Creating a Quilt Piece . . . . The Documentary . . . . Virtual Quilt . . . . The Exhibition . . . . Indigenous Birthing Projects
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It is widely acknowledged that social problems experienced by many families begin with the birth experience. The Birthright Quilt is a national campaign to address the unacceptably high infant and maternal mortality of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies and the need for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women to experience birth and pregnancy in a manner that supports their physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as the social and cultural wellbeing of their communities.
Currently, for every non-Indigenous mother and baby that dies, there are at least 5 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women and 3 Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islander babies that die and maternity care is frequently insensitive to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women’s needs. It is common for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women living in remote and rural Australia to be forced to travel hundreds of kilometers, often alone and months before their due date, to access maternity care that is provided in a context that is culturally inappropriate by unknown caregivers.
The Birthright Quilt is a community-based initiative to create awareness about the high Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander infant and maternal mortality and to raise funds to support self-determination for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities to reclaim their local birthing services. This project aims to work with, and be guided by, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women and health workers, together with obstetric doctors, to create changes so that the women can birth in their own country with a continuity-of-care model of midwifery with appropriate medical backup and support.
Quilting is a time-honored method for women to express themselves and demonstrate solidarity and community. The Birthright Quilt provides an opportunity for all Australians to express their feelings about the injustice of maternity care available to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women by donating money and/or decorating a 10.5 inch square of fabric that will be sewn together to form a series of unique quilted art pieces. A documentary film is being produced on the making of the quilt and both the film and the quilt will be displayed publicly and tour the nation bringing awareness to the state of maternity care for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women.
The Making of the Quilt
The Quilt is made up of Individually designed squares (10.5 Inches), created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and non- Indigenous women who are moved by the high maternal and infant mortality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and babies or pregnancy and birth as experiences to be shared and created about in their own right.
Women and men come together to create a child. This union is recognized at the heart of this project. As part of the reclaiming of birthrights we also acknowledge that essentially giving birth is women’s business. With this in mind women are invited to contribute a creative piece for the Birthright quilt. We greatly acknowledge the men that contribute to this project with their passion, words, music, computers, cameras, money and big hearts.
During the next few months a creative process for men and their experiences related to the maternity care received by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women will evolve. This is a powerful issue in itself and ties in strongly to the experiences of women and children, as these are the men that are integral to the experience as a whole .
If you are a male reading this and feel moved and inspired this is for you, feel welcome to be involved in the creation of how you would like to see this part of the project evolve.
Creating a Quilt Piece
To receive a piece of fabric please email senekacohen@yahoo.com.au
and state:Fabric request for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Birthright Quilt
And then your name and mailing address.Please consider the following when being creative
- All pieces will be sewn together so please leave a ¼ inch around the edge for seem allowance.
- The art pieces will hang in the Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery for two months and then tour nationally so all pieces will travel better if they are made with strength and durability in mind.
- All pieces to be in the exhibition in Melbourne need to be returned to me before the 10th November if they are to be included in the exhibition which opens on the 9th December 2007.
- Birthquilt is an ONGOING PROJECT.
- Pieces that are recieved before February 2008 will tour the country as part of the quilt's national tour.
- Also as the quilt tours the country there will be opportunities to add pieces.
- Please send a note with your full name together with your finished piece so that your work can be acknowledged at the exhibition.
Please send to:
Seneka Cohen
62 Weerona Way
Warrandyte Nth VIC 3113
Please contact us and let us know how you would like to be involved…..
copyright 2007 www.birthquilt.org
