About Zaagidwin

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Zaagidwin Ndaknaan is dedicated to embracing and upholding the National Council of Indigenous Midwives (NCIM) Values. These principles guide our actions and decisions, ensuring we operate with integrity, respect, and a commitment to excellence. The NCIM Values, outlined below, are the cornerstone of our mission and vision, driving us towards a future of positive impact and meaningful change. We have slightly modified the wording of the NCIM Values to reflect our joyful commitment to serving all genders and sexualities. 

1. Healing: Indigenous midwives enhance the capacity of a community to heal from historical and ongoing traumas, addictions, and violence. Indigenous midwives draw from a rich tradition of language, Indigenous knowledge, and cultural practice as they work with women, youth, children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members to restore health to Indigenous families and communities.
2. Respect: Indigenous midwives respect birth as a healthy physiologic process and honour each birth as a spiritual journey.
3. Autonomy: Indigenous women, youth, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members have the inherent right to choose their caregivers and to be active decision makers in their health care. 
4. Responsibility: Indigenous midwives are responsible for upholding the above values through reciprocal and equal relationships with women, youth,children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members.
5. Cultural Safety: Indigenous midwives create and protect the sacred space in which each woman, youth, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members, in their uniqueness, can feel safe to express who she is and what she needs.
6. Compassion: Indigenous midwives act as guides and compassionate caregivers in all Indigenous communities, rural, urban and remote. The dignity of Indigenous women, youth, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members is upheld through the provision of kind, considerate and respectful services.
7. Education: Indigenous midwifery education and practice respects diverse ways of knowing and learning, is responsive to Indigenous women, youth, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members and must be accessible to all who choose this pathway.
8. Clinical Excellence: Indigenous midwives uphold the standards and principles of exemplary clinical care for women, youth, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members and babies throughout the lifecycle. This includes reproductive health care, well woman and baby care and the creation of sacred, powerful spaces for Indigenous girls, women, families, and communities.
9. Bonding: Well-being is based on familial and community relationships that foster a supportive parent and child bond that must be uplifted by kin, community, and duty bearers in health and social service systems.
10. Breast/chest feeding: Indigenous midwives uphold breast/chest feeding as sacred medicine for the parent and baby. 

Source: https://indigenousmidwifery.ca/mission-vision-values/