b'Message from the CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERRECLAIMING POWER AND VOICECora McGuire-CyretteA s matriarchs, Indigenous women have carried knowledgeChief Executive Officer,and skills that have shaped collective Indigenous resiliency ONWA nationwide. Since contact, Indigenous women have faced unique challenges in accessing healthcare and continuing traditional care in our communities. Colonial influence directly informs the creation of systems, which results in the shaping of spaces that are unsafe for all Indigenous peoples, particularly in the healthcare field. In the Canadian healthcare system, Indigenous women in particular face barriers and boundaries in their practices and ways of being. We see firsthand how colonial influence allows room for racism and discrimination to shape how needs are addressed. For years, Indigenous women have had to leave their communities to deliver their babies, often in unsafe environments and without the support of their families. In these instances, racism continues to regulate their experiences within Canadian healthcare systems and institutions. As a result, many Indigenous children are brought into this world alone and isolated, and many Indigenous women move to the Spirit world the same way. It is at these times in our lives that we need our families, ceremonies, our ways of knowing and being the most. Our traditional practices are our foundation and very necessary to our well-being. For Indigenous women, making space for who we are is a priority so that the injustices that we experience in the healthcare system no longer continue. This ninth issue of She is Wise Magazine explores stories of mutual care, advocacy, loss and re-emergence. We see how personal relationships and community care save lives and strengthen our bonds. We are witnesses to the insurmountable grief carried by Indigenous women subjected to systemic racism in healthcare, and how that grief drives advocacy work. We reflect on the innovative nature of Indigenous health services and access centres addressing the needs of Indigenous women and families. We celebrate the return to the traditional practices that ground and inform our coming generations, bringing them into this world surrounded by family and community, knowing that this will support their life journey in the best way possible. 8Fall/Winter 2023'