Breastfeeding photo series challenges stereotypes of Indigenous parents

Elicia Munro-Sutherland wantsto challenge assumptions people make about Indigenous mothers.

This fall, the Saskatoon-based photographer got an idea. She put out a call on Facebook for a shoot that would exclusively feature Indigenous women feeding their babies while wearing traditional clothing.

"I want to show the true beauty of Indigenous peoples and their culture," Munro-Sutherland told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning. "We're so stereotyped to be something different."

The photos have travelled around the world digitally, generating hundreds of comments.

"I haven't even been able to read all the comments," she said. "It had me crying tears that people felt a connection to those photos."

Deidre Sunchild was one of the mothers who participated in the shoot. She wore a traditional ribbon skirt and beaded earrings she designed herself.

"I found it really important to explore my bond with my kid," she said. "The only way I could embrace (him) more was to get out there and show people."

Munro-Sutherland's past photography projects have focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls as well as the beauty of Indigenous men.

She said her latest project may be one of her most important.

"We're reclaiming our power," she said. "We're stereotyped as bad parents, and everything like that, so we're reclaiming that. That is not who we are."

- With files from CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning