Ep2 - Free Birth, Sovereign Birth and Discontinuing Trauma w/ Imuna Flo

Mycelial

On the second episode of Mycelial we speak with Imuna Flo who is a free-birthing mother, performance artist, activist, & sovereign birth advocate. She is a descendent of the Anangu people of the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara language groups of the Central Desert. Always in service to Elders, children and country, she lives with her multi-generational, blended family on Widgabal-Wiyabal land of the Bundjalung Nation.

In Imuna’s words ‘decolonisation starts with birth’ and her work revolves around supporting the birth continuum back to sovereign ways. Both in the individual and the collective.

In this episode we speak about the importance of sovereign birth on mothers’ terms and its role in limiting trauma cycles for the next generations. Also the inverse, how trauma can perpetuate soul loss that can lead to the continuation of colonisation in this generation and next.

Imuna offers some words of wisdom on how to connect to our ancestors in helping for ease of birth and cleaning past ancestral birth trauma. Also, on the role of community in the birth continuum and beyond.

She says ‘We are the land walking around in flesh and in the same way mother nature is embodied in all mothers. For this reason, many maternal matters are everybody’s business to learn for the men and other members of our tribes and communities must know how to hold reverence and space for mothers and babies who are the centre of community.’

We also speak broader issues such multiple genocides happening on our planet today and the local environmental movement ‘Save Wallum’.
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Enormous thanks and respect to sister and friend Imuna Flo for her time and wisdom.

You can learn more and get in contact with Flo and her offerings through her Instagram @imuna_flo
https://www.instagram.com/imuna_flo
Update: She has just become a published author and contributed a chapter to Rebel Ma. Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0D8YQKVSZ?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1d-EZVd4jWlgjT1vroNqK93-dz1seVglD3httmJ263eW1XCv2wbdBhsOU_aem_v5dG6T62F1xIad6pZW8CBg

You can also find and get involved with the Save Wallum movement on Instagram @save_wallum

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At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.