The Fireweed Project: Community report
Date
2026
Authors
Wells, Madison
Paul, Willow
Magnus, Sabrina
Ferguson, Créa
Antoine-Allan, Emma
Crane, Piyêsiw
Hardy, Shannon
Pérez Piñán, Astrid
Monchalin, Renée
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Fireweed Project
Abstract
Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) on Turtle Island have long held knowledge about reproductive health that focus on choice, wholistic well-being, and community-based care. Before colonization, Indigenous people used traditional methods, such as herbal medicines, for birth control and abortion. These practices were suppressed by settlers, who labelled these methods as taboo or shameful. Settlers’ religious beliefs were imposed through assimilative tactics like the residential school system, which disrupted the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge, including about abortion. Settler-colonialism has distorted Indigenous understandings of reproductive health, misrepresenting the place of abortion and contraception in Indigenous society.
Description
Keywords
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Aspiration Research Cluster
Citation
Wells, M., Paul, W., Magnus, S., Ferguson, C., Antoine-Allan, E., Crane, P., Hardy, S., Perez Pinan, A., & Monchalin, R. (2026). The Fireweed Project: Community Report. Fireweed Project. www.fireweedproject.ca/community-reportsFireweed Project