Indigenous Birth Justice
Revitalizing Birth, Rebuilding Community, Reclaiming Ceremony
Indigenous Birth Justice (IBJ) is a Native-led initiative based in Spokane, Washington, working to restore Indigenous birthing traditions and support families throughout pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. Through community-based, culturally grounded care, IBJ provides healing resources and education to Indigenous families across urban and rural communities.
Co-directed by Ami Palmanteer and Danica Parkin, IBJ exists to honor Indigenous wisdom, ensure safe and empowering birth experiences, and restore the strength of intergenerational support systems.
What Does Indigenous Birth Justice Offer?
IBJ serves as a circle of care, restoring cultural autonomy and strengthening Native families. Its programming spans the full birthing journey—and beyond.
- Doula Support
IBJ provides full-spectrum doula services to families of all ages. Babies don’t age out, and care is lifelong. Services include:- In-person and virtual birthing story nights
- Childbirth education classes
- Emotional and spiritual support before, during, and after birth
- Circle Support Groups
Monthly groups bring together families to reflect, create, and connect. Activities include:- Making moss bags, healing salves, and medicinal teas
- Talking circles focused on postpartum recovery and community healing
- Plant Medicine & Traditional Wellness
Culturally rooted care includes:- Herbal teas, salves, and nipple creams
- Gathering and preparing local medicinal plants
- Spiritual connection and guidance through ceremony
- Coming of Age Ceremonies
Up to six youth per year participate in multi-day ceremonies rooted in traditional teachings. Youth learn skills such as:- Gathering, hunting, cooking, and caring for family
- Reflecting on their place in the community
- Diaper Distribution & Postpartum Kits
Families can access diapers, baby wipes, and healing care kits. IBJ also connects families with nearby partner organizations when needed.
The Spirit Behind the Work
IBJ is grounded in the understanding that birth is ceremony, not just a medical event. Birth should be surrounded by love, prayer, guidance from ancestors, and a calm space where the body and baby move at their own rhythm.
“One of our mothers said when she was a teenager, she was sent to a residential school in Omak. She told us, ‘That place should have done what we’re doing now—this center should have existed then.’ She also said that if these resources had been available to families earlier, so many of today’s challenges could have been avoided. That’s what we’re trying to change.” — Ami Palmanteer, Co-Director
Addressing Challenges Through Culture & Care
Indigenous birthing people face systemic challenges in healthcare, from being dismissed or disbelieved by providers to facing the deep impacts of generational trauma and colonization. Many are told not to trust their bodies or voices.
IBJ responds by:
- Training Indigenous Doulas
Over 35–45 doulas have been trained in the past year through IBJ’s state-recognized, culturally centered Indigenous doula program. Graduates can receive Medicaid reimbursement for their services. - Uplifting Indigenous Parenting Models
Monthly Positive Indian Parenting classes, men’s and women’s groups, and partnerships with teen parenting programs help families strengthen relationships and reconnect to community values. - Community Outreach
From powwow tables to urban schools, IBJ meets families where they are. Each year, Indigenous Birth Justice Week (typically held at the end of summer) includes family fun days, raffles, wellness activities, and cultural crafts. Upcoming event details will be posted on the Macaroni KID Spokane events page.
Meet the Indigenous Birth Justice Team
Ami Palmanteer – Co-Director - Photo provided by IBJ staff.
Colville Confederated Tribes (Methow, Moses/Columbia, Wenatchi, Entiat)
Ami is a dedicated educator, birth worker, and cultural advocate. She holds an AAS in Social Services, is completing certifications in Early Childhood Education, and is fluent in nselxcin (Colville-Okanagan Salish). She serves as a lead ECEAP teacher at the Salish School of Spokane and works part-time with IBJ.
Ami is raising her three children along with her younger brother. She believes that IBJ’s work is transformational and sees it as a way to bring healing, identity, and connection back into the lives of Indigenous families.
Danica Parkin / Pilás̓is – Co-Director- Photo provided by IBJ staff.
Sinixt / Synackstx
Danica is a Family Nurse Practitioner and doula, trained at Seattle Midwifery School in 2006. She holds a BSN (2010) and MSN (2012) and works in pediatric primary care.
Her personal journey through Indigenous birth—birthing all three children at home with midwives and extended breastfeeding—fuels her passion for reclaiming ancestral traditions. Danica provides care across all ages and brings both clinical expertise and cultural reverence to IBJ’s mission.
Crystal Conant – Community Support Coordinator - Photo provided by IBJ staff.
Colville Confederated Tribes (San Poil and Sinixt)
Crystal is fluent in nselxcin and active in regional canoe journeys. Her lived experience as a young, single mother in an urban setting shapes her commitment to mentoring Indigenous parents. She is currently training in doula and breastfeeding peer support and is dedicated to guiding others through cultural parenting practices and Coming of Age ceremonies.
Doula Training & Education
Indigenous Birth Justice created a state-supported doula training program that centers Indigenous knowledge, practices, and lived experience. The training is Medicaid reimbursable, providing income and purpose to Indigenous doulas while growing the regional birth justice movement.
A Vision for the Future
IBJ is committed to reducing Native maternal and infant mortality, building birth equity, and ensuring that every Native mother knows she has a team behind her.
“It’s not about how many people we serve. It’s about how deeply we serve the ones we do reach.” — Ami Palmanteer
Stay Connected
- 🌐 Website: spokanetribalnetwork.org/ibj
- 📘 Facebook: STN Indigenous Birth Justice Group
- 📞 Call: (509) 258-4535 ext. 4006
Partners & Supporters
Indigenous Birth Justice works alongside the Spokane Tribal Network, Ttáwaxt Birth Justice Center, Makah Hi•dasubač Initiative, and Həłmxiłp Indigenous Birth Justice, with funding from the Perigee Fund, Washington State Department of Health, and private donors.
