary. Photo: Constance Brissenden

“Our focus is multi-pronged,” says Nadia Houle. “We support families in the major transitions of life, starting with pregnancy and birth, to the rites of passage into and out of adulthood, and to families experiencing the grief of a loved one journeying home.”

Houle and Inkster have impressive university credentials. Degrees are useful, but without cultural knowledge they would not go far in their work, says Inkster. “A lot of resources rely on government health funding. Through our experience, we know conventional health care doesn’t work well as the only option for Indigenous people.”

Both co-directors have been immersed in the teachings of Elders and Knowledge Keepers for a total of more than 55 years. The programs they now provide support KAWCS’ Indigenous participants with land-based teachings, ceremony, and evidence-based care.

Having a new, dedicated space allows families to have a soft landing for prenatal classes, parenting circles, Wellbriety, ceremony and, most recently, midwifery care. Since 2021, 65 women have participated in a two-year midwifery program with KAWCS.

Melissa Cardinal-Grant, a registered midwife, is a project coordinator at Kihew Awasis Wakamik Cultural Society. Photo: Constance Brissenden

On the second floor, the midwifery clinic includes relaxing seating and a kitchenette. A plastic pool by a bookshelf invites the question: do you do births here? No, says registered midwife and project coordinator Melissa Cardinal-Grant. It is only a display item to illustrate a birthing pool during the open house. Moms-to-be chose to give birth in hospital, at home, or in a birth centre elsewhere.

A KAWCS midwife and project coordinator, Cardinal-Grant also runs her own business, Bunny Trail Midwifery Inc. She wears several hats, specializing in low-risk pregnancy, birth, and post-partum clinical care. “I just love what I do,” she says. “As my work progressed, I realized that the need for culturally based pregnancy care was only growing.”

In response, KAWCS added a learning component to their already well-attended mentorship program. The Second Birth Attendant program provides pre-training for the now in-progress development of an Indigenous Midwifery curriculum.

Heather Casselman, a mom of three, always had a passion for birth work through an Indigenous lens. She could not find a way to learn, she says. Then she met Nadia Houle, who got the ball rolling. Now a potential Indigenous student midwife, Casselman is part of a mentorship program and is training as a Second Birth Attendant with the Kihew Awasis Wakamik Cultural Society.

“These programs are huge for so many of us,” says Casselman. “The centre really is creative at creating a new pathway for midwifery.”

The new KAWCS location officially opened its doors in December as a safe, welcoming space for community members to connect with culture, access “Aunty” emotional support, and midwifery care. It’s a gentle place to build safe relationships while moving through big transitions in life: the experiences of pregnancy, as well as the very human process of grieving.

“We take pride in providing culturally grounded support and programming that honours the strengths, teachings, and resilience of our families during the most intense times of their lives,” says Inkster.

The doors are now open, and visitors are welcome.