Shawna Whaley

Shawna is Suqpiaq of the Chugach region. Her family is from Nuuciq and Chenega Bay in the Prince William Sound. She spent her childhood on the waters of Ketchikan and Cordova, moving to the Dena’ina lands of Anchorage as a teenager where she currently lives with her husband and children. She is a proud mother of three and an auntie to many.

Shawna has been a foster parent, culture bearer, fish and wildlife protector, community educator and birth helper for many years. With a background in Yoga and dance, she also enjoys working intuitively with the rhythm of each individual body and inspiring natural, joyful movement throughout pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. Shawna says, “Birthwork is a meaningful tradition, particularly for Native people. We can experience birth as a dance, a ceremony, a labor of love. It’s an honor to walk one another through these thresholds. When we uphold traditional ways of caring for each other, we are nurturing our own selves with a sense of cultural wellbeing and understanding.” She is thrilled to work with Native families and with the many gifted birth keepers of ANBC. Quyanaa