Indigenous Mothering

Winona holds her son, Corbin, on the ruins of the residential school in her hometown of Wiikwemikoong, Ontario, in so-called Canada. Bodies, unmarked graves, and potential burial sites have been identified near residential school sites across Canada since the 1970s, mainly using ground-penetrating radar. To date, the sites of unmarked graves are estimated to hold the remains of more than 1,900 previously unaccounted individuals, mostly children.

INDIGENOUS MOTHERING

IMAGES BY WINONA OMINIKA

WORDS BY NEHAA BIMAL

Winona Ominika is a two-spirit Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) visual storyteller and land-based educator from the Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory in North Central Ontario in so-called Canada. Winona’s project ‘Indigenous Mothering’ sheds light how they and others are living, learning and embracing the unknown of motherhood and caregiving. 

Thank you for speaking with me, Winona. Can you start by sharing why you decided to share this story with the world?

I was on my personal journey of being a parent, so I was in a state of healing from my own experiences with intergenerational trauma which also impacted my mother and grandmother. 

Before colonization, Indigenous people [on Turtle Island] didn’t have set rules dictating how we should be, and now that we have them, it has impacted our parenting styles. 

There’s a phrase we use–”mino-bimaadiziwin”–which means “living a good life on the land.” Colonization made this really challenging. Pre-contact, we didn’t need to “cope” with the problems brought forth through colonization. I developed unhealthy coping mechanisms early on in life, but as soon as I became a parent, I knew I wanted to do better. My baby will grow to be part of the next generation and they are not going to experience having alcohol or other dependencies in their house.

I wanted to share how colonization has also impacted the experiences of other Indigenous parents and caregivers, as well as ways they are navigating it.

What was the experience like for you, documenting other families?

It was eye-opening to see other people being vulnerable because they are grieving from their parenting styles and how they grew up. They are taking action by revitalizing their traditional languages, going back to the land and reconnecting with their elders. Hearing their stories brought back some of the challenges I experienced and am experiencing. We’re all interconnected through parenting and we’re all acknowledging the pain we carry and are finding ways to move forward in a better way. 

In a blog post you wrote as part of the Reclaim Power Mentorship Program, you wrote about how you are in the process of reconnecting with your “lost heritage” as an Anishinaabe Kwe (woman). How has this project helped you reconnect with your culture? 

Reconnecting with the culture and the land has helped me mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I feel like my culture has really saved my life because I grew up off-reserve in the town of Sudbury, which is two hours from my home in Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory in North Central Ontario. 

I’ve been reconnecting with traditions I wasn’t raised with like learning how to smudge or using prayers and intentions. A lot of the teachings for Anishinaabe Kwe involve taking care of yourself, which helped me through depression, anxiety and wondering what my life path was. I took all those tools, bundled them up and used them to find my purpose and heal. I carried that into my parenting as I wanted to break the cycle. 

What is your message with this project?

I hope for Indigenous parents to realize why we are the way we are and to reconnect with that. We’ve lost so much and it’s important for us to reclaim Indigenous parenting. Before, families lived together and there was so much community support and shared values that would help people start their families. Now, with the dominant culture colonizing our ways of being, it can be very isolating. 

I want other Indigenous parents to know that they are not alone, and that its possible to break cycles through love, care, support and spiritual connectedness. 

Another aspect of this project is deeply personal as you are sharing your story as a mother. What was it like to photograph yourself and your son? 

I’m able to see my son and how I am now able to take care of him in a better way. I know now that I don’t have to react or do things to cope that are harmful. I want to show him that “I’ve got this” and that I’m here for him.

He’s a very happy kid and on my journey as a mother, I’m seeing the importance of being present and to just love and care. He makes me happy and he is giving my life purpose. Now that I’m doing it alone, having to navigate that is going to be difficult and challenging, but I come from a lineage of single mothers who can help guide me. I’m hopeful for the future for us and things are working out for us. We’re going to be okay. 

ALFREDA TRUDEAU AND GRANDSON DION

Alfreda and her grandson Dion in jackets she made by hand. “I photographed Alfreda on her property where she was born and raised in a satellite community in South Bay, Wiikwemikoong as part of our reserve. She pretty much lives in the bush. She is an inspiration–someone that has been through it all and is still learning, growing and healing.“

“Alfreda talked a lot about her family lineage and the old log house that her dad built. Some of the families I interviewed lived in houses that had six to seven siblings under one roof which makes you wonder how everyone fit in there.”

“Alfreda’s own children have been through a lot, dealing with experience of abuse and addiction, and she’s always been someone that helps and assures her children and grandchildren that she’s always there for them.”

“I also included pets in these sessions as they take care of us when we need someone and we don’t feel like there is anybody else.”

ANNA PELTIER AND FAMILY

“Anna Peltier is a single parent to her three children. Anna was photographed at her parent’s home where she grew up. It is one of the first houses in Wiikwemikoong that was built–innovatively and by hand, which can be seen in the way the logs are fixed together like puzzle pieces.”

“These are some of the pictures Anna’s mother shared with me, which speak to the history of our community. This picture has my grandmother in it and was photographed on a trip to visit one of the churches down south.”

“Anna talked about the impacts of colonization on her parents and how they were disconnected from their culture. Her parents learned to speak their traditional language by themselves and are now fluent. Her parents are sharing their knowledge of the language and shared history with the youth in the community.” 

“Anna’s mother shared how the community would support one another and how people would come over unexpectedly–just passing through–and you would help them because whatever you give, you get back.”

WINONA AND CORBIN

“Through my photos of me and my son, I wanted to share my essence as a mother and caregiver. To see my son and how I am now able to take care of him in a better way, as well as understand that I don’t have to react or do things to cope that are harmful. I want to show him that I’ve got this and that I’m here for him and I’m going to be present for him.”

All images shared with permission from families, and we hold these stories with great care.

Winona is one of our Rising Storyteller Grantee from 2023, made possible in partnership with Sony Canada.