nihtâwikihew / ᓂᐦᑖᐃᐧᑭᐦᐁᐤ/ she gives birth

Sâkowêw is a young woman in a remote community who just wants to welcome her new baby safely into the world. She trusts Auntie Mary to honour her family’s traditions. When something goes wrong, she’s snatched from warmth and safety, and spirited away to a disorienting place she never wanted to go. Told from her perspective, Sâkowêw’s story of giving birth lays bare the anti-Indigenous racism entrenched in health systems across Canada. Through intimate conversations with family and harrowing experiences at the local health centre, the film plunges audiences headlong into the deep impacts of colonialism, poor communication, and personal bias that Indigenous communities face.