Andar no passado seguindo Kini Kia bakulu (a sombra dos ancestrais): a cura afro-pindorâmica de cuidados no parto

Abstract

This study analyzes the knowledge and practices of childbirth care, with an emphasis on afro-pindorâmicas perspectives. I share some of my experiences in a village in the coastal region of Bahia, where I work with other women who play the roles of caregivers and birth professionals, such as midwives, apprentices, doulas, and n'sânsi. Together, we reflect on the history, preservation, and [re]construction of African and Native American knowledge related to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and the integral health of our bodies and minds. In this writing, we emphasize the pluriversality of childbirth as opposed to the monoculture, the monorationality, of birthing practices. Valuing this local knowledge as opposed to the hegemonic biomedical knowledge that often fails to meet the needs of Black and Indigenous communities in particular. In addition, we discuss the intersections of oppression, particularly in institutionalized maternity care, and the need for care that is more responsive to our realities. The research also focuses on the relevance of continuity of care based on confluent Afro-diasporic and Amerindian worldviews as a form of resistance to colonialism, racism and onto-epistemicide.