Birthing on country: an elusive ideal?

Abstract

The concept of birthing on country for Aboriginal people means having babies born on traditional lands, and more recently the term is used to indicate the desire of Aboriginal communities to have our babies born in our communities. Being born on country connects an Aboriginal person to the land and community in a deeply cultural way and affords life-long privileges such as hunting and fishing rights, as well as life-long responsibilities for looking after country, both land and people. For Aboriginal women, birthing has moved from the personal to the political, as governments provide policies about what is 'best' for Aboriginal women and their babies.