Enedina Banks, who works in the language department at the CPN
Cultural Heritage Center, has committed her life to revitalizing
Potawatomi ways. One way she does this is by educating the world
about the language and cultural ways of the Potawatomi people, which
includes encouraging mothers to feed their children the first
sacred food breast milk, known as dodoshkewek
in Potawatomi.
In June, Banks was photographed in her traditional regalia,
breastfeeding her son Nico, on the Oklahoma City stop of the Normalize
Breastfeeding Tour, which encourages breastfeeding mothers to connect
to others in their communities. Banks
was quoted in the Huffington Post saying breastfeeding
is not as prevalent as it once was in our communities, but we are
trying and implementing programs that help normalize breastfeeding
again.
When asked why it is important for Native American women to
breastfeed their children and how it preserves the Potawatomi culture,
Banks responded with this heartfelt letter to explain the importance
of normalizing breastfeeding.
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This
Prairie Band Potawatomi mom participated in Vanessa Simmons
Normalize Breastfeeding project. (photo by Vanessa
A. Simmons - Candid Perspective Photography)
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Breastfeeding is medicine. Science is proving that when
babies nurse, their latch is so strong that saliva is actually sucked
back up into the mothers body and the mothers body can
adjust to babies needs. Hence, if baby has a cold or an ailment,
mothers body will send extra antibodies to be passed through
the milk. To me, breastfeeding has always been very calming. Science
is proving your body and babys body releases endorphins that
contribute to an overall well-being.
We, as Neshnabe, carry historical trauma in our DNA and
the only way to heal that trauma is to acknowledge it and create
new ways of dealing with stress which, in turn, changes our epigenetics.
I tell people all the time that my kids have nursed more often for
comfort rather than for hunger, which means that they were learning
how to deal with stress by seeking out their mother and knowing
I would comfort them, thus strengthening the mother-child bond.
Today, our native youth have the highest rates of suicide
because they are not being taught proper ways to deal with stress.
Bonding with our children was interrupted with relocations, boarding
schools and the implementation of single family homes. The children
of today are still feeling the effects of it. Our grandparents and
great-grandparents, whose horrible experiences had brought it back
to the reservations and to their homes, lost the Neshnabe ways and
teachings. They brought back violence, shame and heartbreak, which
turned into alcoholism to deal with their sadness and drug use to
numb the pain. It has been seen as normal for Natives to be alcoholics,
drug users, overweight and depressed ever since. All of these symptoms
are directly affected by having no healthy ways of dealing with
stress.
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The
Native American moms commitment to breastfeeding was
inspired in part by an old Polaroid photo of her own mother
nursing her. (photo courtesy of Enedina Banks)
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When we think back to who we come from and who we are
as Neshnabe people and how our ancestors raised their children,
breastfeeding was part of that. Within our own tribe, from personal
experiences, it was not uncommon for aunties to nurse their nieces
and nephews. Within our culture, we were taught that our aunties
are our other mothers and they cared for and took those responsibilities
that come with being a mother. If baby needs to nurse, it was and
is normal for others to nourish them.
Sadly, American society has over-sexualized the womans
body. It is important to get back to our original teachings. Women
and their bodies are sacred life-bearers and should be respected
as such. That respect for the womans body has been lost
so lost that even women themselves dont respect their own
bodies anymore. They are ashamed of them instead of being proud
of what we are capable of. We give life and can sustain life, which
is a blessing from Creator that I hope our future generations start
to understand again, rather than taking that privilege for granted.
Keeping with tradition in this modernized world can be
difficult at times. Everyone is always in a hurry and breastfeeding
becomes cumbersome, but it's necessary to strengthen that bond with
baby. It slows you down and you get to cuddle while staring at what
a wonderful gift Creator has blessed you with. The amazing feeling
you get when you know you are nourishing their ever-growing body
is what motherhood is about.
I want to be part of the revitalization of our cultural
practices, language and, most importantly, beliefs. When you dont
know who you are, its like a piece of you is missing. We have
become so far detached from instinctual parenting, that those of
us who use primal practices are ridiculed. Baby-wearing is seen
as almost a fad. Breastfeeding is no longer seen as the norm but
now just as an option. These practices were done for
a cultural reason. We carried our babies for that first year because
we were told to not put your baby on the ground until they are named
the following spring. We breastfed because the Creator made it that
way for us to nourish our babies, and we did not question it.
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Enedina
and her son at the Normalize Breast Feeding photo shoot at
the Plaza Walls in Oklahoma City. (photo by Vanessa A. Simmons
- Candid Perspective Photography)
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Women would gather around the young girls who were becoming
women and teach them about their bodies. In that time they learned
how sacred it was to be a life-bearer. They learned to be self-disciplined
and how to conduct themselves in a respectful way. All of the women
would give pregnant women teachings of motherhood. We lack all this
knowledge now, with that communal feeling. Our culture is being
lost, so if I can help open someones eyes to something as
basic as breastfeeding then thats one step closer to cultural
preservation. Im very passionate about my work in preserving
our identities. Food sovereignty, which is breastfeeding, is a huge
part of cultural preservation.
The staff at CPN Women, Infant and Children Program encourages
mothers to breastfeed as well. According to Nutrition and Breastfeeding
Coordinator Cheryl Richardson, the health benefits for mom and baby
are many. There are over 200 components in breast milk, many of
which nutritionists still do not understand their exact purpose
or function. Breast milk is made of living cells and has been called
white blood by many.
According to the World Health Organization, breastfed babies
have higher IQs. Research
suggests that breastfed babies have lower risks of asthma, childhood
leukemia, childhood obesity, ear infections, diarrhea, vomiting,
lower respiratory infections and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Richardson said that mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk
of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and chronic conditions, like Type
1 diabetes, celiac disease and Crohns disease. Many have fewer
problems with weight, as breastfeeding burns a lot of calories.
They also get a menstruation vacation with exclusive breastfeeding
which means delayed ovulation and natural birth control for
about the first six months after they give birth and save
money on formula.
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I
did this photo shoot the with the intentions and thought that
if I can help one person then it was worth it and meant to
be, said Banks. (photo by Vanessa A. Simmons - Candid
Perspective Photography)
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CPN WIC has staff available to help with breastfeeding, including
peer counselors who work with pregnant or new moms. They can also
provide breast pumps and equipment depending on the womans
need. For more information, contact CPN WIC at 405-273-3216 or cpn.news/WIC.
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