Reflections on Native American Heritage Month: A Conversation with Kimberly Moore-Salas

Kimberly Moore-Salas

Kimberly Moore-Salas, identifies as a Dine’ woman born for Naakaii Diné (Mexican People) and from Tsi’naajinii (Black Streak People) clans, maternally from Tolani Lake, AZ located in the southwestern area of the Navajo Nation. She is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant with over 14 years of experience in peer counseling and hospital and community-based lactation. She is a co-instructor for the Indigenous Breastfeeding Counselor training, an Advisory Committee member for the Navajo Breastfeeding Coalition, a former two-term USBC Board Member, and the Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee.

Camille Abbe, Director of Strategic Partnerships at USBC, interviewed Kimberly about Native American Heritage Month. The following is a script of their conversation.

Camille: November is Native American Heritage Month, a time dedicated to honoring the history and continuing invaluable contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people in the United States. What does this month mean to you?
 
Kimberly: Native American Heritage Month is a time to recognize and honor the resiliency and the contributions of culture, spirituality, innovation, and diversity of first peoples, those of us indigenous to this land since time immemorial, way before Western colonialism shaped what is now the United States. This includes stories of triumph, fortitude, and resistance as well as loss, hardships, and betrayal. It is a time of reflection on the past, present, and future for Native people, for our clans, tribes, nations, and our Mother Earth.
 
I remember a time just over forty years ago, when my great grandparents were still alive, living in a hogan, speaking only Dine’ Bizaad. I was a little girl playing with my cousins and I could see my grandparents doing daily chores. One fond memory was watching my great-grandmother sitting by piles of sheep wool to spin and clean, preparing to make her Navajo rug. I sat next to her picking up small pieces of wool to brush just until the wool became soft and silky. My mom told me she would harvest plants for natural dyes. She also knew plant medicines and was a healer in the community. I reflect often about the importance of the natural ecosystem, and the one that she created for her family.
 
During the early 1900s, a Seneca Native advocated for an “Indian Day” to be recognized in New York, as well as many others who have advocated for their people throughout the era; it took nearly a century for Native American Heritage Month to be officially established in the United States. Indigenous peoples have made significant contributions to agriculture, science, art, music, entrepreneurship, and public health in this nation. Today, generations later, many of us are reclaiming our community health initiatives and creating space for healing while acknowledging the impact that relocation, forced assimilation, and lack of critical funding have had on Indigenous communities across the country. Every month, not only in November, we seize the opportunity to teach the Nation about Native American history along with advocating for a more just and equitable future for those who’ve had many of their indigenous ways stolen or swept under the rug.
 
Camille: What are the key issues Native communities are facing when it comes to lactation, infant feeding, and maternal and infant health?
 
Kimberly: There are several key issues that Native communities face when it comes to lactation, infant feeding, and maternal and infant health, including discrimination or gatekeeping by organizations with insufficient support systems, initiatives that should be Native-led but are not, inadequate mental health screening during the perinatal period, misclassification in data collection, the invisibility of Native people, and many injustices in environmental policies and law.
 
One major crisis right now is the maternal mortality rate as Native mothers are dying at a much higher rate than the national average. It was shown that 92% of those deaths could have been prevented. Ninety-two! It’s heartbreaking. The three major causes of death were hemorrhage, suicide, and overdose. There has been a Maternal Mortality Review Committee formed in various states, however, none of them had a Native American/Indigenous Team or person as the primary lead, nor are they engaging in the pain-staking nuanced work of inclusivity, which requires direct and culturally-sensitive engagement in the remote areas of reservations to include respectful partnerships with grassroots organizations. This effort will identify what works for us, and how we can explore solutions - this invisibility is deeply problematic when it comes to health issues.
 
Camille:  Can you speak about how historical injustices contribute to today’s challenges?
 
Kimberly: Colonization had a devastating impact on Native American communities and families. What was once a thriving civilization rooted in spirituality, oral tradition, cultural practices, and relationship to the ancestral land has been decimated due to unjust acts of violence, stolen land, broken treaties, removal of children, the dismantling of the family structure, and ultimately, the genocide of Native peoples. It is important to understand Native American history and the associated traumas that continue to negatively impact our Native societies. We face health disparities, lack of funding for quality standards of health care, racism, inequitable mental health care, and a lack of resources. Our Congressional Delegation in both the Senate and House are quick to appropriate billions for overseas spending to secure international occupation but will fight tooth and nail against voting to increase spending on their domestic obligations. When we look at how culture has been stripped away, land has been stolen, and families have been separated, we can begin to understand why we see the issues that we do today, like maternal and infant mortality, suicide, substance abuse, missing and murdered indigenous women, and invisibility of our two-spirit relatives. As native people, we don’t have the privilege to take on just one part of the issues affecting us, because we are affected by all things and we are all things. We are the land, we are the water, the plants, our animal relatives, the cosmos, and living beings.
 
Camille: How can organizations support and stand in solidarity with your work and with Native American communities?
 
Kimberly: When an organization has an opportunity to fund a program or project or partake in equitable research, learn about the communities you are serving along with their stories, fund the programs that are grassroots and establish respectful partnerships with them. Convey the information to the communities on the ground level so that they have ownership over what needs to be done for their own community and continue to be an ally and advocate as well as grow your knowledge. At the end of the day, we’re people first.

Camille: Thank you so much, Kimberly, for sharing your memories and your insights. Also, thank you for your support as we embark on planning our upcoming Infant Nutrition Security Listening Sessions.

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​Readers, the USBC is funded to develop a National Blueprint outlining a 5-year plan for advancing infant nutrition security and eliminating breastfeeding disparities. The Listening Sessions will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the plan’s development, outlining a vision for comprehensive societal promotion, protection, and support for breastfeeding and infant nutrition security and the steps that are needed to achieve it, with a particular focus on priority populations, including indigenous peoples.

​If you are interested in participating and sharing your perspectives and insights during the listening sessions,  subscribe to USBC email alerts to be notified about registering. Or, take it a step further by joining the USBC membership. Organizations that are led by and serving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) or other priority populations are eligible for complimentary membership through the Creating Space Scholarship.

As we move through this month celebrating and recognizing the culture and contributions of indigenous people to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States, please visit the USBC Native American Heritage Month webpage for helpful resources, and follow the Indigenous Lactation Counselor and Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective pages on Facebook.

Happy Native American Heritage Month!