i3 Innovator Rebeka Tabobondung
Spirit of Birth Indigenous Pregnancy and Parenting App
Indigenous Innovator Announcement | Meet Rebeka Tabobondung
Spirit of Birth Indigenous Pregnancy and Parenting App
Rebeka Tabobondung is the former elected Chief Councilor of Wasauksing First Nation where she lives in Georgian Bay, Anishinaabek Territory, Ontario. She is the Editor-in-Chief of MUSKRATMagazine, a leading on-line Indigenous Arts and Culture Magazine located in Toronto, on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
Rebeka Tabobondung is a media and story creator. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MUSKRATMagazine.com, a filmmaker, writer, poet, and Indigenous knowledge researcher on Indigenous birth knowledges. Rebeka holds over 20 years of experience in community engagement within diverse Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and co-founded the Gchi Dewin Indigenous Storytellers Festival in Wasauksing First Nation. She is the co-owner of the award-winning Maaiingan Productions and in 2019 she and her partner acquired ReZ 91.3 FM, a designated Native community radio station. She also works as a creator, researcher and writer with award-winning Montreal-based Rezolution Pictures, who along with APTN are partners in the Spirit of Birth Grand Challenges innovation project.
The Spirit of Birth is an Indigenous Pregnancy and Parenting App created to support the reclaiming and revitalization of Indigenous health and birth wisdom. This innovative app, in addition to a separate research project and 8-part reality web series (created with Rezolution Productions and APTN), unearths traditional Indigenous birth knowledge and practices, bringing together leading Indigenous health researchers, practitioners, storytellers and tech developers to support the reclaiming and revitalization of Indigenous birth wisdom and bring Indigenous culture and spirituality into the narrative of birth Apps.
“Within an Indigenous context, the idea of health includes that we are learning and living our ways of knowing and being. This app will enable prosperity for Indigenous Peoples through access to public health and cultural knowledge that supports the uptake of culturally-rooted practices that have the potential to substantially enhance pregnancy experiences.”
- Sara Wolfe, Director, Indigenous Innovation Initiative
WHAT DOES INDIGENOUS INNOVATION MEAN TO YOU?
Indigenous Innovation within The Spirit of Birth App is about developing accessible and inclusive educational tool(s) that provides access to vital pre- and post-natal health, birth and parenting knowledge. This innovation is culture-based, guided by our ancestors, Indigenous values, and community wisdom to promote culturally safe care and support a rite of passage.
HOW THIS INNOVATION IMPACTS 2030 INDIGENOUS AGENDA
Indigenous women experience the highest rates of preterm birth, and unacceptably high rates of pregnancy complications. Too often, Indigenous women experience birth de-contextualized from their communities and traditions. This App helps women connect with the information they need and enables personalization with their own cultural and familial knowledge.
