KNOWLEDGE IS IN THE BLOOD/KITSO E MO MADING: REFLEXIVE REVIEW OF MY DOCTORAL RESEARCH JOURNEY.

This article arose out of my doctoral research aimed at exploring the role of Indigenous midwives in countering obstetric violence. The study was a qualitative exploratory and descriptive account of women's experience of childbirth at home and healthcare facilities. In addition to focusing on women's experience of birthing, I documented Indigenous midwives' descriptions of their practice. Adopting Indigenous feminist theory and Indigenous research methodology, I undertook semi-structured interviews with 28 rural women in three provinces, i.e. Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape in South Africa. Using a thematic analytical framework, the study revealed that women who gave birth in healthcare facilities had negative birthing experiences as compared to those who gave birth at home. The objective of this article is not to argue for facility-based or home birth. Instead, the article articulates my struggle with reconciling the Western worldview with my search for a fitting research methodology. By assuming a reflexive review of my positionality as an Indigenous healer and a midwife whose training and practice were shaped by the very worldview I am challenging, the article centres on an extended life-focused interview with an Indigenous midwife in Setswana. By so doing, I aim to open a dialogue on the value of spiritually revealed knowledge as knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]