Artist Statement
Photography is my creative outlet for exploring decolonization and platform for storywork. It helps me find my voice as an Indigenous woman. This image is part of a Photovoice series called Lifelines that connects birth and family narratives. I experienced patient harm giving birth in a Manitoba hospital due to anti-indigenous racism. My interpretation of health justice acknowledges the layers of colonial violence that is systemic and gendered. It continues to hurt and oppress us, casting a long shadow over our families.

Biography
Vanda is a Métis woman from the prairies of western Manitoba and her ancestral homelands extend from Red River throughout the Assiniboine valley. Family relationships and a rural upbringing cultivated a pull towards stories embedded in land and memory. Vanda’s storywork approach blends Indigenous voices and community narratives and the lens of empowerment makes this work meaningful. Her photographs of Birtle Residential School appeared in Locale: Bringing Heritage to Life, the magazine of the National Trust for Canada. Vanda’s greatest sources of inspiration are her three children and the stories of her ancestors.