Co-Producer Savannah Erasmus with Danette Jubinville.
About Us
Ali Pitargue
and
Savannah Erasmus
are the producers behind the
"circle of care"
documentary.
Ali Pitargue
Ali Pitargue is a self-described adventurer and storyteller. As a journalist with a special interest in social justice, she is eager to unearth fresh perspectives to share with the world.
She has undergraduate degree in Communication from SFU, and is currently studying broadcast journalism at BCIT. She is an immigrant from the Philippines and since arriving to Canada in 2005, she became committed to highlighting diversity in the country. She also has interests in politics, science fiction, and fine art.
You can find more from Ali, at her portfolio site.
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Savannah Erasmus
Savannah Erasmus is an Indigenous storyteller, journalism student and digital creator from Kikino, Alberta.
Savannah has a special interest in stories that feature Indigenous voices and perspectives. Growing up, she never saw her kin represented in media. She hopes to contribute to a media landscape that includes a variety of Indigenous voices.
Savannah is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at BCIT and cannot wait to do work that reflects her dream.
you can find more from savannah, at her portfolio site.
THE
CIRCLE
OF
CARE
"The circle, being primary, influences how we as Aboriginal peoples view the world. In the process of how life evolves, how the natural world grows and works together, how all things are connected, and how all things move toward their destiny. Aboriginal peoples see and respond to the world in a circular fashion and are influenced by the examples of the circles of creation in our environment".
- Bob Joseph
ABOUT
Circle of Care is a multimedia project that addresses the reclamation of traditional birth knowledge. The project is comprised of a radio documentary, a photo gallery, a video, a historical research presentation, and social media.
We feature a circle of Indigenous doula's practicing culturally relevant maternal care.
We mainly feature Danette Jubinville, a registered doula in BC and a founding member of the ekw’i7tl collective. She is a health science PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University. Her research is focused on the reclamation of traditional Indigenous birth practices.
As a member of the collective, she is a part of a circle of support for doula's who strive to reclaim their culture and knowledge.
It is important to understand that their is no "one size fits all" when it comes to Indigenous traditions and culture.
In this documentary, we meet Danette, who speaks about the way she practices and reclaims her own history and culture. This is different than other members of the collective.
Forced assimilation policy in Canada resulted in the loss of traditional knowledge, languages and traditions.
Indigenous nations slowly lost their traditional maternity care for births, pregnancies, and postpartum due to the implementation of colonial health care systems. Generally speaking, in Indigenous communities births are a community affair where mothers benefit from being surrounded by family, friends, elders, community members, and midwives.
This project is meant to feature the benefits and goals of traditional care and why doula's have chosen this work.
Our project is only a small highlight of the work being done to reclaim and preserve traditional knowledge and culture.