"We built it grassroots… birth by birth": circumpolar maternal child health workshop proceedings.

Abstract

Maternity care across the Circumpolar North continues to be shaped by colonial policies, centralized healthcare structures, and the ongoing evacuation of pregnant people from their communities for birth. While these challenges are well documented, less attention has been given to the strengths, innovations, and community-led approaches emerging across Arctic regions. Building on previous engagements of the Circumpolar Maternal and Child Health Working Group, a two-day workshop was convened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, in March 2026. The workshop brought together Elders, Indigenous and non-Indigenous midwives, birthworkers, healthcare providers, researchers, and students from the Circumpolar North to facilitate knowledge exchange and identify lessons from successful community-led birthing initiatives. Grounded in Indigenous knowledge-sharing approaches, the workshop incorporated storytelling, talking circles, small-group discussions, and case study presentations from the Inuulitsivik Midwifery Program and the Fort Smith Midwifery Program. Discussions identified five interconnected dimensions of community-based maternity care: Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being; Transforming Systems Through Decolonization; Building Knowledge and Training Pathways; Centring Indigenous Birthing Practices; and Governance and System Structures. Regional discussions highlighted differences in education pathways, workforce capacity, governance, and health system-support. The workshop demonstrated the value of a practitioner-led circumpolar knowledge exchange in identifying priorities to strengthen community-based maternity care.