Paradoxes of the traditional midwives program in the context of Krahô women

Abstract

This paper analyses the impact of the Working with Traditional Midwives Program on the daily routine of a Krahô indigenous women group. This is an ethnographic study that mainly used observation and field diary as supporting tools. Other tools were timely interviews and secondary data. Fieldwork occurred between August 2015 and December 2016 and involved ten women of eight different villages. Results point to a disassociation between the Program's main objective, which is focused on appreciating and reviving midwives' knowledge and the daily village reality. Although the Program has targeted women who already work empirically on the birth setting, there was a generalized acknowledgement in villages that women "became midwives" after taking the course. Consequently, the lack of payment and the frustrated expectation that "government" would hire them, though never assumed, were interpreted as neglect. Results reveal an ethnocentric bias of the Program, focused on disseminating scientific knowledge and delivering materials that deviate from the logic of the group under analysis. Studies that evaluate the impact of the Programs' actions in other contexts, including non-indigenous ones, may contribute to the necessary adjustments and the effective appreciation of these women's work.