Project 460960

The ilhenaylhs chet s7elji (Nourishing our Ancestors' Dreams) gathering will happen on the traditional unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, known as Vancouver BC, August 24- 26, 2022. The objective is to bring Indigenous Knowledge Holders, community members, midwives, other health practitioners, researchers and academics together from across BC, Canada, and beyond, to share wisdom, diverse cultural experiences, and inform each other about Indigenous approaches to supporting pregnancy, childbirth, infant care and parenting. Through the Gathering, we will create spaces in which traditional practices can flourish, to the benefit of mothers, fathers, infants, families, and communities. The Gathering is related to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), an idea that outlines how stresses experienced from conception to early childhood are crucial for a person's health and wellness over their lifetime and in future generations. An Indigenous lens on DOHaD also considers the importance of Indigenous cultures, languages, collectivity, and interconnectedness with other people, beings and Mother Earth as central to the strength and resilience of past, present and future generations. Plans for ilhenaylhs chet s7elji have been made in consultation with Host Nations through respectful engagement practices. Appropriate protocols have been followed. Ceremonies and cultural protocols are interwoven throughout. Formal and informal meetings will support culturally safe dialogue, honour Indigenous ways of knowing and be a time and place to initiate new and strengthen existing respectful, cooperative relationships. Arts and Land-based events will provide additional ways to experience learning and exchange ideas. The multi-day program attends to cultural details so that the gathering "inspires innovation, creates connections and ignites dreams" (quote, Elder Sharon).