Pedagogy of Mother Earth in the gestation and childbirth of the Nasa Indigenous Woman Pedagogía de la Madre Tierra en la gestación y parto de la mujer Indígena Nasa

Abstract

Pregnancy is made up of universal physiological events, independent of geographical, cultural and religious location. In indigenous communities there are multiple factors that limit the participation of pregnant women in health services, which merits investigation. Objective: Co-construct the elements for a pedagogical strategy in health from the recovery of ancestral
knowledge for pregnant women from an indigenous community in Huila from the Pedagogy of Mother Earth. Methodology: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) with qualitative focus carried out during 2021 and 2022. The study population was a community from the Páez indigenous reservation (Íquira, Huila-Colombia). Non-probabilistic sampling made up of pregnant women, midwives and representatives of the health service with whom focus groups were held. Results: For the Nasa
woman, pregnancy represents a seed, a new life and the beginning of a cycle; the gestation process is seen as an opportunity for growth, learning and survival for the community. Own beliefs and customs are applied prior to conception and until childbirth, aimed at a healthy, calm, pain-free pregnancy in permanent connection with mother earth. Conclusions: For the construction of a pedagogical strategy in health in harmony with mother earth, elements such as the recognition of individual and collective history, the accompaniment of the couple and the family, food and listening to the language must be taken into account of the body as transverse axes and the recognition of the midwife and the knowledgeable as representative actors in the process.